Obama and GOPers Worked Together to Kill Bush Torture Probe

[axollot]

Sit down for this rubbish.


In its first months in office, the Obama administration sought to protect Bush administration officials facing criminal investigation overseas for their involvement in establishing policies the that governed interrogations of detained terrorist suspects. A "confidential" April 17, 2009, cable sent from the US embassy in Madrid to the State Department—one of the 251,287 cables obtained by WikiLeaks—details how the Obama administration, working with Republicans, leaned on Spain to derail this potential prosecution.

The previous month, a Spanish human rights group called the Association for the Dignity of Spanish Prisoners had requested that Spain's National Court indict six former Bush officials for, as the cable describes it, "creating a legal framework that allegedly permitted torture." The six were former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; David Addington, former chief of staff and legal adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney; William Haynes, the Pentagon's former general counsel; Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense for policy; Jay Bybee, former head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel; and John Yoo, a former official in the Office of Legal Counsel. The human rights group contended that Spain had a duty to open an investigation under the nation's "universal jurisdiction" law, which permits its legal system to prosecute overseas human rights crimes involving Spanish citizens and residents. Five Guantanamo detainees, the group maintained, fit that criteria.

snip

And the MONEY QUOTE

On April 15, Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who'd recently been chairman of the Republican Party, and the US embassy's charge d'affaires met with the acting Spanish foreign minister, Angel Lossada. The Americans, according to this cable, "underscored that the prosecutions would not be understood or accepted in the US and would have an enormous impact on the bilateral relationship" between Spain and the United States. Here was a former head of the GOP and a representative of a new Democratic administration (headed by a president who had decried the Bush-Cheney administration's use of torture) jointly applying pressure on Spain to kill the investigation of the former Bush officials. Lossada replied that the independence of the Spanish judiciary had to be respected, but he added that the government would send a message to the attorney general that it did not favor prosecuting this case.


http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/12/wikileaks-cable-obama-quashed-torture-investigation

Cheers
Sandy

[zbdent]

1. Gee ... Obama's co-operation with the Republicans ...

why isn't this point being made? That Obama already is co-operating and being "bi-partisan" ... and yet the Republicans have yet to give ANYTHING back in return ...

[axollot]

2. I just realized this was a dupe post BUT while k/r the other post

mentioned what political capital did Obama gain from this? The answer we all know NOT A DAMN THING!!

:grr:

What happened? Who did they threaten? I'd like to see those cables!!

Cheers
Sandy

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. I was wondering why Spain abruptly dropped its push for the case.

So, essentially ALL the major countries are owned.
And there is no law, really, for except as will be applied against "the little people".

It is interesting watching people's minds adjust to reality.

[axollot]

4. The curtain is dropping finally on the US like it did on the USSR.

I have thought for some time that the whole thing is rigged. Clearly it is, we never had a chance.

:hug:

Cheers
Sandy

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. God, that is a chilling phrase, isn't it?

Curtain dropping.

So just all line up and wave bye bye to any illusion of democracy.

God.

:grr:

[axollot]

5. dupe

[ixion]

6. Obama has worked tirelessly to protect the neocons

and further, he has upheld many of their policies.

He's just as guilty now as they were then.

[ladjf]

11. Yes. But just tell my why? What could possibly motivate him to

act in that manner?

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. With respect, the WHY is a distraction.

Motive is not an important as behavior and actions that we see.

He did it because he did it, plain and simple.
I don't care why, I can't do anything about why, I CAN choose ( in a very limited fashion) to respond to the WHAT.

[Poboy]

16. The 'why' may matter if it were an isolated incident, but a clear and undeniable pattern

has emerged for all to see. The intent and purpose behind these actions can no longer be denied, save for the kool-aid drinkers.

[somone]

7. That article might open some eyes

but inquiring minds have suspected something like that for some time.

[axollot]

8. Well it explains why he keeps giving them everything. What everyone should

be talking about is the COUP we had in 2000. That is what it was and until we do something about the money/power etc we are f*cked.

Cheers
Sandy

[Segami]

18. These cables confirm what many have been saying all along.

from DissentingDemocrat:


<http://dissentingdemocrat.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/who-... />



Who Let the Dogs Out? Who? Who?


December 2, 2010


In today’s New York Times the following comment is reported, “Privately, Mr. Obama has described himself, at times, as essentially a Blue Dog Democrat, referring to the shrinking caucus of fiscally conservative members of the party”. (Matt Bai, Debt-busting Issue May Force Obama Off the Fence)


The Dissenting Democrat has been saying this for some time. Obama is NOT a Democrat, he is a political opportunist whose key principles are his own advancement. Now it is confirmed and reported in the nation’s newspaper of record that Obama is a Bluedog.


For the uninitiated, a Bluedog is of the lineage of the Bourbon Democrats, Dixiecrats, Boll Weevils, DINOs and the so-called New Democrats. Simply understood as a Republican who believes that they are more likely to get elected on the Democratic ticket. Nowadays, Republicans run as Democrats because their own party has been captured by Nuts, Psychos and the Christian Taliban. When you have a political party come out against Common Sense, Reason, and Science, a reasonable person will jump ship and pretend to be something else.


The midterm election results represent a nationwide repudiation of Bluedogs. Let’s face it, a voter looking to vote Republican or Democrat would prefer the “real thing” to a fake and as a consequence the Bluedogs in Congress were the big losers. If we go into 2012 with a Bluedog at the top of the ticket it will become a fiasco. The choice between a Republican and a Republican-running-as-a-Democrat is no real choice. Let’s either endorse a Real Democrat on the Democratic ticket or, if denied, a Real Democrat on a third party ticket.

