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Nadler Denounces Obama’s Failure to Prosecute Bush Officials For Torture

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

162 thoughts on “Nadler Denounces Obama’s Failure to Prosecute Bush Officials For Torture”

  1. Isanbel,

    Bybee flat out admitted he’d authorized waterboarding. The problem he felt with some of the “interrogations” was that they had too many sequences of waterboarding! Why is this man not indicted?

    Here’s my favorite line: “For example, Bybee said, his memo, cowritten with attorney John Yoo, authorized waterboarding only if there were no “substantial repetitions.”

  3. According to an article in the NYT yesterday, Bybee was the witness at a closed-door session of the Judiciary Panel [congressional or senate, I can’t remembr] a few months ago. They had him squirming according to the NYT. Now he’s saying that he didn’t know or couldn’t foresee what his memos would “lead to.” I would love to get the transcript. Who knows, maybe something may come of this.

  4. Elaine

    OHHHHHHHHH….okay!

    It really is a funny book.

    I’ll have to check out the picture book too.

  5. Tootie,

    I read the book. That’s why I recommended it to Buddha. I thought he might enjoy it as much as I did. I never recommend books I haven’t already read.

    P.S. There is also a picture book version of “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” for children. I like its subtitle: “Why, Commas Really DO Make a Difference!”

  8. Elaine,

    Actually it is a book about punctuation which, if you ignore, can create funny sentences.

    For example:

    Eats shoots and leaves.

    Means something completely different from:

    Eats, shoots and leaves.

    In the US we add the second comma:

    Eats, shoots, and leaves.

    Truss’s book was written for the British writer.

  9. Elaine: LOL…that is also the title of a grammar book written by Lynne Truss.

  10. Mike A.,

    I didn’t say everyone in congress was tapped as a member. Sorry to disagree with you, but I agree with everything you said. I just didn’t say what you think I did!

    To everyone, very nice (and funny) work!

    Sorry to hear about Mike S. I hope the transplant will come soon.

  12. Oh I am most certainly convinced, Bob. Heads must be put on pikes to please the Blind Lady, but if I stray into sedition, you guys would miss me when the DHS Black Suburbans take me away to an “undisclosed location”.

  13. Asymptotic > hyperbole

    Triple word score!

    That aside you don’t sound convinced, with metaphysical certitude, that certain parties broke certain laws necessitating punishment in accord with the categorical imperative. Or, as Kant would put it had he seen the film ‘Unforgiven’ …

    “Deserve’s got nothin to do with it.”

    Maybe that’s part of the reason why I’m having a hard time forming a reply to CCD’s last post.

  14. Bob,

    While hyperbole is often a weapon of choice, I am capable of subtle understatement.

  15. Buddha: “I submit that it is rapidly approaching the time for the band to storm the bridge, throw a few people in the brig and a couple over the railing. As peacefully and democratically as possible of course.”

    ‘Approaching?!’

    That’s a rather asymptotic view of things; don’t you think?

  17. Buddha–

    The Panda Joke:

    A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.

    “Why?” asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage.

    The panda pauses on his way out, produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual, and tosses it over his shoulder.

    “Well, I’m a panda,” he says at the door. “Look it up.”

    The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation:

    “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

  18. I like to read what both Mikes have to say. I really like Mike A.’s viewpoints on religion, and he is a University of Texas Law graduate. My daughter will be attending that school in the fall as scholarships prevailed over the full tuition at Georgetown. Although I think she prefers Georgetown,if money was not a factor.

  19. Elaine: I tried that once as a Jesuit novice, but we had to wear only black. It apparently doesn’t produce the same creative impact.

    Buddha: Thanks for the information on Mike S. I hope you’ll let him know that he’s in all of our thoughts.

  20. Elaine,

    No I haven’t read that one. I’ll add it to “The List”.

    And I’ll be glad to relay the message. 😀

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