L'Avocat de la terreur

I watched with fascination Barbet Schroeder's documentary L'Avocat de la terreur (Terror's Advocate) which profiles the controversial French lawyer Jacques Vergès. His client list includes Djamila Bouhired, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Klaus Barbie, Illich Ramirez Sanchez (the Venezuelan who became known as Carlos the Jackal), Islamist terrorist Khaled Kelkal and Slobodan Milosevic. Asked if he would defend Hitler, Vergès answers, "I said I'd even defend Bush. But only if he would plead guilty."

As important as the declarations made in this document are, what is left unsaid to be read between the lines is monumental in its scope. Vergès' silences are as eloquent as his well-spoken clarifications. One wonders how Vergès managed to survive if he were merely a lawyer using his position and skills to advance or protect the causes that were dear to him. Such a man would make an obvious target for revenge or nullification, would he not?

As I watch Vergès and listen to his offerings, the last thing I take him to be is a hard-working attorney doing his best. What presents itself to me is a confident, extremely capable advocate who has been given carte blanche for the purpose of asset management on behalf of clients who cannot always intervene directly for fear of public exposure.

And as long as we are on the subject, I suggest to President Bush that there is no need, really, to keep all the Black Sites around the world shrouded in secrecy. I think it has been adequately demonstrated that the American public does not care about what is going on at these sites. There is precedent that could lead us to conclude that the public might even be interested in subscribing on a pay-per-view basis to be able to watch the torture occurring at these sites (see Rome, Ancient). These revenues could be used to offset the cost of "The War on Terror" while eliminating the need for costly arrangements intended to maintain the secrecy of Black Site activities.