Torture is illegal under both United States and international law. The Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment, and it states that treaties signed by the U.S. are the “supreme Law of the Land” under Article Six. The Geneva Convention and The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment both prohibit torture and have been signed by the United States. These laws provide no exception for torture under any circumstances. Moreover, the United States Criminal Code prohibits both torture and war crimes, the latter which includes torture. The Army Field Manual prohibits the use of degrading treatment of detainees.(emphasis mine). Well, it wasn't exactly kept a secret.
Despite this well-established law, under the Bush administration, torture was authorized by George Bush and kept secret using classified designations. The White House requested legal memoranda to support its use of torture and it received those authored by a host of attorneys, including John Yoo, Jay Bybee, and Stephen Bradbury. Attorneys who advised, counseled, consulted and supported those memoranda included Alberto Gonzales, John Ashcroft, Michael Chertoff, Alice Fisher, William Haynes II, Douglas Feith, Michael Mukasey, Timothy Flanigan, and David Addington.
The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades
5 hours ago
3 comments:
Now the republican strategy is... "OK, there was torture, but don't blame us, because Pelosi knew about it."
Very amusing. Is that the best defense you have? Obama didn't want to pursue this. Now we can be sure there will be an investigation. Thank you republicans. Glad that Michael Steele agrees, the investigation will go forward.
When the findings from the Senate Armed Services Committee is considered - that Bush/Cheney tortured, not to protect Americans, but to try to obtain a confession of a Iraq 9/11 link, we can see the full extent of the war crimes.
Who cares if Pelosi knew. Doesn't matter, however when the CIA communicated the dates of the supposed torture briefings to Sen. Graham, Graham's notes showed 3 of the 4 briefings never took place. The mistake was confirmed by the CIA.. You know, the CIA that destroyed all those torture videos?
Yea, please, keep on it. Keep accusing Pelosi of lying. It's the best thing we can hope for to keep this issue on the table and to bring the criminals to justice.
Yep, Panetta's now a part of the VRWC.
Pelosi's predicament is only relevant as an example of Liberal/Left-wing grandstanding and hypocrisy.
The best defense I have is that (a) the Left is loosely defining "torture" and (b) even Nancy Pelosi was with me on the issue until she got the talking points from Markos Moulitsas.
Congress has loads of "capital" to expend on "bring[ing] the criminals to justice" . . . go for it, "Anonymous."
Nancy Pelosi churned up and fed large amount of chum to her cadre of admiring leftys for her own purposes (regaining the House, and paving the way for that dirty socialist president we're now afflicted with). She is a liar, period. So, whatever happens to her, it's well-deserved.
What goes around, and all of that.
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