? 62% of Americans do not want the Torture Crimes to be investigated.

[bdamomma]

Is this true, I heard John Dean say it last nite, who are those 62% who don't want to convict the bush thugs for their crimes. Can someone explain that to me?

[derby378]

1. Whether or not the number is true, screw them

We're a nation of laws, and the laws say that we must prosecute.

Same thing with bans on semi-automatics. Even if a majority say they need to be banned, the law says we have a right to those guns. They tried changing the law, but that didn't work out so well.

Same thing with banning gay marriage. Even if a majority of Californias support Proposition 8, if it's against the laws of the State of California, it's against the laws of the State of California.

Should I go on?

[atreides1]

7. We're only a Nation of Laws

When it's convenient and doesn't upset the populace at breakfast time. All this talk of torture, is upsetting those Americans with delicate dispositions, you know the runs who refuse to believe that the good old US of A could ever do things like that to other people.

Or the ones who believe in the 24 theory of the "ticking bomb", or the just plain stupid!

[bushmeister0]

17. If neither the British or the Israelis believe the ticking time bomb fiction

why does it keep getting brought up like it's a real situation in our media? If anyone should be paranoid about ticking time bombs it's the British and the Israelis, they've had a lot more practical experience with real bombs going off.

[NewJeffCT]

2. I think if the questions were phrased better

the results would look a lot different... wasn't there a poll a month ago or so where over 60% wanted war crimes investigated?

[BlooInBloo]

3. I thought I recalled hearing almost precisely opposite numbers...

Don't remember where or when, though.

[atreides1]

4. When you find out

Let us know.

The knowledge that these people are out there walking the streets is enough to get me to start looking to increase my defensive
items by investing in a rifle to go with my pistol.

[bdamomma]

5. thanks for the replies, but I have heard this number twice

once on Tweety's show and once last nite on Keith's show, this can't be true.

[crimsonblue]

6. Glenn Greenwald would disagree.

A plurality of Americans want there to be investigations.

[arbusto_baboso]

8. I'd say at least 62% of Americans don't want to pay taxes or work for a living, too. So?

Sometimes you just have to do unpleasant things. It's called being a responsible adult, which most Americans seem to have forgotten.

[spanone]

9. who cares? we don't enforce law by popular demand....

[bdamomma]

10. you are quite correct, in these cases the laws need to be enforced.

[spanone]

18. a poll should hold no sway in whether a grand jury indicts someone for criminal activity

this should be ESPECIALLY true in a political setting imo

[aquart]

11. Nobody asked ME.

[ourbluenation]

12. so what - most americans at one point didn't approve of interracial marriage either.

doesn't matter what a majority think. the law is the law.

[Initech]

13. Didnt Bush himself say that he was going to prosecute anyone in his admin caught torturing?

[fascisthunter]

14. that is bogus....

[tekisui]

15. It has to do with how the question was asked.

I haven't heard the number, but if asked like:

"Do you think the Democrats should waste time and tax payer dollars during a economic crises, making us less safe, to have a partisan witch hunt into how the republicans kept us safe for 8 years looking backwards instead of moving forward?"

Would get a different answer than:

"Should we investigate torture to determine if any, crimes were committed ?"

[AtomicKitten]

16. Public opinion does not mitigate the consequences of breaking the law. n/t

[fascisthunter]

19. According to the "Gallop" this is crap

and I thought it was to begin with.

PUBLIC OPINION ON TORTURE....
"Gallup published a new poll today, which has similar results, but one unexpected twist.

A new Gallup Poll finds 51% of Americans in favor and 42% opposed to an investigation into the use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects during the Bush administration. At the same time, 55% of Americans believe in retrospect that the use of the interrogation techniques was justified, while only 36% say it was not."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_04/017930.php

[Political Heretic]

21. That second number is far more scary.

[CTyankee]

20. Totally believable, IMHO. When you ask people to balance their personal safety and that of their

family against the "law" or the Constitution, fear of being unsafe will win EVERY TIME. It is not even a question in my mind.

Is it right? Is it even detrimental to their safety and not the other way around? No, it is not right. And yes it probably is detrimental to their safety. But that is not the way most people in this country think. I would bet money on this...sorry, I've been around too long and seen this scenario play out too many times to think otherwise...

[Spazito]

22. Here is the poll referred to by Dean...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/27/opinion/polls/main4972844.shtml

I think the interpretation is misleading based on the question which was:

Should Congress Investigate The Bush Administration? The choice respondents had in answering the question were limited to two: Should have hearings/Hearings not necessary.

There was NO question related specifically related to the question of whether the DOJ should investigate the Bush administration’s treatment of detainees which leaves, imo, the question of whether those who answered Congress should not hold hearings answered that way because they believe it is the DOJ that should investigate.

Another interesting thing about this specific poll is that it was "pulled" from a bigger NYT/CBS poll released in April and published separately and, unlike the bigger poll, it does NOT contain a pdf link which allows one to see the details related to the survey.

Here is the bigger poll referred to above:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/06/opinion/polls/main4923710.shtml?tag=topHome;topStories

Here is the link to the pdf with the larger poll details:

http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_Obama_040609.pdf

Note in the pdf (pg 22) the following:

q68-71,q75 RELEASED SEPARATELY; q73,q74,q79 HELD FOR FUTURE RELEASE

It would be reasonable to assume the questions regarding the investigation of the Bush administration would be those in this grouping given that the questions immediately preceding those were about Iraq and Afghanistan.

[EFerrari]

23. There was a Gallup poll done at the same time that showed 51% did

want investigations.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118006/Slim-Majority-Wants-Bush-Era-Interrogations-Investigated.aspx

[Spazito]

24. Yes, and I think it is, surprising for Gallop, lol, a better reflection of...

the attitude of the American public because the question is more inclusive:

"Would you favor or oppose a government investigation into the use of harsh interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects?"

It is interesting Gallop asked the question that the NYT/CBS poll did not:

Suppose there is an investigation into the use of harsh interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects. Which of the following would you most like to see conduct it, or don't you have a preference?

Bipartisan Commission 25%

Justice Department 22%

Congress 8%

No preference 42%

Congress was the LEAST preferred of the three avenues provided. The NYT/CBS poll, by using the term "hearings" limited their question ONLY to Congress which, as I posted earlier, makes their interpretation of their poll misleading, imo.

[EFerrari]

25. The American people are not stupid. They know theater

when they see it!