Blast it all! The U.S. has pulled out or part of the Vienna Convention. For 35 years, the Vienna Convention has assured that citizens of its signatories are allowed consult with their home-country diplomat when jailed abroad. The United States has now withdrawn itself from that portion of the Convention (referred to as an "Optional Protocol").

The United States has used this portion of the Convention on more than one occasion to protect its own citizens abroad. However, death penalty opponents and foreign governments have used it as argument in death penalty cases of foreign nationals in the U.S. (OFTEN foreign nationals are given death sentences without the opportunity to consult with their diplomat). As noted in a post below, the Bush administration granted hearings to 51 Mexican death penalty inmates to review whether they were given ample opportunity to speak to their diplomat. The United States Supreme Court is also about to hear a case regarding this very issue.

I am ashamed that "my" government would pull itself out of one portion of such an important Convention simply because it does not want to have to provide foreign nationals with the opportunity to consult their governments before they are given the ultimate punishment. Of course, this whole thing has created quite a rift between Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox. I imagine withdrawal from this portion of the treaty is not going to help that relationship. After all, now Mexican nationals who are arrested and charged with capital crimes will not even have the right to consult. At least before today, that right was just being violated...it wasn't removed. Huh...which is worse?

U.S. Quits Pact Used in Capital Cases