Washington Post:
As President Obama met with top advisers on the evening of April 15, he faced one of the sharpest policy divides of his young administration.
Obama open to torture memos probe, prosecution
Cheney to Obama: Release more of the torture memos | csmonitor.com
Obama open to torture memo prosecutions - Washington Times
Michael Tomasky: Obama's torture memo dilemma | Comment is free ...
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The Bush administration has left such deep festering wounds upon the American psyche that unless they are addressed and healed they will contaminate everything we do. If we are a country of laws there is no other option but to indict and prosecute those who have committed crimes and violated our Constitution and our laws.
To proceed as if there have been no atrocities committed and to excuse those who have committed them is but another atrocity. The loss of our integrity and values is so great that any failure to resolve this issue will result in damage to the very fabric of our existence as a nation.
There is no doubt that torture was planned and executed in a manner that indicated a total disregard for both the very principles upon which this country was founded and international law.
Waterboarding has been recognized as torture for hundreds of years and both Japanese and American soldiers have been imprisoned for its use.
The evidence that Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and many others in the Bush administration are guilty of authorizing and promoting torture is overwhelming and cannot be ignored. We do so at our own expense and the loss of our morality.
To just look forward and give no consideration to the crimes of the past would be a grave error. It would be an open invitation for those who would choose to do the same at some time in the future and would set a very dangerous precedent.
Obama should release all the torture memos,
identify all the justice and executive branch torture memo players,
take an advisory vote from congress on whether or not to investigate,
then throw the decision regarding torture investigation to the minority party.
We'd then call the GOP...
"The Torture Party."
A debate that's heated because people are afraid they will get burned if there isn't a cover-up.
Ummm... what the corporate press isn't telling you is that Barack Obama really didn't have a choice to release these memos. This was a judgement awarded the ACLU after a long and protracted fight with both Bush's AND Obama's legal teams. The credit goes to the ACLU for suing the State with the FOIA and NOT to Barack Obama. Why IS Barack trying to protect Bush? What's up with that? Hmmmm?
It's amazing how the GOP constantly overlook the fact that the ACLU forced this decision. PO wrestled with this obviously for four weeks knowing in the end, he would have to release the information. PO isn't trying to protect Bush, but trying to take the country forward. We have so many dire situations to deal with, this torture stuff will just muddle everything else we should be focusing on.
This article shows that POTUS as I knew didn't make this decision lightly, nor was it about getting back at the previous administration. They were given a deadline to release the information or go to court and in the end they would have to release the information. The thoughts, discussions, seeking others input and the debate between two members of the administration to argue both sides of the issue, reinforces how serious PO took this issue.
I would've loved to be a fly in the room to hear all sides arguing their point. That he allows others to argue their point speaks of the type of leader he is.
I don't think the term "heated debate" applies here. It has negative connotations. This seems like a serious debate about a difficult decision. In the end, that WaPo article leaves me confident, that a decision was arrived at after a number of serious positions were considered.
How come Cheney and Rove will shoot his mouth off everywhere except under oath?
it's time for president obama stand up for himself and let eric holder prosecute bush officials.military soliders were convicted of crimes due to taking orders from upper officials meaning rumsfield,rice, and cheney.he better start to think about people who put him in office for once.quit kissing gops' asses and get them for ruining our country.i think that everyone should write a letter to let him know that we mean business as citizens as well voters. i still gotta lot of love for president but it's time to play hardball and screw them!. our men and women are risking their lives to protect us while they are get played for not having healthcare or no benefits at all as a soliders.get them now and make bush officials pay for their lies and crime.he needs to show them that he isn't weak but strong and smart as a president.he got the balls in his court;WAKE UP NOW!
we don't want the white house strong arming the doj into anything....that's what the last admistration did. i'm confident holder will do the right thing here and prosecute..he doesn't need to be pushed by the white house nor should he be.
The release of the 44 photographs comes in response to an American Civil Liberties Union Freedom of Information Act request for all information relating to detainee treatment. Last week, the Obama White House released four OLC memos in response to the same FOIA request.
Lawyers for the ACLU hailed the move as another nod towards a more transparent approach by the White House. But CIA officials told ABC News that they were disappointed the Obama administration did not fight the FOIA request up to the Supreme Court.
"They should have fought it all the way; if they lost, they lost," said Dr. Mark M. Lowenthal, former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis and Production. "There's nothing to be gained from it. There's no substantive reason why those photos have to be released."
Obama has politicized the DOJ just like his predecessor. The law is the law except when Obama has some political goals which might be jeopardized and then it is retribution. HORSE PUCKY.
There must be some key Democrats who knew and supported these activities. I suspect the Senate Majority Leader Harry "afraid of the truth" Reid might just prefer to find a big broom to sweep this crap under the rug. Key Democrats are hiding something. Some Change.
Will NetRoots let this go or will they stand up for what they believe in?
this is where the boys are separated from the men, the heroes from the cowards.
at this point i havent heard any netroots saying to back off key dems.
They want all torturers to fry
You are wrong about Obama politicizing the DOJ... Sen. Leahy of Vermont, said that one thing he likes about Holder, is his ability to stick to the law, instead of politics. Besides that, I have seen no sign of Obama politicizing the DOJ. And as far as Democrats knowing and supporting torture, that might be, but you have no proof that Holder would cover for them. Your skepticism is based on Obama and Reid not making this a crusade, and a big horse and pony show like you want. That is not how justice is done. Commissions don't put people in jail. The DOJ does that. Your accusations that Holder won't do anything, are totally baseless. That means that you are totally brainless.
woops, you did id again, projecting what the GOP did onto Obama....becoming cliche and very predictable.
Dissenting opinions are encouraged to be heard. It's a welcome change.
http://www.pufferfishblog.com/
My Letter to Rep Barton on YouTube, since all comments are disabled all over his page:
"
Do you honestly think you made Dr Chu puzzled by your question or by your ignorance of the subject and respect for his Nobel Prize??
People are not as dumb and uninformed as they used to be 8 years ago where you could blatantly lie and they would have to go out of their way to find a correct answer. Nowadays things can be fact checked in minutes with a telephone.
This is why your party is in the doldrums.
Get your act together and be a real representative instead of a lame attempt at being a comedian.
Thx
"
"Oh, the terrorists are gonna get us if we don't torture" anybody who says that is repeating Cheney talking points and does not consider that we should be better than that and it's AGAINST THE LAW.
Every century on the 9th and 49th year, we should have a day of rememberance to educate new generations about torture so that they won't have to have this stupid argument all over again. It's a waste of time and energy, when we have already determined 1. It's a Federal crime (felony), 2. It's an international crime (we've prosecuted for it), and 3. It doesn't bring good information.
The one thing the Bush administration had going for them is that they could lie with impunity because they had the power to supress the truth. Well, they are out of power and the truth will be known and it will set us free. The question is: Will justice be done?
Dick Cheney once again plays the fear card. "You need to torture to be safe." Won't work this time. We've learned that everything Cheney says is a lie.
The thunder on the right has been silenced by the sheer weight of the criminal behavior of their leaders in the Bush administration. Even the 20 percenters are stunned into silence having been snookered AGAIN by the GOP.
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| 04/24/09 01:44 PM