We can understand why a Republican would want to claim to be a Democrat but it does serious damage to the Democratic Party nevertheless. Where do the Real Democrats go? Real Democrats can either take back their party or start a new one.

Hopefully, this confession on the part of Obama will clarify politics for the Real Democrats, they are released from their loyalty oaths to a Democrat in the White House for a very good reason: He’s NOT a Democrat.


.

[axollot]

22. Well I had hoped. But unlike the CONS can admit being caught in the moment!

The CONServatives will just deny it while I admit, I held out hope (small h). I'm very unsure about this country, which is bad because I have known this country was messed up for a very, very long time for someone my age. (40).

Cheers
Sandy

[ladjf]

10. We all knew that was going on. Just some of the details were missing.nt

[axollot]

12. True but to have it confirmed that we have no one on OUR side sucks. n/t

[emulatorloo]

13. That's pretty bad shit. Thanks for posting n/t

[gratuitous]

15. Had I wanted a Republican successor to cover up Bush's crimes

I would have voted for John McCain and Sarah Palin. I didn't, but that's what I appear to have gotten anyway.

[axollot]

17. My feelings exactly. I have felt, very early on that he was threatened -

and I don't mention it much because it sounds so conspiratorial. However, I have also come to realize that every man has a price. A price that would make him give up his values and if that price is met then they give up what they stand for. I would like to think there is no amount of money that would allow me to do the same, but since I have not been put in that position, I cannot say for sure.
I do know I hold my values very dear to my heart and feel I'd rather be dead - but of course - I have kids. Can always get to me through my children.

Cheers
Sandy
(who has FINALLY after nearly a decade on DU passed 1000 posts lol)

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. Even worse, the judge who was trying to do right has been subject to retaliation.

From Wiki:

summary: The judge tried to investigate a lot of international criminals and has been smacked down for it.
He was after Bush's gang AND Kissinger.

Baltasar Garzón Real (born 26 October 1955) was a Spanish judge seated on Spain's Central Criminal Court, the Audiencia Nacional. He was the examining magistrate of the Juzgado Central de Instrucción No. 5, which investigates the most important criminal cases in Spain, including terrorism, organised crime and money laundering.

In March 2009, Garzón considered whether Spain should allow charges to be filed against former officials from the United States government under George W. Bush for offering justifications for torture. The six former Bush officials are: Alberto Gonzales, former Attorney General; John Yoo, of the Office of Legal Counsel; Douglas Feith, former undersecretary of defense for policy; William Haynes II, former general counsel for the Department of Defense; Jay Bybee, also at Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel; and David Addington, Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff.

On 29 April 2009, Garzon opened an investigation into an alleged "systematic programme" of torture at Guantánamo Bay, following accusations by four former prisoners.
According to Andy Worthington, writing in the Huffington Post, Spanish newspaper Público reported in September 2009 that Garzón was proceeding to the next phase of his investigation.
Garzón has repeatedly expressed a desire to investigate former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in connection with a plot in the 1970s known as Operation Condor.

Garzón was indicted in April 2010 for exceeding his authority when investigating crimes committed by the Franco regime that were included in an amnesty, and suspended on 14 May 2010, pending trial.
He has been given permission to work at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for 7 months from May 2010.

Here is the Wiki link, the details of the charges against him are quite interesting, and worth the read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltasar_Garz%C3%B3n#The_Bush_Six

[treestar]

20. This is supposed to be our latest outrage?

That's enough evidence for anyone bound and determined to find something wrong!

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. And where are the Bush Six now, you may ask?

Right here:

David Addington: a controversial former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, is vice president for domestic and economic policy studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

After leaving government service in January 2009, Addington reportedly had trouble finding work, which some observers surmised was a result of the negative press he received during his tenure in Cheney’s office. According to a March 2009 New York Timesreport, Addington was one of several Bush lawyers who had difficulty landing jobs.
Still not disbarred.


Jay Bybee is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit !!!!
Still not disbarred.


Douglas Feith: best known for being called Dumbest Guy On The Planet:works for conservative think tank Hudson Institute,
lectures and writes in publications supporting his Neo-conservative view point.
Still not disbarred.


Alberto Gonzales: After famously having difficulty finding a job post Bush, he was hired by Texas Tech University System
where he acts as the diversity recruiter for both Texas Tech University and Angelo State University.<[br />Additionally, at Texas Tech, he teaches a political science "special topics" course dealing with contemporary issues in the executive branch.
He began the new job on August 1, 2009.
After the announcement, a number of professors at Texas Tech signed a petition opposing the hiring.
Still not disbarred.


William Haynes: now works as the Chief Corporate Counsel at the Chevron Corporate Office in San Ramon, California .as of April 28, 2008.
Still not disbarred.


John Yoo has been a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Law (Boalt Hall) since 1993.
He has authored two books on presidential power and the war on terrorism, as well as numerous journal and newspaper articles.
He has held the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Law at the University of Trento and has also been a visiting law professor at the Free University of Amsterdam, the University of Chicago, and Chapman University School of Law.
Since 2003, Yoo has also worked as a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Still not disbarred.


Message: CRIME PAYS

[axollot]

23. Indeed it does! Money and power are a very hard force to fight when you have

neither.

Thank you for the great comments!

Cheers
Sandy

[WhoIsNumberNone]

24. Nice going Obama

And look how generously they paid you back. Enjoy your next two years of being investigated and impeached.