The Republican Guard

[Ian_rd]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/the-republican-guard_b_15864.html

The Republican Guard
Cenk Uygur

The Republican Guard that has been protecting this administration in Congress has exceeded all bounds of reason. They have no conscience. They all have to go.

They have investigated almost nothing during these past five years in an administration overflowing with scandals, leaks, corruption and abuses. This administration literally lost $8.8 billion in Iraq - and not one word out of Congress.

There were no weapons of mass destruction. Iraq had absolutely no ties to the people who attacked us on 9/11. And the Republican Guard still hasn't investigated the decisions that got us into this disastrous and misguided war.

Remember when Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) said his report on how the administration used faulty intelligence to get us into the Iraq War was nearly complete after Harry Reid closed down the Senate to a demand a follow-up. Senator Roberts, the Chair of the Intelligence Committee, said that was an unnecessary stunt because his report was just two weeks from completion. It's now been many months since that day. We are left with the inescapable conclusion that Pat Roberts is a grotesque liar.

Pat Roberts has no regard for the truth. His only concern, as a dutiful, obedient member of the Republican Guard, is to protect his political leader. His loyalty to the United States is a distant second to his loyalty to this administration, to his political party and to his dear leader, George W. Bush.

And just today Senator Roberts struck again and said the Intelligence Committee will not investigate the President's warrantless spying on Americans. Why bother investigating if the President is in clear breach of a federal law?

These are the same Republicans who had the audacity to pretend they cared about the rule of law when Bill Clinton was President. That was when we heard so much about how the law must be enforced, even if it is a matter regarding a private affair. I suppose it shoud come as no surprise that the people who were willing to so grossly violate the President's privacy (when it was not their President), now have no problems violating your privacy.

Even stalwart conservative pundit George Will believes the administration is in clear violation of the FISA law. Some Republican Senators pretend to agree so that they can appear moderate. But when the vote actually came today, they voted in lock step as the Republican Guard -- the party must be protected at all costs.

As if all of this weren't bad enough, a score of retired senior military officers had to plead with Congress this week to launch an investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib. They think it has done untold damage to our reputation, our honor and to the safety and well-being of our soldiers.

The men asking for this investigation aren't so-called liberals, they're not from the United Nations, they're not French, they're not from the Red Cross. They are the leaders of the troops that the President pretends to care so much about. Here are their names:

Rear Adm. John Hutson, Navy Judge Advocate General from 1997 to 2000; Brig. Gen. David Brahms, Marine Corps senior legal adviser from 1983 to 1988; Brig. Gen. James Cullen, former chief judge of the Army Court of Criminal Appeals; Maj. Gen. John Fugh, former Judge Advocate General of the Army; Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, currently a consultant in international security; Vice Adm. Lee Gunn, Inspector General of the Department of the Navy until his retirement in August 2000; Gen. Joseph Hoar, a former commander of U.S. Central Command; Brig. Gen. Richard Omeara, who served in the Army's Judge Advocate General Corps.

Can you believe that this Congress has never done an independent investigation to determine what led to the horrific abuses at Abu Ghraib? The President assured us that what happened in that prison in Iraq was un-American - and then proceeded to actively lobby for torture when Congress tried to pass an anti-torture bill. He even threatened to veto a whole defense bill if Congress didn't allow him to torture. This is not an exaggeration. This is literal. What has this country come to?

Then, when he lost, he used a "signing statement" to declare that he didn't have to follow the law anyway and that he could continue to order US intelligence operatives to torture detainees. Anybody who still supports this administration after these actions is simply not a decent human being. You don't believe me, then look at the results. Look at these pictures from Abu Ghraib and tell me a decent person would argue in favor of this:

New Abu Ghraib Pictures.

90% of the people in these pictures were innocent and were released right after the story broke in the press.

I remember another Republican Guard who supported another leader who sanctioned very similar abuses at this same prison. Is this what we have stooped to?

In 2006, I don't want to hear anyone telling me about how their particular Congressman or Senator isn't that bad. Yes, they're outraged by Congress in general, but their guy is pretty moderate people will claim. Really, has your Republican Congressman or Senator demanded an investigation into Abu Ghraib? None of them have. Because they are the Republican Guard!

Their job isn't to look out for you or our country or our soldiers in Iraq who are bombarded daily as a consequence of these actions. No, the only thing they care about is protecting their supreme leader, George W. Bush.

Anyone who keeps these guys in power, full well knowing what they have allowed in our name, sickens me. Enough of passing the buck. The final responsibility is on us, the people of the United States of America. If we do not remove the people responsible for these acts of barbarism from power, then we are just as guilty as the people who did the horrible things you see in these pictures.

Can you live with that?

Calling them the Republican Guard... I love it. Perfect. More than perfect.

[bluerum]

1. Good post. The buck stops here. eom.