Obama Pushes Ahead With Bush Torture Probe

With growing talk in Washington that President Bush may be considering an unprecedented "blanket pardon" for people involved in his administration's brutal interrogation policies, advisors to Barack Obama are pressing ahead with plans for a nonpartisan commission to investigate alleged abuses under Bush.

The Obama plan, first revealed by Salon in August, would emphasize fact-finding investigation over prosecution. It is gaining currency in Washington as Obama advisors begin to coordinate with Democrats in Congress on the proposal. The plan would not rule out future prosecutions, but would delay a decision on that matter until all essential facts can be unearthed. Between the time necessary for the investigative process and the daunting array of policy problems Obama will face upon taking office, any decision on prosecutions probably would not come until a second Obama presidential term, should there be one.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[ThinkCreeps]

I don't think US Presidential pardons carry mush weight in The Hague. Stay home y'all

[kylennblack]

I was angry enough when the 2006 congress said impeachment was off the table. There had better be real, hard legal consequences of Bush & Cheney's actions because being regarded as a national and international joke and a pariah within one's own party is NOT enough.

No pardons for Bush.

[ianmcc]

So what, now that Obama is in office he's supposed to be this great placebo to make us forget about 9-11 (a probable inside job to maintain another 10-20 yrs of oil profit for Bush's buddies), the debacle of the Iraq war (which had NOTHING to do with Osama but EVERYTHING to do with oil fields), and the horrific official response to KATRINA where college students in pick-ups were MORE effective than the military which simply wasn't even there in the first days? The US has to look at what we became or it will simply repeat itself. Bush Jr., Cheney, et. all., DESERVE to have their crimes presented at the HAGUE and they should all be HANGED. They are MULTIPLE murderers of US citizens both civilian and military for oil profit. Just because Dems are now in control (many though like Pelosi who is also complicit in crimes due to her inaction and probable blackmailing by Bush's domestic spy program) doesn't mean we can forget and press a magical reset button. They MUST BE PROSECUTED, those who are and were responsible for the above!!!

[aubrey8]

hang him up.

[jacobomorales]

and he should, all the skeletons in the republican closet need to be exposed, shine a light on them and the public needs to hear all about it.
You are doing the right thing Mr. Obama.

[andhakari]

How is it possible to pardon someone you can't or won't identify for behavior you say was legal against charges that haven't been made yet?
If Bush says people committed crimes on his behalf, he might pardon them, but he can't pardon himself. 43 might have to go to jail.

[dlinguist]

A blanket pardon may turn out to be academic. Article II of the Constitution restricts the President's power of pardon to Federal crimes and prosecution. Though the US has its own War Crimes laws, which the article does point out have been watered down, precedent has shown repeatedly that the International community has jurisdiction in such cases.

The US, as a signatory of the Geneva Conventions, cannot legislate or adjudicate policies that are less stringent than the ones it signed. That means neither the Justice Dept (which is just part of the Executive branch,) nor Congress have any say in the matter. George W. Bush and his pro-torture cronies have no legal recourse, not even Presidential pardon, if the tribunal at The Hague decides to charge and prosecute them.

Bush et al should have considered the moral implications of their actions the same way we were instructed at the US Army Interrogation School at Ft. Huachuca. We were told we were not above the law... but neither is the President.

[Agentlady007]

Ridiculous, Obama isn't stupid. If this story is true, Iran is about to launch a preemptive red botton aimed at the fifty states.

[Yermammy]

Fine. If complicit Nan cy will not put "it" back on the table, I'm sure Caroline Kennedy (or whoever is named Ambassador to the U.N.) will and it will be put to a vote on taking this matter to the Hague. I'm quite sure there would be enough Countries to ratify this and then no one can blame President Obama! It's just going to get worse the longer this takes. In the end, Bush and Cheney will probably WISH they had just been Impeached. So be it.

[bartonfink]

BEST. HEADLINE. EVER.

[Yermammy]

You sick b@stard.

[kylennblack]

I didn't even think of it that way but taken out of context it is pretty funny.

[lungfish]

Accountability is critical... we should not let these guys slide because it might be "hard on the country".... these men are criminals and traitors and should not be allowed to get away with any of it.

[adey]

B ush t0rture probe...wouldn't that just be poetic justice?

[blueskybigstar]

Very important people. Get people involved. If we can make a black man president, can we put some white b o y s in j a i l? I don't feel safe on the street nor for Obama as long as they remain on the loose.

http://democrats.com/pardon?cid=ZGVtczQwODczMmRlbXM=

[openhand]

What if Obama was a professor of economics as opposed to law? Following a burning bush administration, I am very happy with law.

[bronceye]

A broad pardon would be a good thing. The involved parties would have no fear of prosecution and would probably enjoy unloading their conscience. In this manner, the truth would at least come out and we would know what happened. I'm no scholar but I think another good outcome would be that noone had pardoned bush and he could shoulder the prosecutorial burden, alone. Not everyone, but at least the showdog could go do some time. Maybe get his GED while he's locked away or read a few Shakespeares.