Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has called for Judge Jay Bybee to resign in light of his central role in the torture program and memos. Leahy declared that “[t]he fact is, the Bush administration and Mr. Bybee did not tell the truth. If the Bush administration and Mr. Bybee had told the truth, he never would have been confirmed.”
The expression of outrage from Democrats have civil libertarians grinding their teeth. Many civil libertarians, including myself, opposed his confirmation and raised his role in the torture program. Democrats refused to pursue the allegations, refused to block the nomination, and only asked him questions at this hearing. Only 19 democrats voted against his confirmation.
As with the torture program, the unlawful surveillance program, the AIB bonus scandal, and other recent scandals, the Democrats are now claiming shock over information that they ignored at the time of their votes.
If Bybee answered questions untruthfully, he should be charged with perjury and false statements to congressional investigators. He can then be impeached.
In the meantime, former Judiciary Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) rejected calls for the impeachment and said that Bybee was “one of the most honorable people you’ll ever meet.” Well, as long as you do not meet him in a CIA interrogation room or near a waterboard.
I certainly agree with Leahy that “The decent and honorable thing for him to do would be to resign. And if he is a decent and honorable person, he will resign.” However, these memos do not exactly speak well of Bybee sense of morals or responsibility — or humanity for that matter.
For the story, click here.
Was this Judge part of the Star Chamber? WOW.
Resignation is too good for him unless you give him the option of seppuku in addition to disbarment. Bybee needs some harsh public humiliation at the hands of a REAL judge. And a jury. Then again, I take the duty to protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic more seriously than most in Washington.
Got a lot of info from the proffesor on Hardball,and also congresman Nadler and Condi Rices council on Rachel last night.
Resignation is a good start, because he can then be replaced with a non-psychotic.
I was awed by Democratic shock as well. Who knew? Only the people who remained in the reality based community! Certainly there are grounds for impeachment and this should commence immediately (as in months ago). He doesn’t seem like a person who would resign unless Obama told him to.
He won’t resign – he’s a Republican. Spizter gets caught humping hookers, he resigns. David Vitter? No. Larry Craig didn’t resign even after he was outed as a bathroom goblin. Bybee isn’t going anywhere.
blogenfreude,
…bathroom goblin…
Is that in the same class as Barney? I am amazed what I can learn here. Grinning ear to ear!!!!!
This Casablanca clip comes to mind… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gf8NK1WAOc
Bybee = Treasonous Maroon.
blogenfreude,
A minor protest, ‘Blagoshere’.
FFN,
Well played. Love the body language Bogart exudes after Lorre pays Rains.
bathroom goblin rofl
That’s as funny as “crime slut” a.k.a. Nancy Grace for those of you who haven’t read that thread.
Ok, am I correct, in what I think it means? Pole Smoker?
AY,
That is a very reasonable interpretation of the double entendre. And the one I got too.
Sen. Hatch’s opinion of Judge Bybee’s character suggests that the senator hangs with a pretty rough bunch.
LOL! I just looked up the term “LEAKY LEAHY”! Senator Leahy has zero credibility. If you have never heard of the traiterous acts Mr. Leahy committed, I suggest you look it up.
PS. I also learned for the first time today that our VP is a PLAGIRIST.
Former Dem,
Thank G-d and in the very nick of time you found the error of you way. Now be on your way, by golly. We are all guilty of being a PLAGIARIST. But then again all of us are not as gifted as you. I had to be Learned the Hard way. Some people have it naturally, you apparently are lucky. Good going.
Now, with respect to Patrick, for shame, for shame. You should have known that to. I am not listening to you anymore. I am very disappointed in you lack of keen skills in ciphering that fact. For Shame For Shame, Grannie gonna get you fer that boy.
Why would any reasonable person actually listen to Orrin Hatch? he is a hack that shined the shoes of Bush and Cheney for 8 years. It would be fun to see Judge Bybee in an impeachment hearing.
Bybee should never have been confirmed in the first place. The democrats in the Senate share the blame with George W. If they hadn’t enabled him for years 8 years, we wouldn’t be in the place we are now.
Now the only recourse is impeachment and then criminal charges for enabling torture.
BTW, I noticed that the so-called “Former Dem” is trolling this thread.
Former Dem:
that is very old news from the 88 election cycle, I believe. The VPOTUS has a long history of exaggeration, but I dont think he is a venal prick.
blogenfreude:
Re Larry Craig, dont you mean a Knob Gobler or Knob Goblin?
As far as repubs go we have had quite a few resign for licentiousness. Politicians, regardless of party are pretty much the same, dishonorable putz’s.
Hey, Bron98:
Don’t forget, “He may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch.”
Now he may be a Knob Gobbler but he’s our Knob Gobbler.
Unlike the day of Hoover (another good name)
Anon:
Larry Craig aint my bitch!
Imagine, a liar and a crook for a judge- and he’s not even on the Supreme Court!
Bybee’s friends attempting to explain away his memo in this informative article today 4/25/09:
Washington Post Quote:
___________________________
“Still, in the years since the original Bybee memo was made public, his misgivings appeared evident to some in his immediate circle.”
“On the primary memo, that legitimated and defined torture, he just felt it got away from him,” said the fellow scholar. “What I understand that to mean is, any lawyer, when he or she is writing about something very complicated, very layered, sometimes you can get it all out there and if you’re not careful, you end up in a place you never intended to go. I think for someone like Jay, who’s a formalist and a textualist, that’s a particular danger.” End Quote}
____________________
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403888.html?hpid=topnews
John & readers, Go to u-tube and write in ‘ impeachment of Orrin Hatch ‘ and watch it. And John, go to http://www.phoenixcharities.com and check me out. Act right and I’ll think about taking you under my wing for while, show you a few tricks, pat you on the but and send you back out into the world so you can make something of yourself. /s/ the phoenix