[doktrin]

Oh, I'm certainly not arguing Gonzalez should not have been prosecuted.

What I am reacting to quite specifically is the notion that "winning" a higher sentence is somehow a goal in and of itself.

Having worked quite closely with the legal community over the last half decade, I have to say that the mercenary attitude many hold continues to jar me.

[rm999]

The US uses an adversary law system, where a side 'wins'. It's basically a competition rather than an organized attempt at finding a 'truth'. As twisted as it is to frame a legal system as a form of combat, it usually ends up being pretty fair.

>Most legal experts agree that, in the long run, the adversary system results in societal benefits that outweigh its inherent shortcomings. By allowing all sides of a controversy to be heard, the system protects against abuse of power, and forces those with the most at stake to focus on the issues in dispute.

(from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Adversary+Syst...)