Obama Open To Leaving Door Open To Possible Prosecution Of Bush Officials Who Devised Harsh Interrogation Tactics »
Posted By TimALoftis 8 months, 1 week ago in Political News
(CBS/AP)
President Obama said Tuesday that while he worries about the impact of high-intensity hearings on how detainees were treated under former President George W. Bush, he could support a congressional investigation if it were conducted in a bipartisan way.
Obama has said he does not support charging CIA agents and interrogators who took part in waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics, acting on advice from superiors that such practices were legal. But he also said that it is up to the attorney general whether to prosecute Bush administration lawyers who wrote the memos approving these tactics.
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TimALoftis
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tehranchik8 months, 1 week ago
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Locky12Comment removed: Spammer, Abusive11 Replies
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TimALoftis8 months, 1 week ago
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This seems to be confirmation of what NEWSWEEK reported last night. It seems that Attorney General Holder may not have been very pleased with some of the comments coming out of the White House staff over the weekend on the various talk shows. This ball is in Justice Department hands as it should be.
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jordan118 months, 1 week ago
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Obama is feeling the pressure, apparently. I'd have rather seen him look for the truth and be willing to uphold our laws without that pressure, but this is better than nothing.
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As for not holding agents accountable for following orders, time for a law that doesn't give them that out. -
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Goppy8 months, 1 week ago
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My fellow Christian Cosnervatrives wont liek this one bit.
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Nope. Not one bit.
Dint anybody never tell them LIbbies that "A New World Order" was created when Newt Gingrich launched the Republican Revolution?
Why did Newt call it a REVOLUTION?
CAUSE US COSNERVATRIVES IS ANGRY.
VERY, VERY ANGERY.
Fact is, there aint much that we get involved with that aint defined by our anger.
So .. can y'all really blame us for supportin Torture? Caint y'all see that Torture is a NATURAL by-product of our Righteous Indignation at ... at ... EVERYTHING?
We Righties just get SOOOOOOOO Angry when we have to deal with stuff ... liek prisoners ... or the Constitution.
Now ... some of you Lefties is goin on an on bout how MOrally Vacant the Right is ... on accounta we aint got no problem with modeling all our 'response mechanisms' on various Totalitarian regeems thruout the world. (Memba when that Solzinitzen fella wrote bout Gulags and Torture ... and how we mocked them Sovits for torturing folks?)
WEll... turned out we LIKED them Soviets ... and Pinochets Fascist regeem in Chile! You just gotta learnt to appreciate em.
Just liek y'all gotta learn to accept our righteous anger in order to get along with us in such a ways as to create a bi-partisan ANYTHING.
So that is it.
Y'all are gointa havta accept that we are VERY, VERY ANGRY.
Angry ALL the time. If we want to do stuff that is against our nations morality ... against the Constitution ... against the law ... well ... you libbies are just gointa have to accept that bout us as a function of our Anger.
And Those Tea Bag Parties?
We privately called them our Bitch Fest.
We just GOTTA be bitchin bout somethin - - - cause we are RED FACE ANGRY.
I even know poeple on Propeller who get monthly government chekcs ... either Social Security or Military checks ... and you know what ... they are ALWAYS bellyachin bout how they hate goverment.
Aint no sense to it ... ITS JUST ANGER.
Please accept us for what we are ... just liek we aint NEVER gointa accept y'all. Ha ha ... tRuth be tolt ... aint nuthin better then we Righties would liek to do but to TORTURE a few of yall. Expecially them that calls us mOrally vaCant.
And of course ... thats just an innocent and patriotic expression of our anger.
.
Amen.
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prophyporcritesComment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned4 Replies
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wwwFIXNEWSNOWorg8 months, 1 week ago
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Brilliant sarcasm - very funny - really captures the "low information" ;) Republican.
