Morning Must Reads–Part I, George Bush and War Crimes
By Larry Johnson on January 14, 2009 at 9:31 AM in Current Affairs
I will give the Washington Post its due. While the Editorial page is awful, the News guys and gals, like a blind squirrel, find a nut once in a while. Today’s news is worth your time. Turns out that the Bush Administration did authorize torture.
Bob Woodward (the great enabler of the Bush Administration, who is busy kissing the ass of the incoming Obama Administration because he realizes he will need their help for his future blockbusters now that the Bushies are no longer relevant) breaks news with a report that a retired judge with solid Republican credentials says a Guantanamo prisoner was tortured:
The top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial has concluded that the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who allegedly planned to participate in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, interrogating him with techniques that included sustained isolation, sleep deprivation, nudity and prolonged exposure to cold, leaving him in a “life-threatening condition.”
So much for Dick Cheney’s denial that the U.S. allowed or endorsed torture. Judge Susan Crawford reportedly decided that:
the combination of the interrogation techniques, their duration and the impact on Qahtani’s health led to her conclusion. “The techniques they used were all authorized, but the manner in which they applied them was overly aggressive and too persistent. . . . You think of torture, you think of some horrendous physical act done to an individual. This was not any one particular act; this was just a combination of things that had a medical impact on him, that hurt his health. It was abusive and uncalled for. And coercive. Clearly coercive. It was that medical impact that pushed me over the edge” to call it torture, she said.
This is bad news for George Bush and Dick Cheney’s future tourist plans. Judge Crawford is helping write the indictment for war crime charges likely to be brought against senior members of the Bush Administration by jurists in Europe. George Bush and Dick Cheney, along with Paul Wolfowitz (DOD), George Tenet (CIA), John McLaughlin (CIA), Dougie Feith (DOD), and Cofer Black (CIA), are likely to find themselves facing charges similar to those levied against the former governors of Rwanda and Serbia. George Bush leaves office on the 20th of January but he will be living with the nightmare of his Administration for some years to come.
Peter Finn has a great companion piece that details the challenges the Obama Administration faces in trying to pursue charges against the suspected terrorists because of the breakdown in the judicial system that was supposed to be used to prosecute the Guantanamo inhabitants:
A former military prosecutor said in a declaration filed in federal court yesterday that the system of handling evidence against detainees at Guantanamo Bay is so chaotic that it is impossible to prepare a fair and successful prosecution.
Darrel Vandeveld, a former lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, filed the declaration in support of a petition seeking the release of Mohammed Jawad, an Afghan who has been held at the military prison in Cuba for six years. Jawad was a juvenile when he was detained in Kabul in 2002 after a grenade attack that severely wounded two U.S. Special Forces soldiers and their interpreter.
The parade of people talking about the abuses of the Bush Administration is just starting. This is sure to help give the new Obama team a brief honeymoon as the media and public finally come to grips with the long evident fact that Bush and company botched and bungled the handling of terrorist suspects and, in the process, tarnished the reputation of the United States. Heck of a job, Bushie.
(Release: November 13)
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I read a few years ago (Germany?) some country put out word that Cheney would be arrest for war crimes if he came there. I’m not sure which country now but it was hilarious to read at the time.
How he could shoot his pal in the FACE and not get arrested is beyond me. Duck hunting my ass.
Well, Karma is always late to the party imo.
and for the future (thank GOD)
we have HOPE with Hillary as our SOS
some HOPE
I think they have karma locked up at gitmo because it’s waaaaaay overdue for this bunch.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
I agree, the democrats have a tendency to make a big splash, while never having ANY intention of following through (ie FISA, war funding, torture).
Given how they might be seen as complicit, I would think many in Congress simply want to bury this, thinking it will go away, managing it as a PR problem.
(It won’t, though, they will carry this the rest of their lives, and really, it’s not good for the head.
And the US deserves better.)
Gee, this group from Cheney, and the rest : the men from FUBAR — WHAT a group of wannabe plumbers.
As Larry said, (paraphrasing):” Tom Clancy entranced jock sniffers,” (I would add learning disabled) unfortunately, making a covert mess.
