Conyers Asks DOJ Torture Lawyer: Could President Order Suspect Buried Alive?

Talking Points Memo:

David Addington is going to say as little as possible to the House Judiciary Committee today. The Vice President's chief of staff didn't submit testimony today or make an opening statement, and he successfully stonewalled the first round of questioning from subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). He did submit 10 exhibits to the committee as evidence, but it's not yet clear what they consist of.

But then it was Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) turn to ask questions. And he went toe to toe with Yoo, the former DOJ attorney and torture-memo author extraordinaire.

Read the whole story: Talking Points Memo

Comments

[OgreDaddy]

12:37 AM on 06/27/2008

The Bush Wingers have done all they can to stay " ON MESSAGE"
completely ignoring the fact that terrorism is a criminal act.

Even if you swallow the 9/11 propaganda, the attacks of 9/11 were STILL a CRIMINAL ACT and without state sponsorship, cannot be defined as an act of war.

If we go into Columbia and raid a heavily armed group of drug cartel mercenaries, we may use military
type force, but those we arrest and take into custody are criminals.

The use of the term enemy combatant has been shoved down our throats for a reason, because
this administration wants to stay on message, that this is a war.

A PERPETUAL WAR!

The truth is that they were authorized to use military force in a police action in Afghanistan.
To catch Bin Laden et Al.

Bush propagandists deliberately twisted the terminology to sell us a war against Iraq.

It has already been well proven that Iraq had nothing to do with the events of 9/11

A criminal act.

Criminals, regardless of their crime have certain legal rights until proven guilty in a court of law.

[steamboat]

06:32 PM on 06/26/2008

I'll be blunt and honest.........Its the democrats year. Its their turn. Any democrat would probably beat any republican.......And even though Obama is starting to flip-flop on issues (Public campaign funding, townhall debates, keeping troops in Iraq, etc.) and throwing grandma under the bus. Yet, he should still win easy. .........Having said all that, more goofy comments from the likes of John Conyers, Jeremiah Wright, Michael Pflager, etc., etc. and the impossible will happen---a republican win.......Something to think about.

[Probus]

06:54 PM on 06/26/2008

Obama had every right to opt out of public financing considering he is raising more than McCain ever could. Obama never agreed to townhall debates. Neither has he changed from his position on withdrawing troops from Iraq. But I agree this is the year of the dems it will be a bad year for the GOP.

[MoeJava]

06:32 PM on 06/26/2008

The WH Attorneys must be living in some parallel universe... what ever gives them the idea they are protecting and defending the US Constitution? At the very least, they are not advising ethical behavior
unless you are practicing human sacrifice.

[Village]

06:16 PM on 06/26/2008

Don't give them any ideas.

[tbone99]

06:22 PM on 06/26/2008

You're so right!

[LibRS]

06:03 PM on 06/26/2008

You people sound like a room full of babies all screaming at once. Do you actually think the bulk of us citizens give a rats posterior if any of these bloodsuckers get a lttle waterboarding. NEWSFLASH!! THEY DON'T!!

[peskyliberal]

06:09 PM on 06/26/2008

You have fit in very well in Saudi Arabia.

As for me...I kinda like the idea of a moral high ground.

[Harinama]

06:13 PM on 06/26/2008

well considering we have NO IDEA if they are innocent (which most probably are) or guilty. So how about we put you in gitmo and waterboard you? Oh thats right, you're an innocent american citizen...oops forgot THAT DOESNT MATTER NOW.

If king bush doesnt like you, off to gitmo you go. Would you care then about it? Well then you should care now BEFORE you get taken.

Do you prefer tap or perrier for your "treatment"?

[peskyliberal]

05:57 PM on 06/26/2008

If Conyers cant bring up Articles of Impeachment, why is he given any consideration?

[guntotinganglion]

05:55 PM on 06/26/2008

"John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody – including by crushing that child’s testicles."

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11488.htm

How big a jump is it from crushing a suspects child's testicles, to burying someone alive? For the neo-con monsters, it's not a jump at all, it's a foregone conclusion. The President could drop any of our children into a branch chipper per this sociopath's logic...so why be reticent about burying any of us alive?

[Bettysdad]

05:55 PM on 06/26/2008

For several years I've been asking if Bush can order someone killed. If not, why not?

And if he can't order them killed, why can he order them to be tortured?

Not a single Republican has ever been able to clear this up for me.

[levibatgirl]

05:35 PM on 06/26/2008

If I could have a million dollars or bi+ch slap yahoo, I'd bi+ch slap yahoo.

(did I get through the huffpo filters?)

[Probus]

05:28 PM on 06/26/2008

We need more questions like this from Conyers and others on Judiciary. We put dems in power so Bush could be held accountable. I'm all for impeaching Bush, but by no means should people like Yoo and Addington not be held accountable for the crimes they committed under the umbrella of "national security". Bravo Mr. Chairman, but please don't take impeachment off the table.

[aristippe]

05:40 PM on 06/26/2008

yeah because hyperbole to please the hysterics really gets the ball rolling.

[Probus]

05:49 PM on 06/26/2008

The question Conyers asked was legitimate. I like to know the answer to it. Not surprising that Yoo refused to answer such a simple question.

[milo9]

05:18 PM on 06/26/2008

The Security of American People trumps buried alive.

[levibatgirl]

05:31 PM on 06/26/2008

Get back under your bed you brainwashed coward.

[marinemomof3]

05:39 PM on 06/26/2008

We are a nation of L A W S .
We have a constitution, of which these yoohoo's have/had
sworn an oath to uphold.

i am not afraid!!!

Yoo seemed very timid, mouse like. I was surprised that this guy is a professor @ Berkley.
Davis (AL)and others cleaned their clocks several times. Yoo had to confer w/his atty numerous times on word meanings??? Where did he go to law school??

[AnotherMcIntosh]

06:15 PM on 06/26/2008

"We are a nation of L A W S ."

We used to be. It's over.

[zizyphus]

05:08 PM on 06/26/2008

Geev'um, John Conyers! Go for it! Make him uncomfortable. Bury him alive with questions.

[impatient]

05:02 PM on 06/26/2008

There is a new book out entitled something like "The Prosecution of george W. Bush for murder" by Vincent Bugliosi. It is exccellent and apparently being kept out of bookstores. Let me recommend it.

The reason I mention the book is that one of the posters here said, "What's the point of this dog and pony show?". The point is that Bush and his cronies have long been using legal dog and pony shows to push through their own evil agendas and no one cares because they have so overwhelmed the system, it has become normal for idiots like Addington and Yoo to do whatever they please without question. The point of THIS dog and pony show is to shine the light of day on the incredibly cynical evil manner in which they have gone baout their "work".

I am hoping that when a new president is in office and some of this ethical filth washes away, at least to the point where we can breathe again, we'll come to our senses and start prosecuting these people. Something has to be done.

So many crimes cannot go unpunished!

[cruisepuppy7452a]

06:07 PM on 06/26/2008

Bush cannot keep that off the shelves, it violates the writers free speech. Um, where the hell is the american civil liberties union on this? Yo, Gagging the media, felony. They did so on 911 too, Felony with a capitol F.

[milo9]

05:00 PM on 06/26/2008

Of course! Even President Obami could order torture to " keep the American people safe."

[111]

05:19 PM on 06/26/2008

So, you finally admit Obama is going to win the GE ...

[oafishcad]

04:51 PM on 06/26/2008

It's probably best that none of these goons is tried for any crimes before Governor Bush leaves the White House. He'd just pardon them anyway. He's proven that. Just wait until there's a new President them arrest every last one of them including Bush and Cheney. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is too kind a punishment.