Bush Era Memo Released: They Knew it Was Torture

The Decider and Darth Cheney. Image from
source, Huffington Post

Since President Obama was inaugurated, there have been rumblings from the right about impeaching him. They don't care why (as they didn't with Clinton. . .lying about a blow job?), they just want it done. They haven't gotten very far, but you can bet that if Obama wins a second term, the volume on that idea is going to go way up. Which strikes me as ungrateful, if nothing else.

Ungrateful? Yes. Because Nancy Pelosi long ago took impeachment "off the table," when it came to George W. Bush. And because President Obama declared that he would not seek to investigate the Bush Administration's potential crimes. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest got away scot-free! They took a wrecking ball to the country, and other parts of the world, and now they get to comfortably retire, with no worries about repercussions. We're talking war crimes here.

Pffft! War crimes! Why, that's just Bush Derangement Syndrome! Uh, no, it's not. Torture is a war crime, and the just released memo shows that the Bush Administration knew it was torture. Arguably, we should be pissed at the Obama Administration for insisting it won't investigate, and for not stepping cleanly away from all of the "expanded executive powers" created in the Bush Years. The story below does a good enough job pointing out those issues. I'm actually more concerned by the prospect of a future President Ryan or Cantor deciding that torture is cool again.

[Excerpt]


New Bush-Era Torture Memo Released, Raises Questions About What Has Changed And What Hasn't 

A six-year-old memo from within the George W. Bush administration that came to light this week acknowledges that White House-approved interrogation techniques amounted to "war crimes." The memo's release has called attention to what has changed since President Barack Obama took office, but it also raises questions about what hasn't. . .

Read more at: Huffignton Post