A former high-ranking state department official has come forward with the explosive report that then Vice President Dick Cheney called for the torture of an Iraqi prisoner to establish a link between al Qaeda and Iraq in the midst of the political controversy over the misrepresentations that led to the Iraq invasion. Cheney was one of the main figures pushing this justification, which was found based on false intelligence. Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff for then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, adds yet another piece of evidence that the torture program was not based on a “ticking bomb” justification and was not based on the faux legal opinions of lawyers like Judge Jay Bybee and Professor John Yoo.
Wilkerson reveals that the interrogation program began in April and May of 2002 and “[i]ts principal priority for intelligence was not aimed at preempting another terrorist attack on the U.S. but discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and al Qaeda,.” Wilkerson said that Cheney’s office asked for torture because the CIA found the prisoner to be “compliant.” This would appear to suggest that they wanted to torture the prisoner because he might be coerced into supporting the linkae — a critical necessity for the Administration in defending its prior representations on the invasion. He states that the “order” came from Cheney’s office. The prisoner, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, was tortured until he confirmed such contacts and these statements were promptly used by the Administration. He later recanted the statements before dying in a Libyan prison.
This report confirms the statements of an Army psychiatrist that the abuse of detainees at Gitmo was focused not only future attacks but to establish a connection between al Qaeda and Iraq.
Once again, this additional evidence only highlights the refusal of the Obama Administration to appoint a special prosecutor. The evidence is now far greater than what existed when Democrats called for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor in the firings of U.S. Attorneys. Of course, this involves war crimes.
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genuinely good and the viewers are genuinely sharing good thoughts.
MILITARY DOCUMENTS HEADED WITH SCRIPTURE QUOTES!!!!
OH MY GOD!
OK Mr President – YOU are busy with many urgent issues.
America knows why they are urgent: the 35 year marriage of Congress to Corp with primarily Republican majorities over that time.
Yes – WE KNOW the seeds of the problems rest in Congress working for and being at the recieving end of Big Business for too long AND inappropriately NOT listening too or working for the PEOPLE and THEIR voices.
TODAY WE SEE MILITARY REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS QUOTING SCRIPTURES!!!!! OH MY GOD! I am a christian of 45 years, whose mind has been renewed with truth about God’s gay children having equal rights, religion has done wrong, again on that. AND our Government who seems to support discrimination here, as the military – MY GOD! Seperate is NOT equal here!
WE MUST PROSECUTE, INVESTIGATE THE LEADERS WHO DO WRONG, BREAK LAWS AND CREATE ENEMIES FOR US RATHER THAN FRIENDS! AMERICANS WILL NOT, CANNOT HEAL, MOVE FORWARD IN TRUST AND GOOD SPIRIT UNTIL ACCOUNTIBILITY IS MADE AND WE ARE ALLOWED AS A NATION TO APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD FOR OUR LACK OF HAVING ANY POWER TO STOP A ROGUE PRESIDENT!
The Americans you talked to amd met over 2 years campaigning were standing outside last week for single payer healthcare. YOU KNOW it is just and right! And you turned them away. Who made the rules that employers are resonsible for healthcare? Well, there’s the description of that “marriage” between Congress and Corp.
And now you have this illegal faith based 8 year program, where Congress has married GIG RELIGIOUS BUSINESS; fought in courts across the land daily, WASTEFUL, riddled with mistakes and missing funds, property, unmonitored and using empolyees that think it is their spirtual duty to discriminate! It will fall like Wall Street to our shame inside our own government, or shut down eventually by the court to YOUR shame as well. MY GOD! Keep Church and State Seperate! It is one of those things you mentioned as you spoke at graduations: “some things are NOT reconciling.”
Mr President – get real with the Change YOU know Americans asked for – beginning in 2006 they demanded investigations on Bush. Pelosi knew it and went political for YOU instead of getting further through these crimes than we are now – LEAVING THEM FOR YOU.
NEVERTHELESS, YOU are the one that we mandate to deal with it, like it or not.
YOU KNOW THE CHANGES WE DEMANDED ARE TO BE MOSTLY WITHIN OUR GOVERNMENT….FIRST…AND YOU MUST DO THESE THINGS!
SCRIPTURES ON MILITARY DOCUMENTS!!!!!!! ILLEGAL WARS!!!!
THINK OF OUR SHAME! Think of yours?
God is not anywhere near all this! – period!
MILITARY DOCUMENTS HEADED WITH SCRIPTURE QUOTES!!!!
OH MY GOD!
OK Mr President – YOU are busy with many urgent issues.
America knows why they are urgent: the 35 year marriage of Congress to Corp with primarily Republican majorities over that time.
