As many of us expected, President Obama’s decision to block any investigation or prosecution of war crimes has led Republicans to rehabilitate George Bush’s legacy. The latest claim came from former Vice President Dick Cheney who previously boasted about the torture program in public — unconcerned about any prosecution from Attorney General Eric Holder. Now, Cheney is boasting that Obama has “learned from experience” that some of the Bush administration’s decisions on terrorism issues.
Cheney stated “I think he’s learned that what we did was far more appropriate than he ever gave us credit for while he was a candidate. So I think he’s learned from experience. And part of that experience was the Democrats having a terrible showing last election.” He added “I think he’s learned that he’s not going to be able to close Guantanamo . . . That it’s — if you didn’t have it, you’d have to create one like that. You’ve got to have some place to put terrorists who are combatants who are bound and determined to try to kill Americans.”
Obama opened himself up to his unwanted alliance when he decided to protect Bush officials from prosecution despite the obligation of his Administration under existing treaties to investigate and prosecute acts of torture. Just last week, a senior former Justice official denounced the Administration for its complicity and said that it would leave a lasting stain on the country.
Cheney also called Obama a one-term president. If so, Obama has earned both Cheney recommendation and his loss of a second term. As promising the Senate that he would not continue his political conduct from the Clinton years at Justice, Holder proceeded to make the ultimate political act by blocking prosecutions after Obama promised that CIA officials would never be prosecuted for the alleged war crimes. It was the triumph of politics over principle — even war crimes principles were not enough to risk alienating the right. Politics should not have been part of the equation, but it also proved to be a remarkably illogical choice since the right never warmed to Obama despite a series of compromises from the White House. The result is that Obama is both unpopular and unprincipled in this area.
Source: The Hill
Jonathan Turley
Blouise,
If you want to get down to it we should all be identical. Adam being made from dust and Eve being made from Adam, there’d be no genetic variation to select from, so all of humanity would all be identical.
Anyway, according to Evengelical Christianity we are all owned by God, so our DNA is by default God’s DNA.
Equivocation is a heck of a drug.
Swarthmore mom
1, January 18, 2011 at 2:56 pm
rafflaw; I think he would left to his own devices but Boehner will rein him in.
==============================================
Only if he’s sober that day.
Buddha, Gyges, and Elaine,
Geez … I’m getting all confused here … I thought god created Adam and Eve which means we all have god’s DNA right? Now how could Jesus get special DNA … different god? Gosh this religion stuff is sooo ……
Tootles,
That phrase you use, “foam at the mouth”?
I suggest you wipe the dribble off your own theocratic zealous chin before accusing anyone of foaming at the mouth, Ms. There’s No Evidence For Evolution.
Please feel free to come back when you have a logical and reasoned leg to stand on.
Elaine,
“Deusoxyribonucleic acid” may be the funniest thing I’ve read all day. Thank you very much. 🙂
Rafflaw,
I know, but a guy can dream.
Like I said, I expect this to be the same crap they pulled under Clinton. That’s not saying that there’s nothing about the Obama administration that needs investigating.
rafflaw; I think he would left to his own devices but Boehner will rein him in.
Gyges and Swarthmore Mom,
I don’t think Car Alarm Issa will be initiating any serious investigations. His purpose is to flood the White House with paperwork and make the 10:00 o’clock news. It would be abig surprise if he brought up the UN convention on Torture because the obvious information that he would find is that the Bush/Cheney cabal is up to their necks in torture violations.
Swarthmore,
Well, we know he’s broken the UN Convention against Torture by not prosecuting people who have tortured. Not sure if that is to the level of High Crimes or not.
Of course that’s not the charges that Issa would probably bring up. If it’s anything like the spirit of the fishing expedition against Clinton, no. If it’s a serious look on Obama’s policy in regards to the treatment of prisoners and abuses of Executive Power, then yes.
Looked at Issa’s list of what he wants to investigate. Did not see anything about torture but he does want to investigate wikileaks and Obama’s country of origin.
Tootie,
No, I just get the concept of genetic variation.
Gyges You are right about that, but the discussion was whether or not Issa’s committee should begin impeachment proceedings with the information we currently have.
No two people, irrespective of how little or how much divine, not even so-called identical (monozygous?) twins, have the same genetic code given the inescapable somatic mutations which occur after the zygote divides.
While one may speculate as to fact, nonetheless, speculation as to fact does not inextricably fact make.
I only describe, as I am able to describe, that of the experiences of my life which I find I am able to describe as I am able. I describe no one and no thing else.
Alas, justice, being a mental construct, requires nothing. People, believing in a particular mental model of justice may, to maintain their mental model, find themselves required to do what is needed to maintain the mental model.
This need (the assigning of properties of personhood to a fictitious construct) for maintaining a mental model, in my experience, appears to intensify the more the mental model fails in its assigned-by-the-person-using-the-model purpose.
Tootie,
I heard that his mom’s wedding celebration was an immaculate reception.
😉
Gyges:
Did your mom have an immaculate conception too?
🙂
Harris:
Should the last line be Except as tomorrow does not exist?
Buddha and Elaine,
I feel I should point out that if the Jesus in the Bible existed, and was a single person, he did have DNA different from the rest of humanity.
Of course so do I.
Buddha,
His DNA was different! It was Deusoxyribonucleic acid.
😉
BIL:
You are frothing at the mouth (again). Compose yourself.
“He did not have the same genetic code as the rest of human race because he did not have human father.”
And your proof of this is what exactly?
Do you have a sample of Jesus’ blood?
If not, you’re once again simply full of crap, Tootles.
Speculation is not fact.
RE: Gyges, January 18, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Whenceforth, of Attribution Error, make an Idol?