George W. Bush, Torture President

[Jefferson23]

June 4, 9:35 AM, 2010

By Scott Horton

Last week we learned from an interview with former Argentine president Néstor Kirchner that former president George W. Bush touted war as a cure to a nation’s economic ills. Bush has not contested that account. Moreover, yesterday he clarified his role in the torture of prisoners at CIA black sites. For two years, Republicans have argued against any inquiry into the torture practices of the Bush-Cheney administration, but apparently all it takes to get Bush to discuss the issue is a fat speaking fee. In a keynote address before the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, he spoke glibly about waterboarding:

Sure, we waterboarded Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, former President George W. Bush reportedly said on Tuesday. And he would “do it again to save lives.”

A group of thirteen retired admirals and generals meeting in Philadelphia to discuss national security issues, speaking through former CENTCOM commander General Joseph Hoar, responded:

Waterboarding is torture. John McCain has said it’s torture. We have prosecuted foreign and American military personnel for waterboarding. We even prosecuted a sheriff in Texas for waterboarding. Waterboarding is torture and torture is a crime. It cannot be demonstrated that any use of it by U.S. personnel in recent years has saved a single American life. To the contrary, the misguided belief that torture saves lives has cost America dearly. It is shocking that former President George W. Bush said he would use waterboarding ‘again to save lives.’ When he authorized it the first time he sent America down the wrong road, battering our alliances, damaging counterinsurgency efforts, and increasing threats to our soldiers.

Bush’s statement amounts to an admission of his role in a serious crime. He can speak and act without concern because the Obama White House has announced its intention not to enforce American domestic law, under which this conduct was a felony, and not to comply with the unequivocal treaty commitments of the Convention Against Torture, under which the United States is unconditionally obligated to undertake a criminal investigation. In this way, the sins of one regime have been assumed by its successor.


http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/06/hbc-90007166

[Stuart G]

1. Try Bush as a criminal...Let a jury decide.. "No one is above the law"

[Jefferson23]

2. I don't think that is likely to happen in the US, but perhaps at The Hague.

[Angry Dragon]

3. Wht should any of us worry about laws??

Bush has admitted he broke laws and nothing is done about it. This sets the example that people are above the law and so there are many that feel that they can and will do anything they feel like because, hey, laws don't matter. Until this man is brought to trial, this country is downing down and nothing will stop it.

[vi5]

4. Why post this?

We need to be looking forward, not backwards. An investigation or prosecution would be seen as too partisan. And we don't want to be seen as too partisan because if the Obama administration or congress pursued this then they wouldn't get the cooperation from Republicans that they've been enjoying thus far and as a result Democratic sought legislation like Health Care reform and Wall Street/Financial regulation would have been too watered down and not be as effective. And Democrats wouldn't enjoy that vast approvals from all those self described moderates that they are current getting record levels of approval from.

And I don't think any of us want any of that.

<sarcasm>

[Jack Rabbit]

5. The two things about which I am most disappointed in President Obama are . . .

The two things about which I am most disappointed in President Obama are the failure of will to prosecute Bush junta crimes, especially war crimes, and the continued reliance on Wall Street insiders like Geithner and Summers to determine financial policy with respect to banking reform. Even his failure to take the early lead on health care reform, which resulted in horribly watered down legislation with which the President proclaimed satisfaction, takes a distant third.

[Stuart G]

6. I do not believe that this story will go away..gradually..

most of those who stand for even handed prosecution of the law will favor some kind of investigation and follow up to what Bush has said and admitted...It may take a while, but the response to Bush will be very very strong.
I do not know where it will all come from, but it will be there.There may be some surprises too.
....If Obama decides to forgo any kind of investigation then he will lose me forever.. There is no forgiving behavior that sticks up a third finger to to rule of law in the way Bush did this last week.

[jaxx]

7. There is no expiration date on what was done by BushCo.

It seems they are getting reckless now, admitting what was done, seeing the MMS mess come out. There is time to investigate, plenty of time.

[jtrockville]

8. I hate to say it, but Obama's refusal to address this makes him complicit.

If these crimes do get addressed, Obama will find himself on the wrong side of the laws.

[Jefferson23]

10. I believe that is true, with time, as there exists no statute of limitations

on those that died as a direct result of torture...there is still an opportunity. Although I believe it will most
likely come from the international court. Bush is not an old man, and eventually, his crimes may catch up with him.

[young_at_heart]

9. Does this sound like Bush?

Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

1. a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement, ie unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
6. is interpersonally exploitative, ie takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
7. lacks empathy and is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

[azul]

11. You mean Illegal Torture President

I believe he was not elected legally.

[indepat]

12. Geez, wonder if BHO will now get the ball rolling to prosecute known/suspected war criminals or

continue to ignore this issue and others until they metaphorically rise up to bite him in the ass time and time again? :P

[pmorlan1]

13. Obama and his administration are complicit in torture

Why are we letting them get away with this? Why are people defending this?