Poll: Most Americans want inquiry into whether war on terror tactics broke the law

[babylonsister]

Poll: Most want inquiry into anti-terror tactics

By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY


WASHINGTON — Even as Americans struggle with two wars and an economy in tatters, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds majorities in favor of investigating some of the thorniest unfinished business from the Bush administration: Whether its tactics in the "war on terror" broke the law.

Close to two-thirds of those surveyed said there should be investigations into allegations that the Bush team used torture to interrogate terrorism suspects and its program of wiretapping U.S. citizens without getting warrants. Almost four in 10 favor criminal investigations and about a quarter want investigations without criminal charges. One-third said they want nothing to be done.

Even more people want action on alleged attempts by the Bush team to use the Justice Department for political purposes. Four in 10 favored a criminal probe, three in 10 an independent panel, and 25% neither.

The ACLU and other groups are pressing for inquiries into whether the Bush administration violated U.S. and international bans on torture and the constitutional right to privacy. House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and his Senate counterpart, Patrick Leahy, have proposed commissions to investigate.


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http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-02-11-investigation-poll_N.htm

[ixion]

1. I think it's patently obvious that it broke the hell out of the law and our constitution

so, no need to waste money investigating. The documentation/evidence is there.

Time to indict.

[Enthusiast]

2. They hid much of the evidence

that could convict them. Also they can continue to claim much of the evidence is protected. That said, I'm all for an investigation. I guess the Republican theory was they would disregard the law so thoroughly that it would take years to sort it all out. It's a mountain of malfeasance. There are so many problems to deal with now, not the least of which is two fucking fucked up fucking wars that W started to enrich his cronies.

[groovedaddy]

3. This poll seems to fly in the face of the argument that it's not politically prudent to pursue

such an investigation. That, plus there is that old fashioned notion of JUSTICE!!!

[KharmaTrain]

4. File This Under: Blowback

When Nixon resigned, all he had hanging over his head was the residuals of Watergate. While there were crimes and criminals who slipped through the need to "heal", also there were few real lasting effects of Nixon's criminality, where that isn't the case with this regime.

Right now there are few families that haven't been affected negatively by GOOP rule...and they're still feeling it. The anger is still building as well as the truth of the corruption of the past 8 years starts to leak out...Wall Street is just the first stop with many others still out there.

Now the GOOP can overplay their hands...play WATB and hope to distract from the real problems and crimes, but the more they do, the angrier people are getting.

Persistence is the game here. Our representatives need to keep hearing how pissed we are and demand accountability from ALL in the booosh regime who broke laws or abused power.

[babylonsister]

5. I hope this gets a lot of play; if so many Americans are in favor

of pursuing what the * admin has wrought, I hope it can't be ignored.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. The problem being that many of the "investigators" in congress were complicit in the crimes.

Our congress became very adept at looking the other way while the crimes were occurring and are unlikely to probe into their complicity in them.

[babylonsister]

7. Maybe that's why Collins pulled the whistleblower protection from

the stimulus pkg. :think: It's all becoming clearer to me.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. I'm hoping that the press will pursue the criminals and force trials.

It's all too easy for the politicians to cover their own tracks under the cover of "bi-partisanship" and "moving he country forward."

Any investigation should be about the crimes committed, who committed them, and justice....not politics or which brand of politician should get a pass.