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Do you ever break character...
couple of corrections though:
It was the Reagan Revolution, not Gingrich Revolution. Gingrich had the "Contract With America" LOL
Also it would've been nice for you to get a couple of words in on how Reagan's Administration illegally sold weapons to Iran (while they were anti-American),
and sold drugs in America to raise money to finance the Contras (unauthorized by Congress) Anyway next time you want to jump in on the topic of immorality of the Republicans, there's no shortage of evil doers in the GOP party.
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TimALoftis8 months, 1 week ago
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I think for mere political reasons the Obama administration would rather move on as this debate will certainly hurt any chance of bipartisanship in Washington and getting Health Care passed this year. But with that said this is a matter for the Justice Department and not the White House to deal with. Hopefully Attorney General Holder will name a special prosecutor or the like to look into this matter soon. Congress should go forward with their hearings as well.
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jovial8 months, 1 week ago
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I agree, but this President has shown that he's taken a side already. I hope this doesn't wind up biting him in the ass. He should have left this to the Justice department. That way he could go on about the the business of fixing this country. I feel him stepping in and making judgments about who should be prosecuted and who shouldn't may hurt him more than help him.
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stephen-johnson8 months, 1 week ago
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The CIA's Questioning Worked
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In releasing highly classified documents on the CIA interrogation program last week, President Obama declared that the techniques used to question captured terrorists "did not make us safer." This is patently false. The proof is in the memos Obama made public -- in sections that have gone virtually unreported in the media.
Consider the Justice Department memo of May 30, 2005. It notes that "the CIA believes 'the intelligence acquired from these interrogations has been a key reason why al Qaeda has failed to launch a spectacular attack in the West since 11 September 2001.' . . . In particular, the CIA believes that it would have been unable to obtain critical information from numerous detainees, including [Khalid Sheik Mohammed] and Abu Zubaydah, without these enhanced techniques." The memo continues: "Before the CIA used enhanced techniques . . . KSM resisted giving any answers to questions about future attacks, simply noting, 'Soon you will find out.' " Once the techniques were applied, "interrogations have led to specific, actionable intelligence, as well as a general increase in the amount of intelligence regarding al Qaeda and its affiliates." -
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stephen-johnson8 months, 1 week ago
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Critics claim that enhanced techniques do not produce good intelligence because people will say anything to get the techniques to stop. But the memos note that, "as Abu Zubaydah himself explained with respect to enhanced techniques, 'brothers who are captured and interrogated are permitted by Allah to provide information when they believe they have reached the limit of their ability to withhold it in the face of psychological and physical hardship." In other words, the terrorists are called by their faith to resist as far as they can -- and once they have done so, they are free to tell everything they know. This is because of their belief that "Islam will ultimately dominate the world and that this victory is inevitable." The job of the interrogator is to safely help the terrorist do his duty to Allah, so he then feels liberated to speak freely.
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This is the secret to the program's success. And the Obama administration's decision to share this secret with the terrorists threatens our national security. Al-Qaeda will use this information and other details in the memos to train its operatives to resist questioning and withhold information on planned attacks. CIA Director Leon Panetta said during his confirmation hearings that even the Obama administration might use some of the enhanced techniques in a "ticking time bomb" scenario. What will the administration do now that it has shared the limits of our interrogation techniques with the enemy? President Obama's decision to release these documents is one of the most dangerous and irresponsible acts ever by an American president during a time of war -- and Americans may die as a result.-
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jovial8 months, 1 week ago
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Sorry Steve. I don't buy it. Especially this piece by Marc Thiessen. Marc Thiessen is a Bushie. He helped write Bush'e state of the union address in 2004. He just about verbatim gave us the Cheney line. That line of reasoning has been debunked already.
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BB648 months, 1 week ago
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So the president is trying to claim he would go after Bush but he won't? Yea, this is a guy that in order to be elected released the sealed divorce records of his opponent. He doesn't like Bush or anyone conservative so if there were truly a crime committed, there's something much larger that we don't see. I suspect no real crime was committed and this is typical of this White House. Slow news week, let's cause lots of fluff and smoke. If there is a crime, since the Congress with both parties in agreement, committed those crimes. So a lot on both sides would fall. Collateral damage is the only logical reason for him not going after Bush if laws were broken.
