Torture: When John Ashcroft Looks Good, It’s Bad
An ABC News report describes just how invested the Bush administration is / was in torturing “high value” GWOT detainees. It’s almost scary - and it’s way past time for some real investigations to begin. All roads lead to the White House…
With Alberto “Abu Al” Gonzales having been run out of the U.S. Attorney General’s office several months ago, and Michael “The Obfuscater” Mukasey now running DOJ, it’s almost hard to believe that we can look back fondly on former AG John Ashcroft as an early voice of dissent in the Bush administration. Well, maybe not dissent, but he at least understood the implications of what Cheney’s torture crew was doing, and the necessity for high level ass-covering.
Just to refresh everyone’s memory, Ashcroft was a hospital bed holdout in the early discussions of BushCo’s warrentless wiretapping program. And, in an ABC News expose of the Bush Administration’s “enhanced interrogation” program, it appears as if Ashcroft at least understood the implications of discussing / approving specific instances of torture at very high levels in the White House:
…Then-Attorney General Ashcroft was troubled by the discussions. He agreed with the general policy decision to allow aggressive tactics and had repeatedly advised that they were legal. But he argued that senior White House advisers should not be involved in the grim details of interrogations, sources said.
According to a top official, Ashcroft asked aloud after one meeting: “Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly.” [emphasis mine]
The Principals also approved interrogations that combined different methods, pushing the limits of international law and even the Justice Department’s own legal approval in the 2002 memo, sources told ABC News…
I’ve used John Ashcroft only as a segue to the ABC News article - and as an example of why it’s so necessary to get the Democratic Party congressional leadership off of their collective butts and into hearing rooms. There are few reasons not to pursue hearings and prosecutions, unless (gasp!) the Dem congressional leadership is, by lack of previous action, as complicit as the Bush administration in the application of torture and war crimes.
And remind me again - why is impeachment off the table?
Update: Ok, I think I’m starting to understand the reason that this kind of stuff is starting to come to light: to insulate George W. Bush from future war crimes tribunals and trials. Are Bush’s minions throwing Cheney under a bus? An interesting possibility, indeed…
why is impeachment off the table?
because it’s haaaaaard worrrrrk.
And remind me again - why is impeachment off the table?
More than likely it’s because all the snooping that the NSA has done on the American public has turned up some rather embarrassing, blackmail worthy stuff on our beloved congresscritters… and / or they don’t want their own complicity in this whole debacle aired in public.
The Rude Pundit has a good take on this — and it’s sans his usual rudeness, because well, there is nothing that could be said that is more profane than what has already been done.
Out of all the issues this torture thing should be on the front burner roasting the heck out of the Republican Party. Followed by the BlackWater mercenary stuff.
For all the readers out there, here is a very good video of Naomi Wolf, author and activist that describes the horrible association and likely hood this administration has to fascism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjALf12PAWc
There are many citizens raising the flag of warning that our core government currently has morphed into exactly this cultural were America is caught up in a serious change that needs to be addressed.
My personal concern is the slight break in current Mainstream Media public reporting. ABC, MSNBC have at least two first line Journalist, Keith Olbermann and the other public channel types that support that ideal America is making a transition to a fascism state. It is incredible how McCain being tortured for five years can support any notion or debate in waterboarding.
Naomi Wolf makes an endorsement of Barack Obama which to me is not only the wrong choice but, Obama will likely fuel the transition to fascism. From Obama’s book Audacity of hope Obama clearly talks of Islam being the traditional form of theocracy that the international community accepts. Ironically, but true as a flag waving Christian, Obama expresses his opinion completely dismissing his Christian devotion so proudly announced so often. We all know Islam condemns the Jews. Worse yet the Wahabbi Arabs hate the Jews with a considerable amount of passion. Here, in America the Arabs have been a powerful influence in America in terms of money and power since World War II. Through Bush and Company the Arabs have likely been privy to National Security Secrets the average American would flip over.
All this complicity with media moles embedded in the war in Iraq for years have in a deceitful way reported to America misinformation which likely in an impeachment would flush out a considerable amount Democrats as well as Republicans that have failed to support the very character and basics of the Constitution. For me that’s why Pelosi refuses to impeach all those connected in the Bush administration. Why? For the first time in history there is glowing evidence that an American government, Bush and Company, with policy deliberately choose to violate the Constitution. Yes far worse than WaterGate. America is in a Fascist – Gate and the electorate is unconsciously with the help of the media marching through it.
Richard, the LAST thing that should happen is for an investigation of all this criminal conduct to begin NOW.
Wait till the next president is inaugurated….THEN.
Now? Pardons.
Then? God willing, prison…and ….?
that is, IF there is an election, a very large “IF” if I ever saw one