A covert mess, with ramifications for greater US strategic position, men so stupid they really don’t understand sound military procedure, despite their delusions about themselves as “covert warriors.”
I think we will hear worse, aren’t there about four more US torture prisons throughout Europe?
And didn’t Obama’s new deputy NSC guy, Brennan, have a hand in helping to establish those?
And who knows WHAT was done, there?
If Obama wants a shot a presidential success, he will simply have ot purge the torture “learning disabled,” no two ways about it.
The world will make it hell for him if he doesn’t, and he really wants to model himself after the best of the British, not Stalin.
Well, the should go after the Bush administration, but will anyone go after the “historic black” POTUS ever? That is what I want to know. If we are going to favor some just because, then we should leave them all alone IMO. and why not remove them from office if they are so evil?
I’m afraid of forever Obama:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hj111-5
my television is already turning into a huge dust collector
That’s good because FOX just announced this morning that Comcast is going to have an Obama channel. 24/7 Obama, all the time!
Wha?? Can you find a link somewhere? This is truly bizarro world.
It is Bizarroworld! I think we are stuck in a twilight zone episode really!
http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0109/Comcast_launchs_allObama_channel.html
From the link…this comment sums it up.
“““
“So this is in addition to CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, and Oprah, right?”
Posted By: Chris | January 13, 2009 at 05:19 PM
Yeah well that pesky Constitution thing gets in the way. Maybe this was in the cards all along.
They have compared Obama to FDR. The term limit was put into place to prevent another FDR.
Before the Democrats do this perhaps they should think what would happen if a Republican ever gets into office again.
I think the point is that no Republican will get in again. Chicago has gone National. How many Republicans are in the Chicago machine? From what I have heard is that it is mostly Democrats. If we don’t think that can happen, all we need to do is look at how the Democratic Primary was gamed to get their guy. I don’t put it past them to do it to then keep their guy!
We predicted this very thing during the primaries. We are one astute bunch!
FraudO is trying to rid the term limits and we can’t even be joyous that Cheney and Shrub are leaving because we have a bigger thug coming in behind him. Blacks pulled a revenge vote on Whitey. They were thinking, Oh, this nObama guy is a gangster, oh he’s the perfect one to sic on the whites for slavery and make them suffer. Though none of us has ever had slaves and none of the voters were slaves. And Slaves were sold from Kenya.
Speaking of Kenya, nObama’s Kenyan granny is coming to the inauguration with the whole family. I wonder if Odinga will be in the crowd? God help us!
Rolling thunder. I love your comments except when you spout the nonsense that AAs elected Obama. I am an AA who did not vote for Obama. THEY say 95% of AAs cast their votes for Obama. However, our low percentages in some states ranging from less than 1% to about 8% make it impossible to elect anybody to national office. In the deep southern states where I live AAs voting percentages range from about 20 to 32% of the potential voters but McCain carried these states (TX, MS, AK, TN, AL, GA, LA). Now honestly explain to me how it is that AAs are responsible for Obama’s election when for example about 32 % of them in MS could not carry the state for Obama but less than 5% of them in states like NH, MN, Vermont, etc. could win those states for Obama? That is nonsensical!!!
Lay off the BLACKS ELECTED OBAMA BS. WHITES ELECTED OBAMA, BLACKS HELPED IN A FEW STATES!!
How do you explain the multiple voting. My AA friend in NJ who NEVER voted in her 50 years of life went out with her son and mulitple voted and all her friends did it too.
I won’t quote what she said and I stand to be corrected if I’m wrong. So maybe I’m forgetting the fact that bama stole this election by any and all means. Sorry to you lump you in with a group think. Young Whites cheated too.
“Bob Woodward (the great enabler of the Bush Administration…”
Indeed. ‘Enabling’ Bush by writing books like State of Denial, Bush at War and The War Within: A Secret White House History.
Yeah Larry, he’s a neo-con, alright.