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simonsez8 months, 1 week ago
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This President has an uncanny ability to step on his dick day after day. He is gradually p!ssing off elements on both sides of the aisle and it will come back around and bite him in the ass. He is not the Independent Counsel ... he is the President.
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Make some good decisions, attempt to lead. Quit trying to be the darling of the world. He is becoming a laughing stock in the centers of power everywhere.-
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Goppy8 months, 1 week ago
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Well ... we righties is goin ta find somethin to be outraged regardless ... we righties are kinda liek that Mahmouda Ahmadinejad fella ... we are ALWAYS sayin stuff ... just to see our outrage in the news ... liek Ahmadinejad.
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I member thats how our dear dear founder, Jerry Falwell worked too.
I member listenin to a interview with him and he tolt us that hed say things liek ... "9/11 happened because New York has too many gays."
Do y'all member when Jerry said that?
of Course, y'all prolally thought 9/11 happened on accounta George W. Bush was incompetent.
Well ... THAT part is true.
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Jeboba8 months, 1 week ago
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You cons are squirming in your juices! Your Bushie Boy is guilty as sin and I hope he's indicted, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned along with Cheney.
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We have CRIMINALS running this country for 8 years and yet you cons still think they were just okie dokie. I got new for ya... we ain't takin your bull$hit anymore.-
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BB648 months, 1 week ago
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You guys on the left make a lot of noise but I found it funny you didn't impeach him even though you were "soooo" sure you could. Now the President is what, showing mercy? I think if he tries to go after Bush, it would bite the hand that feeds him. How many Congressional Democrats were aware of the policies? Also, are you sure congress in a closed session didn't authorize the laws you're now claiming were broken?
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Jaydee408 months, 1 week ago
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Do robbers, thieves or murderers investigate themselves? The government broke the laws and lied to the people so why is it left to them to investigate? Only real answers will come from and outside investigation and the government will never allow this to happen. And people thought it would all end when the shrub left office.
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NoWayMan8 months, 1 week ago
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if the Bush Admin wasn't guilty, and didn't know they were guilty, they would have never pushed through the Military Commission Act of 2006, which was a clear cover-your-asss move by the Bush Administration.
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the Military Commission Act of 2006 set aside the provisions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and formally adopted methods traditionally identified with police states (torture).
but since the crimes in question by the Bush Admin were committed before the act became law, it all might be moot and might offer the Bush Admin no protection whatsoever.
the act was pushed through the republican-controlled house and senate in late September of 2006, when the republicans knew they were just about to lose control of both houses.
John McCain voted in favor of the act.
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TcarosComment removed: Hard Banned
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Goppy8 months, 1 week ago
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Gud fer you!
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I ken just feel the glee you have in anticipatin doin all that stuff.
Say ... wheres your nemesis, that FBI agent named ... ah ... ah yes ... Clarice Starling?
Eh Doctor Lector?
Or should I call you Herr Mengele?
Or maybe just Comrade Stalin?
El Presidente Pinochet?
All might be appropriate ... but certainly NOT American Citizen or friend to our soldiers.
Military folks are TOTALLY OPPOSED to torture. Only freaks enjoy it ... as you appear to.
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epiphannyy8 months, 1 week ago
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It's about time.
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Obama has made great strides to regain our moral and ethical stance in the world, but it won't ever be complete until this step is taken. I don't honestly see how he can avoid it, or why he would want to.