Yes – WE KNOW the seeds of the problems rest in Congress working for and being at the recieving end of Big Business for too long AND inappropriately NOT listening too or working for the PEOPLE and THEIR voices.
TODAY WE SEE MILITARY REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS QUOTING SCRIPTURES!!!!! OH MY GOD! I am a christian of 45 years, whose mind has been renewed with truth about God’s gay children having equal rights, religion has done wrong, again on that. AND our Government who seems to support discrimination here, as the military – MY GOD! Seperate is NOT equal here!
WE MUST PROSECUTE, INVESTIGATE THE LEADERS WHO DO WRONG, BREAK LAWS AND CREATE ENEMIES FOR US RATHER THAN FRIENDS! AMERICANS WILL NOT, CANNOT HEAL, MOVE FORWARD IN TRUST AND GOOD SPIRIT UNTIL ACCOUNTIBILITY IS MADE AND WE ARE ALLOWED AS A NATION TO APOLOGIZE TO THE WORLD FOR OUR LACK OF HAVING ANY POWER TO STOP A ROGUE PRESIDENT!
The Americans you talked to amd met over 2 years campaigning were standing outside last week for single payer healthcare. YOU KNOW it is just and right! And you turned them away. Who made the rules that employers are resonsible for healthcare? Well, there’s the description of that “marriage” between Congress and Corp.
And now you have this illegal faith based 8 year program, where Congress has married GIG RELIGIOUS BUSINESS; fought in courts across the land daily, WASTEFUL, riddled with mistakes and missing funds, property, unmonitored and using empolyees that think it is their spirtual duty to discriminate! It will fall like Wall Street to our shame inside our own government, or shut down eventually by the court to YOUR shame as well. MY GOD! Keep Church and State Seperate! It is one of those things you mentioned as you spoke at graduations: “some things are NOT reconciling.”
Mr President – get real with the Change YOU know Americans asked for – beginning in 2006 they demanded investigations on Bush. Pelosi knew it and went political for YOU instead of getting further through these crimes than we are now – LEAVING THEM FOR YOU.
NEVERTHELESS, YOU are the one that we mandate to deal with it, like it or not.
YOU KNOW THE CHANGES WE DEMANDED ARE TO BE MOSTLY WITHIN OUR GOVERNMENT….FIRST…AND YOU MUST DO THESE THINGS!
SCRIPTURES ON MILITARY DOCUMENTS!!!!!!! ILLEGAL WARS!!!!
THINK OF OUR SHAME! Think of yours?
God is not anywhere near all this! – period!
cindy hadden
centralia, WA 98531
Jane, one of the Algerians that were arrested with Boumediene, who was just released to France was not cleared by judge for release.
The reason was that his intent was to go to Afganistan and fight against American Troops.
PNAC broadcasted thier intent, and then managed to carry it out.
IANAL: How is this different?
Besides dragging us into an unholy war, with the astronomical death tolls, displacement, the moral depravity of torture, and subverersion of the constituion and Int’l treaties, they have destroyed the Iraqi culture and nazified ours.
Why are they still walking around free? Perhaps someone will invade us an send these criminals to establish the Nueremburg 2.0 trials. How can we get justice?
The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) is a neo-conservative think tank with strong ties to the American Enterprise Institute. PNAC’s web site says it was “established in the spring of 1997” as “a non-profit, educational organization whose goal is to promote American global leadership.”
PNAC’s policy document, “Rebuilding America’s Defences,” openly advocates for total global military domination. Many PNAC members hold highest-level positions in the George W. Bush administration. The Project is an initiative of the New Citizenship Project (501c3).
In 2009 two of PNAC’s founders, William Kristol and Robert Kagan, began what some termed “PNAC 2.0,” The Foreign Policy Initiative.
Enough reason to be not for it.
jane re: PNAC,
They’ve only been spotlighted a couple of places and I one of those places is The Daily Show w/John Stewart. John got on Kristol’s case about it one night and Kristol just went into evade mode. As I recall PNAC was agitating for Clinton to change the regime in Iraq.
eniobob
1, May 15, 2009 at 12:28 pm
FFLEO:
since you were asking for many opinions,I guess every little bit may help.
I may be linking you to a site that you may already know,but here goes.
http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org/papers/01/010201.html
_____________________
Eniobob,
That discussion at the link regarding that specific amicus curiae brief was very informative. I previously understood most of the principles by having traversed the amici curiae process.
However, I learned some important points and I will tell you that each case is different and individual courts have some judicial latitude/discretion on what is allowed and what is excluded in amici briefs; that age-old distinction between the law v facts at the appellate level.
My question took a bit of different route and I was wondering, based on real life experiences, of what actually happens to a late-filed amicus brief. Again, discretion varies depending on the courts and the clerks….
