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McCarthyism = Lawless Paranoia

No, I'm not talking about the drunken lunatic McCarthy from the 1950s. I mean the sober lunatic McCarthy from today:

[National Review's] Andy McCarthy contrasted the treatment of modern-day terrorists with that of the German saboteurs in World War II. That these guys were executed without a civilian trial is well-known. But McCarthy recounted that, when the Germans petitioned the Supreme Court, President Roosevelt sent word to the Justices that he was prepared to disregard an unfavorable ruling. The Court proceeded to rule favorably.

McCarthy argued that we must return to a regime in which judicial institutions take a backseat to the robust defense of the country. Decisions about national security are the most important ones the government makes. They shouldn't be made by a branch that is not accountable to the electorate and that, to make matters worse, is lacking in the expertise necessary to make correct judgments about our security requirements.

In the most controversial portion of his remarks, McCarthy called on the executive branch to be willing to face down the courts, as FDR did. He noted that interpreting the Constitution is not the sole province of the judiciary, but rather the obligation of all branches of government.