Posted on 01/22/2009 10:27:35 AM PST by mojito
President Obama will face many hard boards that would be very difficult for him to bore very far into, even if he were so inclined, which to all appearances he mostly isn't.
Consider just one crucial issue among the many now facing the nation, which would require great courage and moral leadership from our new president, if anything like meaningful "change" were to take place at all.
This is the matter of prosecuting members of the Bush administration who committed very serious crimes, in particular those who authorized Americans to torture prisoners in blatant violation of both American and international law.
The following facts are not in dispute. The Bush administration authorized, among many other things, the use of waterboarding against prisoners. The Obama administration takes the position - as does almost everyone else in the world - that waterboarding is torture. Obama's nominee for attorney general, Eric Holder, points out that we prosecuted our own soldiers for using waterboarding during the Vietnam War, and that there is no question that, in his words, "waterboarding is torture."
Furthermore, the United States has signed a treaty, the Convention Against Torture, which unambiguously obligates our government to prosecute acts of torture carried out by American government officials.
So the Obama administration is faced with a difficult moral choice: It can enforce the law, or it can do the politically expedient thing and ignore the nation's constitutionally binding treaty obligations when those obligations require something as disturbing as prosecuting American war criminals.
(Excerpt) Read more at rockymountainnews.com ...
What do they want to prosecute President Bush for? Being mean to terrorists? Being kind to the unborn?
I pointed this out in 2003 in this very forum, that we were within our rights of the Geneva Convention had we taken these prisoners to the side of the road and put a bullet in their heads. Now it looks like perhaps that is what we should have done.
Ok, let’s “enforce the law”
Including eligibility to become President.
I’m sorry. I saw the words “liberal” and “professor” next to each other and my BS alert alarm triggered.
In these modern times, this is the ultimate oxymoron.
i’d say that with budget cuts coming in the college system, he’s a good example of what needs to be cut.
“Now it looks like perhaps that is what we should have done.”
I totally agree. Those hairy-tailed vermin should’ve been interrogated on the spot, then capped with pig-blood dipped rounds.
NEW T-Shirt Slogan:
Waterboarding Terrorists YES.
Aborting the Unborn NO
If we had gone easy on terrorists and there had been more attacks within the US, these morons would be the same ones screaming Bush did not do enough! He did not keep us safe, etc etc.
All of a sudden they are concerned about the Constitution. When Clinton violated it, they remained silent. When Obama’s White House site advocates a civilian security force, an idea that should be repugnant to lovers of freedom, the left continues to be silent. And they wondered why the right was fearful of putting the Dems back in the White House.
“”Now it looks like perhaps that is what we should have done.””
Too late for what we should have DONE but hopefully it’s what will be done in the future! We’ll be seeing more prosecution of our military than we ever will of any terrorists.
On what grounds?
Paul is such a little girl.
These Liberal Clods are Evil and Sickening in their continual calls for the Prosecution of my President. If they ever come to Texas, they will have to go through me and Many Others to get to him.
For being George Bush. They hate him so much they’ll pass an ex post facto law making it a felony to merely BE George W. Bush, carrying a life sentence without chance for parole.
I am really, really sad that I have to live in the same country as these people.
I feel even worse for our military, who defends their sorry butts.
the hard left is going to gnaw on Obama until they convince him that prosecuting Bush is the “moral thing to do”
kind of like the high priests convincing the king that only human sacrifice will appease the gods and bring prosperity to his kingdom and legitimacy to the king
scary stuff folks. O is exactly the right kind of personality to fall for this for this persuasion.
Lacks his own moral center, cunning but not brilliant, insecure yet egotistical, a legend in his own mind, convinced he is the one we have been waiting for, convinced America needs its soul saved, convinced that government provides safety and security to the people - since he never had a parent that did
I think the provisions against torture only protect soldiers “in uniform”...
I agree with the left: prosecuting Bush is the right thing to do. [Stay with me for a minute here before you let your blood pressure go through the roof.] Congress only has a limited number of hours in a work day before they have to go drink with their big donors and their mistresses. The more hours they put into BDS, the less time they have available for destroying the Constitution and the entire country.
I want them holding hearings on Bush, microscopically dissecting his eight years in office, going through minute by minute even if they cannot finish during this term. I'll be happy to volunteer to be tried as well - they can hold a kangaroo court investigating my hate speech violations and the like. [Note to Obamatrolls monitoring this thread: I think our Dear Leader is several steps below North Koreas "Dear Leader" in leadership potential. I question the Usurper's intelligence, and if questioned under oath I'll try to put that into simple words so the fraud we elected will understand. I question the Affirmative Action President's patriotism, or I would if he had any. I question the Kenyan's eligibility for the office that he claims to have assumed. If they need any more basis for a hate speech hearing, please let me know and I'll be happy to continue.
While I was not entirely thrilled with Bush as a president, he is a great man. Bush would withstand the hearings and hopefully even recognize the contribution he was making to freedom. I hope we get the chance to find out - the less mischief congress gets into with our tax dollars, the better.
In all irony, legally, there was no torture. There was “harsh”.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/hayden_interrogations/2009/01/15/171897.html
Legal guidance was sought- and obtained- in all measures and means. Some circumstances had never been anticipated by the law - the Bush administration had to do the best it could to find a way to deal until law could be extrapolated or written
But as we have seen, facts have no meaning in show trials, which is what is planned.
It’s the seriousness of the charge, not the fact of whether it is true or even a crime
They can NOT prosecute Bush as then even the nit wits on FreeRepublic would figure out WHY we are in Iraq. It would destroy the Demo Party so it isn’t going to happen.
They may threaten but they aren’t going to do ANYTHING but threaten, nothing, Nada.
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