Thanks.
Humphft!
Well, at least my self-deprecation has changed the target! However, I am not so sure about this altruism stuff.
Seriously folks, let us somewhat ‘control’ each others’ ad hominems by a polite rebuff/reminder that posits are fair game although ‘arguments via abuse’ are unwelcome to us all.
My tiara is a Stetson, Ma’am…and no, that was as a rough ‘n tough bull rider, and aint no barrel-racing rodeo queen, but I knowed a few of ’em up close ‘n personal!
Spits out hisn’ Day’s Work plug tabaccy after kickin’ the bull dung ‘n desert dirt….and walks bowlegged–not rides–ofin’ ta the sunset…
Where did you buy your tiara?
Okay, I set myself up for that and I knew I would take some ‘hits’.
Jill,
“Everything you’ve written leads me to the conclusion that you are!”
______________
Et tu, Bruta?!
______________
M72 & Sally, what can I say?!
Except ‘such as’….Alas, before I aged, I was a blonde and I was handsome (not! beautiful), but time changes everything. That is why I do not post my picture, like you both do.
Mespo…
FFLEO is still a beauty queen!! 😉
FFLeo:
I refuse to accept that you were not a “teenage beauty queen.”
FFLEO,
Thank you for what you said. It means a great deal to me. But, are you certain you’re not a teenage beauty queen? Everything you’ve written leads me to the conclusion that you are!
History will show what evil lurked withing the Bush-Cheney administration. Now since Gingrich is trying to blame Pelosi for designing, approving and executing the whole torture program by the Bush administration…after all she was told by the lying CIA being directed by Cheney to do so. Well, who are they kidding? We all need to find the 2 apprentices of Darth-Cheney before they do some more damage.
As usual, I screwed up a sentence. Color me insane.
Since we’ve gone to war with Iraq, I’ve often wondered why Project for the New American Century hasn’t come up in the news. I’m not aware of any investigation into the contents on it’s website (which, to me, seem like a blueprint for a war with Iraq) haven’t been investigated.
PNAC wrote a letter to Bush on 9/20/2001 stating that even if there’s no proof to tie Iraq to 9/11, Saddam must be removed from power.
On 1/30/1998, PNAC members William Kristol & Robert Kagan wrote an article in the NY Times, “Bombing Iraq Isn’t Enough.” The first four words: Saddam Hussein must go.
Perhaps I’m making much ado about nothing, but while I don’t claim to know who everyone involved with PNAC is, some names that stand out are:
Richard L. Armitage
Dick Cheney
John Bolton
Jeb Bush
Donald Rumsfeld
Paul Wolfowitz
Is it possible there is something here, or did I eat too many mushrooms tonight?
Patty C:
“… if that is what you TRULY believe…”
I truly believe that anything is possible. There’s a lot of overlap between the current and previous administration and some of the Agencies (and people running them past and present)are hip deep in criminal activity and liability if the full story is told.
Who exactly I’m talking about is hard to pin down. The staff of most intelligence Agencies is classified. once you get past the Director’s Office and when it comes to offices like the Special Activities Division even the Division Chief has a protected identity. Same for the National Intelligence Agency in major part.
The problem with secret (and deadly) programs run by or through secret agencies or organizations that have chains of command that are meandering/non-linear and concealed. Compound that by politics and anything can happen. And you don’t even know who to point a finger at when it does.
I also don’t believe I owe a system set up to deceive and conceal its activities and (even high ranking)staff that has the effect of protecting lawbreakers any respect; I have to fund with my taxes but I don’t have to pay it lip-service.
CCD
1, May 15, 2009 at 7:45 pm
“lottakatz:
Partisan hack, guilty as charged.”
You or me 🙂
Actually I like to think of myself as a non-partisan hack, they’re all fair game to me for a variety of reasons.
Many of the government entities that have a lot to lose if this particular debate shakes out anything close to full disclosure are still intact and capable of doing the deed, or actually requesting that it be done. Take your pick, the Intelligence community, State, DOD. The CIA has already destroyed evidence in the matter. There are a lot of people in the previous and current administration that want information buried. Literally.
PC,
Let us make a deal. You have my permission to call me any term you like until the boss determines your words are too profane or cuss-word like for his blawg. I promise not to contest any name you call me and I will, in fact, agree that you are correct.
The Caveat: you must leave Jill alone, do not cherry pick and abbreviate other peoples’ quotes, and then meld others’ words in a way to denigrate her, which is a form of plagiarism.
Okay, I will start: FFLEO is a fool, an A-H, an imbecile (complete) no teenage beauty queen, et al. Yes, I—FFLEO—am all of those appellations and more.