When the Dems took control of Congress two years ago, they had the opportunity and IMO justification to impeach Bush. They said then that it was off the table and allowed him to continue his strategies. I’m sure it was a political move as to not allow another stronger Repug to advance into the White House if they got rid of Bush and threaten their chances of winning the election this time. Their hands aren’t much cleaner than Bush’s, so I don’t think it stops at Bush and Company. There are many guilty parties.
I agree, this, combined with a basic lack of skill and intellect will lead to this being no more than a well managed PR operation, as opposed to a true search for justice.
In the US, that is, world wide, it will still have ramifications, the international community frosting out the responsible parties, and those refusing to prosecute the war criminals.
And they, those in charge, here, will continue to fail.
Personally, I don’t mind if homicidal maniacs are tortured until every last drop of information is gleaned from their lips, then they can be executed like Nicholas Berg was, beheaded with a dull, rusty scimitar.
We’re in a war with crazy people who want to see us all dead, based on a religion of murder and death.
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Pentagon says 61 ex-Guantanamo inmates return to terrorism
Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:38pm GMT Email | Print | Share| Single Page[-] Text [+]
1 of 1Full SizeBy David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday that 61 former detainees from its military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, appear to have returned to terrorism since their release from custody.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said 18 former detainees are confirmed as “returning to the fight” and 43 are suspected of having done in a report issued late in December by the Defence Intelligence Agency.
Morrell declined to provide details such as the identity of the former detainees, why and where they were released or what actions they have taken since leaving U.S. custody.
“This is acts of terrorism. It could be Iraq, Afghanistan, it could be acts of terrorism around the world,” he told reporters.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE50C6L620090113
First, there is no independent verification, and the Pentagon has been known to lie — look at all those generals shilling for the networks, pimping the Iraq war for purposes of Pentagon PR. Larry wrote about this, too, I think.
But, if it IS true, did the stint at GITMO cause this, much like Israel’s war v Hamas breeding new terrorists?
And if we don’t want to ask, or answer ANY of those those questions, we’re not smart enough for the job.
There will undoubtedly be numerous books published on this subject…some will make a buck.
The general public is so nervous now about the serious issues we are facing, they want to see the last of Bush and the rest of his team!
Their patience with investigations will be VERY limited, for they already view Congress as numb-skulls!
Me?
I’m no fan of Obama, but I’m buying a bottle of chamapgne for Inaguration Day, a “goodbye Cheney” gesture.
Those having to work under those morons in our government must be very very happy to see them go.
So the world loves Obama? Really?
http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/seen-any-good-anti-obama-iranian-protest-photos-lately/
We were just talking about this last week. If all of those individuals are tried for war crimes because of Iraq and people here in the U. S supports it, plan on testifying against them, drafting statements and going on record. Basicly when everyone starts rushing to the closest mic next week to state the truth. Do people realize that we are still deployed in Iraq? As soon as more stuff like this gains more traction, Bush & company leave, and this is played 24/7, because you know it will cause it gives the new admininstration a break. They are going to be picking us off over there left and right.
The downfall to this is that anyone believing watching and listening to people who didnt do or say anything when it would of made a difference start talking about what they knew, what they known and what happened.. You think the number of casualties will not skyrocket? I mean if your siding with them, of course they are going to retaliate.
Why cant people just hold there elected officials accountable for not standing up to this administration. NOW everyone wants to state what was wrong? Was something wrong with there ability to talk? I find it amazing that the asshole Colin Powell who sold this shit to us is off scott free because he endorsed Obama. Something his supporters love considering the fact he was the one who was using bogus fake aerial photo’s of fake facilities and fake vehicles transporting the fake WMD’s.
This is the biggest fear right now in the military community. Not Bush, i dont give a shit about him at this point. But the fact that when individuals and stories like this get pushed to the front and all of a sudden *discovered* to change the topic. People don’t realize that next week the Iraqi’s wont be trying to link hands with us singing kumba ya once everyone starts speaking out. Yeah right, they are going to see that as a blank check. Just like how when the iraqi journalist was called damn near a hero for hitting bush with those shoes on blogs and in the MSM. I am sure no one seen the report covered in the blogs and MSM since everyone loved it about the soldiers on patrol being pelted with shoes in the street and having to stand there and take it.
