In an interview with Raw Story, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) denounced President Barack Obama for blocking any investigation or prosecution of torture under the Bush Administration as inviting ‘tyranny.”
Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. correctly said that the Obama Administration had endangered the very premise of the “supremacy of laws” in its refusal to prosecute Bush officials.
The Obama Administration could not risk a full investigation because the evidence of torture would likely have resulted in indictments of former officials, including President George Bush and Dick Cheney. Instead, President Obama decided to ignore our clear international obligations to investigate and prosecute torture — which allowed Bush officials to go public with boasts of how they waterboarded suspects and would do it again.
Source: Rawstory
The old English saying “the king can do no wrong” has morphed into the American saying “too big to jail“.
http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2010/04/democracy-school-too-big-to-jail.html
Jill,
Far be it from me to say one is demonizing when one is simply being accurate. I think Obama is most certainly part of the problem as he has not delivered on any of his promised solutions to restoring the rule of law and indeed exacerbated the situation – be it through complicity or simple spinelessness makes no difference. Damage done is damage done.
Jill The extreme anti-Obama rhetoric reminds me of Glenn Beck, Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity,etc., and I react very negatively to it.
I should also have added that I agree with you about torture in our prisons. Those techniques migrated to Iraq with some of our prison guards in addition to being the result of orders given by the top officials of the govt. There’s a very good account of this very thing and torture in Iraq in general in the book: Fear Up Harsh.
I think you believe I’m demonizing him, but I’m really just laying out what is happening. I got accused of this with Bush as well. I am motivated by concern for my nation and all the suffering I see around me. I appreciate your gracious comment. I know I have been relentless but not for the sake of demonizing or being cruel. It’s for the reason I explained to Buddha.
Buddha,
That’s because I am really, really afraid. I see that this nation is in deep shit. Most of the real economy is in the toilet, people are literally starving and homeless. It is awful. We aren’t addressing climate change, the planet is in deep shit and that isn’t up for negotiation. We are getting into more, not less war, we are torturing, doing renditions, redistributing wealth from the bottom to the top, –I could go on, but this is really bad. We need all hands on deck. We cannot afford illusions, we must not succumb to propaganda, we must face the truth full on and try, with the help of as many people as possible, to work together and right these wrongs.
Good post Jill. I take issue with you because you seem to demonize Obama not because you are critical of his policies.
Swarthmore mom,
Obama uses not only of the powers he inherited but has taken new ones that go beyond even Bush’s. I agree this will be difficult, but we must try. I think if we stand together using the principle outlined by Elaine, “What’s wrong is wrong; what’s immoral is immoral.” we can get somewhere. We may not, but if we don’t try, failure is assured.
And now a brief detour into this week’s episode of “Unnecessary Censorship”.
PBS Won’t Air Paul McCartney’s Jab At Bush During White House Concert Special
Emphasis on the BS part.
Jill,
Seriously, you’ve been on fire the last couple of days.
Starting a crime wave or perpetuating it instead of prosecuting it is a distinction without difference.
I am against torture in any form. It has gone on in US jails and prisons from the beginning particularly with regards to minorities.
I agree with Beth Hunter’s comments.
With Steinbrenner’s passing though, I’m sure Billy Martin will be seeking employment elsewhere in heaven!
Swarthmore mom,
I ask that you research this. Glenn links to the documents and statements. I’m not certain what you are referring to about not convicting someone of murder without a body in this context. Obama has said he has the right to kill an American citizen if they live overseas and he has determined they are a terrorist. He has also proclaimed his right to imprison the innocent. This also is discussed with documentation at Glenn’s site.
Jill–
“It ends by standing against injustice, no matter who commits this injustice.”
I couldn’t agree more! I have had arguments with other liberals on the issue of torture. When I heard them mouthing the words about “looking ahead to the future and not back to the past,” I wondered why torturing people wasn’t an issue any longer now that Obama was president. What’s wrong is wrong; what’s immoral is immoral.
No president should have the powers Obama has inherited from Bush but the genie is out the bottle so to speak and it will be very difficult to reign back in.
I have read Glenn Greenwald off and on for awhile. I have not seen any actual names of US citizens Obama has had killed. You can’t convict someone of murder without a body. Anyways I hope not.
Yes, investigating torture is inviting tyranny…
and not investigating it is marrying tyranny in a Vegas drive-in after a drunken one-night stand
or something
You need to look up this information for yourself. Let me direct you to Glenn Greenwald. So it’s really O.K. with you that Obama has claimed the power to kill any American citizen he feels is a terrorist (if they live overseas)? This is just like people who were O.K. with Bush taking his powers of a tyrant. These illegal powers do not belong to any person and when a citizen allows it, they allow tyranny. Is it also O.K. to imprison the innocent? I know a lot of Obama supporters who say it is.
This is a venal way of looking at things, but what happens when President Lynn Cheney inherits these same powers? That’s the question Bush supporters forgot to ask and now they are upset that Obama has these powers and takes more for himself. This doesn’t end by enabling your leader to commit crimes. It ends by standing against injustice, no matter who commits this injustice.
I was against the invasion of Iraq from the beginning. I will always remember Nadler because he was against it also. I am against the other war too and am constantly bringing it up to my husband as “Obama’s War.” I defend and criticize Obama.
Who are the American citizens Obama has killed? Do you have a list of names? I would like to know.