Oppose Bush Prosecutions? Here's What You Therefore Also Believe.

[Truth2Tell]

From Glenn Greenwald:

It cannot be emphasized enough that those who are arguing against criminal investigations for Bush officials are -- whether consciously or implicitly -- arguing that the U.S., alone in the world, is exempt from the laws and principles which we've been advocating and imposing on other countries for decades. There is simply no way to argue that our leaders should be immunized from criminal investigations for torture and other war crimes without believing that (a) the U.S. is and should be immune from the principles we've long demanded other nations obey and (b) we are free to ignore our treaty obligations any time it suits us.

It's just as simple as that: one must embrace both of those premises in order to argue for a bar against criminal investigations. And that's particularly true for those who argue that Bush officials should not be held liable for what they did either because (a) DOJ lawyers said it was legal and/or (b) Congress provided retroactive immunity to the torturers. As documented below, those are two of the most common and most universally discredited excuses in Western justice.

That fact may not lead anyone to change their minds about investigations and prosecutions, but those who are arguing for immunity for Bush officials ought to at least be honest and admit that they don't care about our treaty obligations and the principles we spent decades advocating for others because those rules -- for whatever reasons (e.g., we're special; we have too many other important things to do; we're the strongest and so nobody can make us do anything) -- don't apply to us. Those who oppose criminal investigations and prosecutions should acknowledge that this is what they believe (or at least are willing implicitly to embrace). Why pretend otherwise?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/02/19/exceptionalism/index.html">More here...

[EmilyAnne]

1. I agree. Its a pity that it needs to even be explained. It should be common sense. n/t

[Why Syzygy]

2. k/r

[DeeDeeNY]

3. Our elected officials take an oath of office

They must defend and protect the Constitution. There are no loopholes.

[blm]

4. It sickens me when Dems admit they won't fight for, want or even EXPECT their right to accountable

government that is open to the people.

Every day here I see some Dems who think it is silly to persist in calling for open government, as if they are part of the establishment Kool Kidz in with the secrecy and privilege crowd.

[Truth2Tell]

5. It really does come across as a Kool Kidz syndrome

much of the time.

There is a certain smugness that seems to accompany the ability to thoroughly recite the establishment rationalizations for secret government and Constitutional abuse. The condescension of the Very Serious Adults who "really understand the realities" of these issues can get very tiresome.

[blm]

9. And they don't hear how tiresome they sound telling accountability seekers that they are the ones

who are 'tiresome' - as if we should all forget about that 'accountability' stuff, move past the idea of open government, and join them to make life easier for the corrupt and their protectors.

[chill_wind]

6. Prosecute. Or protect and harbor war criminals. Prosecute. Or condone.

K & R.

[ThomWV]

7. You know, a rational man would think our Government would constantly be under investigation

For any and all forms of wrongdoing and you'd also think what we would settle for nothing less.

[blm]

10. Seems to me many Democrats have adopted the GOPs approach and use MOCKERY to attack those who seek

accountability.

They follow the lead of a certain Congressman named Richard Cheney, who mocked Sen. Kerry to the media calling him a 'conspiracy theory nut' - Kerry was unshaken and persisted to pull the single thread that led to the uncovering of IranContra, S&L chaos, Iraqgate, BCCI and CIA drugrunning.

Imagine - one thread.

[RC]

12. It is.

Anytime we have a Democratic President and/or a Democratic majority in congress.

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

[ffr]

16. Banana

Funny

[Life Long Dem]

11. Yes it is just as simple as that.

When Obama doesn't play judge and jury over Bush.

[Truth2Tell]

14. There is a big difference

between playing judge and jury, and intervening in ways that prevent the work of actual judges and juries.

[blm]

18. exact;y....all a president has to do is COOPERATE with investigations not start them or BLOCK the

ones already started by congress or senate.

And certainly a president shouldn't deepsix matters that are being uncovered. How did that work out for this nation when Clinton did that for Reagan and Poppy Bush?

[Winterblues]

13. We had to invade Iraq because Saddam tortured his own people

It was horrible that he tortured people. He had to go. However if Americans torture someone it is for the good of our nation..:crazy:

[chill_wind]

15. guardianUK today: Publish secret 'torture' documents, MPs tell Obama

Publish secret 'torture' documents, MPs tell Obama

Cross-party group of British politicians writes to US president as David Miliband defends himself over Mohamed case

Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 February 2009 17.42 GMT


A cross-party coalition of MPs and human-rights campaigners has written to Barack Obama calling on him to publish secret documents that allegedly contain evidence of US and British complicity in torture.

The move came as David Miliband, the foreign secretary, defended his position on the Guardian website over the suppression of evidence of the torture of Binyam Mohamed, the former UK resident held in Guantánamo Bay.

more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/19/obama-torture-mohamed

I am looking without success for news today in the US media on what happened yesterday in an ACLU FOIA lawsuit hearing regarding Obama admin's request for a delay in releasing the rest of the OLC Torture Memos. Pressure is coming within and abroad.

Binyam's legal team and medical team from the UK flew to Guantanamo on Monday of this week in the hopes of returning him to the UK. He is not charged of anything, and has been one of 50 prisoners on a hunger strike and being force-fed, the last one of the UK's. I read in the UK papers that President Obama had signaled the US would try to fast-track his case, but so far I haven't read that he's been released. Many may not know that Binyam was also one of the 5 prisoners in the extraordinary renditions case that just got dismissed by the Obama DOJ.

I think international pressure from overseas is not going to just permit this to go away. It is in the UK papers daily.

[defendandprotect]

17. kick

[Truth2Tell]

19. Thanks. :) nt

[mmonk]

20. Yep. Emperor of the world, beyond any law, and unaccountable

for the perpetration of any crime.

[madokie]

21. We really cannot not do what is not right can we?

This Cabal of War Criminals are in the same league as some of the other tyrants thats sprinkled all through out history, are they not?

splchk