My point is this, I really don’t care about any of these individuals in the outgoing administration. At all. Since only speaking out against something wrong when everyone else agrees with you is a trait that is unfamiliar to me, my main concern is for my soldiers who believe that as soon as everyone all of a sudden develop a conscious, who should be just as guilty and charged just as well, start saying how wrong everything was and is. That the casualty rate will escalate based on the admission of guilt.
Since no one checks and verifies information any more or even question why information is just coming to light. It is a fear that they will be thrown to the wolves. I understand everyone now wants to be a team player, its just that I question any and everything. The most inexperienced and naive would no that this will have them over there taking us out left and right. I question these articles and time frame and look at them suspiciously because it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that if people here look as Iraq as illegal and as war crimes, they are going to take out those deployed on orders there based on a vote by your elected officials.
Wording is everything, and for some reason, I, do not believe certain individuals have our best interst at heart because this is just sloppy. When I read this portion:
Something is not right and I wish someone would recognize what is before them. What I read is careful wording of someone stating you think, either it is, or it isnt. You think of some horrendous physical act.
I have people scared, literally fearful, so this damn individual needs to be up front and center with there ducks in a row. Because stating: you think of some horrendous physical act done to an individual might rile up the masses but it will cause a whole differnt outcome for us.
We are so quick to believe anything that is why we are not winning the war on jack shit. Read how that statement is worded. This article is written for you to draw a conclusion based on what you already know or expect from this outgoing administration. If we dont start becoming dilligent in questioning what it before us, we will never see what is coming.
I think the war effort is far more complex, Israel’s action in GAZA more causative of any retaliation than the exposure of torture.
We might see something, but I suppose, again, as with the Iaraeli action, I would simply ask for an increased troop alertness.
I would also think, with the inaguration, we might see a spike in terrorist attacks, simply to rattle Obama and his new adminstration.
Exposing torture, the criminality of Bush and co, is best for America, strengthening American democracy, removing the runts and kooks from positions of power.
Because it is the runts and kooks who got us into this mess in the first place.
And until they go, we fail.
Speaking of casualty rate, the gang violence on the west has returned to Pre-Clinton days, i.e. gang violence is so rampant that it mimics the early 90’s and late 80’s. We predicted this if nObama got in and he’s not even inaugurated yet.
I guess Cheney and Bush will leave office with millions more dollars than when they came into office.
sigh…..
Lest we allow his passage from the scene to go unheralded, remember that, vis-a-vis Shrubbie:
He Kept Our Boys Out of Northern Ireland!!!
It probably would have been better not to worry about prosecuting the terrorists…I’m sorry, I mean “Guantanamo inhabitants”. It would have been better for everyone to have shot them on the spot, or while trying to escape after questioning.
Yeah, sure.
What about the people run through the wringer at GITMO who finally got access to long-denied due process, and then turned out not to be guilty of anything?
When exactly did being a suspect become the equivalent of being guilty?
People were secretly kidnapped based on suspicion. They were secretly held, secretly interrogated, and sometimes secretly tortured. Information obtained from unreliable sources under extreme duress became the basis for further suspicions about other people. The intention was that such “evidence” could be ultimately be used as a basic for judgement by secret military tribunals; the accused wouldn’t even be informed of the particulars, or of the source of the information.
We don’t know a fraction of what went on at GITMO. We probably need to find out, if we want to be able to look the rest of the world in the eye with pride and call ourselves Americans. I don’t think we can’t do that by assigning responsibility. We have to take responsibility.
If Steve is being serious, he shows a lack of abilty understanding WHY GITMO represents such a weak link in America’s abilty to fight a war on terror.
Not that Steve is, but simple minded people with simplistic concepts of war simply cannot win.
As with Israel, the concept of “asymmetric war” isn’t even in their lexicon, and if it is, they really can’t grasp the meaning, much less the chaos.
They pretend.
And that’s OK for a civilain, but not for an American general.
Or American intelligence, either.
You really can’t win a war by planting stories in Newsweek, or the WAPO.
It’s my impression their level of expertise doesn’t extend much beyond asking Woodward for a favor.
Hence, they’re rather circular.