This Cheney admission is very revealing for several reasons. One, Cheney and President Bush have brought our country into a very shameful period of our history where our government has so loudly expressed its hypocrisy. After WWII we brought Japanese, who used water boarding as a torture technique on our troops, to trial and condemned them to death. Our country has always deplored the use of torture and is a signatory of the Geneva Convention. Yet, where is the outcry in our nation over the atrocities committed by the Bush Administration? I am against the death penalty and i am for human rights abuses to be dealt with and perpetrators punished by imprisonment.
This leads me to the second revealing thing from Cheney's admission. That is his arrogance and total disregard for the law and low expectations from people to cry foul. Obama has mentioned he may not pursue charges once in office.
Congress, except for people like Rep. Dennis Kucinich, do not want to deal with this matter either. So, it looks like Bush and Cheney will get away with war crimes and setting a TERRIBLE precedent for future leaders. Look at the recent debacle with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. They have not committed war crimes, but have broken the law and are being brought to justice. So, what is the deal with our government NOT keeping the President and his administration accountable? Are they afraid or have they been bought off? Even Slobodan Milosevic was brought to the Hague to be tried on war crimes perpetrated by him and his govermnent during the Bosnian War. The USA was in full support of this trial as a UN Member. This is another sign of "Do as I say and NOT as I do."
I also do not hear the American people crying out in unison that what this administration did was wrong and broke the law. We MUST communicate our disgust to our elected representatives and senators in the US Congress. Maybe people feel they cannot effect change, but that is plain old deception especially in light of Obama winning the election this year. If we do not do our part by making our voices heard, then i believe we, including Congress, US citizens, and President-elect Obama, are just as culpable as the Bush Administration. It's akin to the Catholic Church turning a blind eye to Hitler and the Nazi's killing Jews, gays and lesbians, and others they did not think fit into their perfect human race. i am going to call my Congressmen and let them know how i feel, not because this might make me feel better, but because i feel it is the right thing to do. It makes me so sick. This insanity must be stopped and principles must be adhered to in order for the rule of law to remain intact.
This leads me to the second revealing thing from Cheney's admission. That is his arrogance and total disregard for the law and low expectations from people to cry foul. Obama has mentioned he may not pursue charges once in office.
Inside the Obama camp, a parallel drama about the torture issue is
unfolding. Obama faces a number of conflicting considerations. He is
intent on pursuing his own agenda and grappling with a serious crisis
of financial institutions. He wants to avoid distractions. Obama is
eager to avoid an appearance of revenge or retaliation against the Bush
administration. But he also recognizes that the torture question raises
more than just a simple policy dispute. At its core is a question of
adherence to the rule of law and in particular the criminal law
constraints on the exercise of presidential power.
Congress, except for people like Rep. Dennis Kucinich, do not want to deal with this matter either. So, it looks like Bush and Cheney will get away with war crimes and setting a TERRIBLE precedent for future leaders. Look at the recent debacle with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. They have not committed war crimes, but have broken the law and are being brought to justice. So, what is the deal with our government NOT keeping the President and his administration accountable? Are they afraid or have they been bought off? Even Slobodan Milosevic was brought to the Hague to be tried on war crimes perpetrated by him and his govermnent during the Bosnian War. The USA was in full support of this trial as a UN Member. This is another sign of "Do as I say and NOT as I do."
I also do not hear the American people crying out in unison that what this administration did was wrong and broke the law. We MUST communicate our disgust to our elected representatives and senators in the US Congress. Maybe people feel they cannot effect change, but that is plain old deception especially in light of Obama winning the election this year. If we do not do our part by making our voices heard, then i believe we, including Congress, US citizens, and President-elect Obama, are just as culpable as the Bush Administration. It's akin to the Catholic Church turning a blind eye to Hitler and the Nazi's killing Jews, gays and lesbians, and others they did not think fit into their perfect human race. i am going to call my Congressmen and let them know how i feel, not because this might make me feel better, but because i feel it is the right thing to do. It makes me so sick. This insanity must be stopped and principles must be adhered to in order for the rule of law to remain intact.
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