Albrechtsen In A Bind

Janet Albrechtsen's column today was a pisser.

She's clearly uncomfortable with the way the Haneef case is unfolding, yet appears even more uncomfortable with being on the same side as the civil libertarians:

'ONE need not venture anywhere near the intellectual wasteland of civil libertarians and their academic, legal and media boosters to believe that there is something dreadfully wrong with the unravelling case against detained terrorist suspect Mohamed Haneef.'

And in case you had any doubts:

'If the Howard Government fails to grasp that the growing unease over the handling of the case against Haneef is not confined to the lunatic libertarians, it risks undermining the case for anti-terrorism laws, destroying the Government's credibility on national security and weakening its claim on the next election. '

So she agrees that in this instance they have a point and that the case has been a travesty so far, but she's at pains to remind us that she despises the 'lunatic libertarians'. Her usual audience need not fear because her siding on this with such lunatics is an anomaly. Once again she hammers it home:

'Australia was on the verge of becoming a totalitarian state, said the civil libertarians who appear more concerned with the liberty of terrorists to go about their bomb-making business than the right of the rest of us to go about our more mundane pursuits.'

What's this got to do with Haneef? Nothing! But it reminds us that she hates those civi libis.

'But for progressives, the "out of control" Government was "exercising a monstrous abuse of power and public faith". Recalling parliament was, said Greens leader Bob Brown, "a black day in prime ministerial abuse of the people of this nation. It is disgusting." '

Again where's the connection? Nowhere! They're crap that's all.

'So far we have Haneef's SIM card, which authorities claimed was used in the failed Glasgow bomb attack, turning up hundreds of kilometres away in Liverpool, and other major inconsistencies between the police record of interview, leaked to The Australian, and material presented by the Australian Federal Police to a Queensland magistrate during Haneef's bail hearing. And, ouch, Britain's Metropolitan Police is laughing at the AFP for overseeing such a "major cock-up". '

Oh that's right you agree with the lunatics on this one don't you Janet.

'The same goes for the headline-hunting and opportunistic band of lawyers who peddle schlock horror stories about anti-terrorism laws. After all, these guys would be the first to launch class actions against the Government and authorities in the event of a terrorist attack. You can't win these people over. They have been waiting to dance on the grave of Australia's terrorism laws since those laws were enacted. '

Yeah we know, but you hate them anyway.