YOO Confesses: Torture "Policy Choices Made By President Bush"

[kpete]

Closing Arguments: Finally, an end to Justice Dept. investigation

By John Yoo

Inquirer Columnist

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

(REVEALING SNIPPET)

The Justice Department's internal ethics watchdog, known as the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), has waged a witch-hunt against Bush administration lawyers who developed policies to protect the nation after Sept. 11. OPR lawyers -- and the Obama administration -- disagreed with the policy choices made by President Bush on the detention and interrogation of terrorists. But instead of arguing against those policies honestly and openly, they decided to fight them under the pretext of a cooked-up ethics investigation.

.........

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20100228_Closing_Arguments__Finally__an_end_to_Justice_Dept__investigation.html
via:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/3/3/842320/-A-War-Criminal-Confesses:-Bush-Authorized-Torture

[gateley]

1. Bush/Cheney -- no diff. nt

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Smirk." - xCommander AWOL (R)

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Sneer." - xVP Dickie 'Five-Military-Deferments' Cheney (R)

"Torture is a Republicon Chickenhawky kind of thing. Sneer."

- xVP Dickie 'Five-Military-Deferments' Cheney (R)

[eleny]

4. Yoo, grabbing W by the ankle to pull him under the bus with him

[Solly Mack]

5. Torture is a crime not a fucking "policy" choice

By labeling crimes as just a matter of "policy" people enable the narrative that it was all just a matter of governing styles and differences...and not the crimes they actually were.

It allows the guilty and the complicit to pretend war crimes/crimes against humanity didn't take place....just "policy" differences.


Which ought to give thinking people pause...because if torturing people is just what happens when 2 different presidents have "policy" differences then there is absolutely nothing to prevent it from happening again and again and again...


Never let anyone get away with calling torture (and the rest) a "policy" difference.....because they're just trying to cover up the truth when they do...

[EFerrari]

7. Exactly, or as Margolis called it, "a disagreement".

[Solly Mack]

9. The innocuous language is contagious and dangerous - it hides grievous crimes...

and since good people can disagree (as the saying goes), many people will stop listening once they hear "policy difference"...since politics is all about having "policy differences", and gee, isn't that just part of a healthy democracy?

It becomes normal..torture...just a healthy part of democracy....and golly, the torture "debate" was just further proof of what a great democracy we have...

Sickening.

[Peace Patriot]

10. Solly Mack, your perception of this matter is truly brilliant! Thank you! nt

[sabra]

6. Cheney confessed last week for authorizing waterboarding...

and what has happened since he confessed to this war crime? <crickets>

[Supersedeas]

8. Yoo does have the guts to pull no punches and to name names--meanwhile the accessories after the

fact seem to be sitting on their hands.

[Blue Owl]

11. So the Decider made the decision, did he?

Off to the Hague with him!

[Soylent Brice]

12. so... can we prosecute NOW?

:shrug:

[Echo In Light]

13. This is America. How DARE you suggest such a thing!

:sarcasm:

[jonathon]

14. Okay. So, can we try him now?

I won't hold my breath.