The 'W.' Stands for 'War Criminal' by Nat Hentoff

[kpete]

The 'W.' Stands for 'War Criminal' by Nat Hentoff

The 'W.' Stands for 'War Criminal'
The House and a shot not yet heard 'round the world
by Nat Hentoff
June 24th, 2008 12:00 AM


In a June 6 letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey—largely ignored by a press immersed in the future of Hillary Clinton—56 Democrats in the House of Representatives asked for "an immediate investigation with the appointment of a special counsel to determine whether actions taken by the President, his Cabinet, and other Administration officials are in violation of the War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. 2441) . . . and other U.S. and international laws."

..................

The administration lawyers, whom Conyers is also going after, designed those Guantánamo military commissions after advising Bush that the prisoners were not entitled to the protections of habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions—and didn't have to be tried in our federal courts.

In Beyond the Law, Paust says of these lawyers (most of them graduates of our premier law schools): "Not since the Nazi era have so many lawyers been so clearly involved in international crimes concerning the treatment and interrogation of persons detained during war. . . . Such a direct role in a process of denial of protections under the laws of war (and our Constitution) is far more serious than the loss of honor and integrity to (presidential) power. It can form the basis for a lawyer's civil and criminal responsibility. . . .

...................

"(These were lawyers) . . . directly advising how to deny protections in the future (denials of such protections are violations of the laws of war and war crimes)." And dig this: The administration lawyers advised the president how to take "actions that allegedly would avoid the restraints of various criminal statutes and their reach to the President and others with respect to future conduct," and especially with respect to the planned "coercive" interrogation tactics authorized by George W. Bush. (Emphasis added).

more at:
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0826,the-w-stands-for,478462,4.html/2

[Elidor]

1. When Obama gets to the White House

It will be very handy for his AG to have the files on all the investigations Mr. Conyers has conducted. A lot of the heavy lifting is being done ahead of time. I pray the Obama Justice Department puts it all to good use, because it's clear that nothing of a prosecutorial nature will be done before then.