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TechnoratiInvestigator Sought for Torture Probe
WASHINGTON - House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and 15 other Democrats on the panel asked Attorney General Eric Holder to name a special counsel to probe the interrogation of terrorism suspects during the Bush administration for possible violations.
"The authorization and use of interrogation techniques that likely amounted to torture has generated tremendous concern and outrage in this country and has harmed our legal and moral standing in the world," Conyers and the others said in a letter. "We must investigate and demand accountability for acts of torture committed by or on our behalf."
Earlier this month the Justice Department released memos showing that department lawyers authorized the CIA to use such techniques as sleep deprivation, slapping, nudity and waterboarding, which simulates drowning. The memos, written in 2002 and 2005, were released in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.
President Barack Obama left open the possibility of taking action against Bush administration officials for authorizing the techniques. He said CIA operatives who acted based on the memos shouldn't be prosecuted.
17 Comments so far
Show AllDoes this feel like deja vu? For god's sake, how much more power must the Democrats have before they see fit to faithfully execute the laws of the United States? They've even got another member - Senator Specter - to add to their ranks.
The Dems have a plebiscite against the wars and against Bush's crimes with Obama's election. The Democrats in Congress have had the power to change course for two years. Now we see Congress members appealing to the Attorney General - even the likes of John Conyers, who felt some need to muzzle Dennis Kucinich for running an impeachment hearing not too long ago.
Somehow, this is going to get flubbed. Too many Democrats have blood on their hands: Pelosi, Harmon, Feinstein, etc. - all supposed to be liberal Democrats, and all war supporters, some even torture supporters perhaps.
This should be a happy moment, but with Obama absurdly talking about looking to the future, it seems like it's just going to be another dead-end exercise, if that.
At least, for the credulous, such an exercise would make it seem as if the Democrats really gave it the old party try. I hope I am dead wrong, but can't shake this cynicism. Also, I don't think the Democratic Party leaders are really that far apart from their Republican colleagues on violating civil rights, torture and oil wars. I'll shut up about it when they prove me wrong.
-TIA
Some of you seem to be missing the boat: Attorney Genral Holder would appoint any special prosecutor, NOT Conyers! Keep in mind we HUNG Japanese officers after WWII for water boarding. During the Viet Nam War, (another war with people not wearing uniforms and utilizing women and children as suicide bombers, etc) we prosecuted our own soldiers for using and teaching water boarding! What has changed to make it different: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!
Conyers is a Democrat, which means corrupt, deceiving, lying, manipulating, murderous, backstabbing, Republican, hopeless politician.
He's only looking out for himself, his portfolio and his political career. So forget about an honest, special counsel to probe the interrogation of terrorism suspects. The only thing such a special counsel would accomplish would be more millions of taxpayer's dollars down the drain.
I would suggest someone who will get to the sordid bottom of all this like Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia.
get hamilton and keane
their bullshit 9/11 report of fiction and lies ought to fit right in with the bullshit of the obama adminstration who is consumed with 1. giving the corporations all the remaining cash in the treasury and 2. looking forward, not backwards
obama has shown his back to the working class
turned his back on health care
immigration
and plans to continue the imperial wars
aw fuck it - let's get regis philbin to do it
maybe we could dig out katie courics pollyps video to add a little spice
that ought to be quite a show
maybe we could have a contest between the 10 best civilian head shots in iraq against the 10 best head shots of palestinians by the idf
slo mo - hd
fuck yeah
The 9/11 Commission report...greatest work of governmental fiction since the Warren Commission Report.
For me, the most frustrating part of this entire fantasy, is that the average American hasn't the slightest idea about what is going on OR is totally indifferent.....PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY.
Great article on 9/11 in this months Rock Creek Free Press "Scientists Find Explosives in World Trade Center Dust" Well worth the read, since you won't read about it in any msm paper, and that's the reason I cancelled the San Francisco Chronicle after 20 years.
"That likely amounted to torture."
Aarrgh! Why do these people still refuse to call it what it is? It was torture when the Japanese and Germans and Koreans did it. It is torture under the Geneva conventions and other international conventions, and STILL these people won't use the word! If they can't name it what it is, how can we hope to put a stop to it?
Rainborowe
I think we would be well served to bring back HUAC.
michael jordan
http://sites.google.com/site/apolloguide/
Good move....that would put most of the dual citizens from the last admin in jail....and a few from this, I imagine.....
I don't see any more condemnation of Conyers now by the conservative left.
I don't know what the "conservative left" is, but for many of us, Conyers doesn't require further condemnation.
Why continue to kick a moribund dog in the neuticles?
· Yr Obd't Servant
Conyers deserves the benefit of the doubt. How is justice better served, by impeaching Bush under a Republican Administration and Congress with a good chance of losing? Or by prosecuting the Bushites under a Democratic Administration and Congress with a good chance of winning?
The conservative left's most famous are Stalin, Pol Pot, Caescescu, Mao, etc., but you knew that.
If you have a doubt, by all means give the old charlatan the benefit of it.
· Yr Obd't Servant
WERE MANY GERMANS COMPLICIT WTH CONCENTRATION CAMPS THRU SLENCE? ARE WE BEING COMPLICIT WITH TORTURE BY A SIMILAR SILENCE?
Yes and Yes!
Define "independent"......... Someone outside politics?......... Impossible! Kinda like the 9/11 Commission....laughable.