And bottom line.....the world has made it clear that if WE don't clean up this mess the right way, they (the world) will come and do it for us. Is that something any of us want to happen? Another Nuremberg? Not I. Hopefully, he will simply appoint a special prosecutor and then get out of the way. Let the chips fall where they may and let those legally culpable face the music appropriately. Only then can we, as a country, truly focus forward and leave the past behind. -
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Ratskii8 months, 1 week ago
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It has been proven over and over again. Torture is useful for getting people to confess to things they may or may not have done.
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As for producing useful information. Remember all those orange and red alerts from 2002 to 2008, the ones that turned out to be nothing? Those were brought to you courtesy of the use of torture to elicit intelligence information.-
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epiphannyy8 months, 1 week ago
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EXACTLY! The CIA reports show the only useful tips came BEFORE torture was used. The moment they started torturing them, they clammed up and started lying. It's incredible that all these "love it or leave it" Americans prefer the method proven to be useless against fighting terrorism. Absolutely incredible!
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lloydm658 months, 1 week ago
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Hey left wing nuts just a questions before you leave for idiot school this morning.Where are all the damaged sites,and dead citizens from the terrorist attacks since the towers.I don't travel that much,but bet all you world travelers must have seen something to upset you.I wish would have recorded all the times I heard since 9-11 we are not as safe now.But since we we,really you voted for Obama this might a self fulfilling prophecy.Thats it go on to school, going from a lowly rum dum all the way to a graduate of Idiot school is a laudable goal
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GWHayduke8 months, 1 week ago
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Why the exception for 9/11 lloyd?
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Who had been sitting in the Oval Office for 8 months when that terrorist event occurred?
Whose military policy had been focused on STAR WARS when that event happened?
Who sat terrified and paralyzed with "My Pet Goat" upside down, unable to act, when that event happened?
Always...SINCE 9/11....as if divinity vested power within the W administration that day but not as a result of ALL of the WARNINGS from Clarke and the CIA that AQ was planning an attack.
Nope, cowboy George had his OWN way of defending the country and by golly gosh it was with a missile defense system that has about a .00005% success rate.
But dont let facts get in the way of the specious nonsence festering in that organ you refer to as a brain.
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PsychoHosebeastComment removed: Spammer, Abusive
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lloydm658 months, 1 week ago
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Clinton was in charge eight yrs,and America and our interest around the world were hit 7 times including a war ship.By the time Bush was elected Osama seen no reason to stop.Funny though he seems a little more timid now.Of course if he is still alive,he is probably grining from ear to ear,another ego driven American president.How good for us.Get out your weapons there are American to kill
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Tangent0018 months, 1 week ago
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Why haven't we seen another large-scale attack? Perhaps because the 9/11 attack fulfilled all of Bin Laden's goals. Osama's STATED GOAL was to lead the US into an unwinnable asymmetric war that would bankrupt the nation, cause us to undermine our own Constitution, increase tensions between Shia and Sunni and damage US standing in the international community.
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Hey, 'Mission Accomplished'!
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swstroup-998 months, 1 week ago
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Its all opinion about what is torture. We don't cut off fingers, pull out finger nails, break bones, or cut off heads, like we have seen them do to reporters. I don't care if they do think that we might kill them as long as we don't it's cool with me. Besides if they do bring anyone to up on charges then that means any body who was aware and voted to let this type interrogation be used should be brought up on charges also. Even Poloski said she remembers it being brought up and voted on but she didn't think it would be used. Channey's right let all the facts out. Releasing memo authorizing it and not the memos on the results is only half of the story, not justice. Like the man who threw water on a man is guilty of get the man wet and ruining his clothes, so what if the clothes were on fire.
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lloydm658 months, 1 week ago
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Then lets go to Chicago let us find out who Obama really is.We know he is a closet member of Acorn,we know he,and a gang of riff Raff went from bank to bank extorting loans for people with out the ability to pay it back.We know him,and Ayers were very close.We had to sift through at least ten lies before learning this.We know him,and Ayers were given ninety nine million dollars to radicalise Chicago schools,Chicago wanted no part of it.Has any body seen or heard of where all this money went.I speck not.
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