We have been criticizing President Barack Obama for years over the failure of his Administration to prosecute officials responsible for torture as well as the intentional destruction of torture tapes at the CIA. Now a high-ranking United Nations official is joining the condemnation of Obama and his Administration. Ben Emmerson, U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights, has condemned the failure to prosecute a single person for the official torture program implemented during the Bush years. The Obama Administration has thrown the books at those who leaked the information on our torture program but Obama himself promised the CIA after his election that CIA personnel would not be prosecuted despite our obligations under international treaty.
Emmerson coupled his criticism with a call for the Obama Administration to release the reports on the U.S. torture program. Despite his pledge of transparency, Obama has kept such reports classified. Emmerson noted that “[d]espite this clear repudiation of the unlawful actions carried out by the Bush-era CIA, many of the facts remain classified, and no public official has so far been brought to justice in the United States.”
As I have written before (here and here), the Obama Administration has destroyed some of the core Nuremburg principles, particularly in its revisal of the “superior orders defense” to excuse U.S. officials. Emmerson specifically criticized the use of this defense that we once rejected by Nazi defendants.
Emmerson is specifically interested in a report by the U.S. Senate select committee on intelligence on our torture program. However, the chair of that select committee — Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California — has long been accused of covering up the program and the knowledge of Democratic leadership during the Bush Administration.
Emmerson’s non-binding report is just another embarrassment that the United States has gone from the leader against torture to the world’s greatest hypocrite on the issue. The fact that Bush ordered such torture is not itself an indictment of this country. We had the ability to redeem ourselves by holding our own officials accountable as we have demanded from other countries. Obama and his Administration denied us that redemption as a nation.
Source: Guardian
It’s part of his legacy now. He had a clear cut choice and he chose to protect the torturers. They own him.
It is important to remember that Nancy Pelosi should be named right along with POTUS as responsible for no prosecution. She chose a 20 year reign of Democrats as her goal instead of accountability. She did this mindfully, no less.
The last honest politician we had up for election was Ron Paul.
You may not have agreed with everything he said, but he was always principled and honest and consistent with what he said.
That is a rare and special thing, and otherwise NEVER happens.
Waterboard to mortor board.
AP,
Great old song with new significance.
Well said.
Great song, ap. The MSM is focused on Jeb Bush right ow.
AP,
I love it…
But what I love more is justification for a policy….. Because they may kick sand in my face….but I don’t like doing it….. But I have to…… Give me a break…. He’s a self serving hypocrite……
I’m reminded of an old song:
http://youtu.be/BUmNud_3lcQ
The MSM?
Silent, as of this time. (Huffington Post has a story, but that appears to be it, at the moment.)
You thnk they have the power to withdraw the Nobel peace prize fraudster…..
The heart of the matter:
We had the ability to redeem ourselves by holding our own officials accountable as we have demanded from other countries. Obama and his Administration denied us that redemption as a nation. -Jonathan Turley
Swarthmore mom, Yes indeed let’s hope the woman that hid when her ambassador was killed runs for Prez. She hid and sent out a woman that unfortunately had more ambition than brains in Susan Rice. And make no mistake, Susan Rice is a very bright woman.
how about we tell both the Demos and Repos they can take their talking points to the pit toilet. They are the same. The Bush policies were continued, and in many cases, expanded upon by Obama. There are other choices than an R or a D. Please, let’s make a real difference next time.
For the record, I wanted Hillary as President when Obama won the nomination. I wanted Obama against McCain. Now I realize how none of it mattered and we are being fooled and taken for a ride. The party is irrelevant. They are all liars and thieves
I hope to hell not. Hillary is nothing more than a continuation of the prior few Administrations. Hillary is as corrupt as the rest of them. The last thing this country needs is more years of this corrupt leadership that we have been getting for decades now.
What we need is a fresh honest person and at this point I doubt you will find that in either of the 2 main parties.
Jonesy, Looks like the next match up might be Jeb Bush vs Hillary Clinton. Sure hope she runs.
Obama is a massive hypocrite at best and a Tyrant at worst. One thing is for certain though either way, he is a threat to the Bill of Rights.
Honest true Liberals abandoned him long ago.
The only supporters he has with him now are the ignorant or blind sheep who refuse to admit that he is a BAD guy and not a good guy or the fascist element that is taking root in the Democratic party the same way the Religious Right took root in the GOP.
Obama is an AWFUL president. Ranks right there with Bush.
At some point we have to stop electing Presidents that are choices between ‘2 Evils’. At some point we have to clean up our Govt. The only way that happens at this point is a political Revolution. Removing both parties from power.
Obama said he did not prosecute torture because the republicans would then block everything he did. It was the first of many instances where he preemptively gave away something and got nothing.
Two things to follow when tracking war criminals who are at or above the Cheney level: 1) money connections to Epigovernment; and 2) sovereign immunity ideology.
The latter is the de facto behavior the Obama and Bush II administrations have done.
The other is an international web of militarism that cannot be penetrated.
Yes, well he’s already proved he is a bloody child murderer, a mass murderer or condoner of the same. He did this by immediately attacking the 2nd amendment right after the new town elementary school massacre, knowing full well it was psychiatry & psychiatric drugs that have been bringing these white young male terrorist attacks since the Prozac rampages began around 1987. Many of those that did not die suffered as if from torture, so it very typical of this calous but very clever psychopath.