Dick Cheney on FOX "News" Sunday

I cannot watch three seconds of this man speaking, without feeling a combination of hatred, fear, loathing, discomfort, revulsion, queasiness and rage. He's a hideous, horrible man. No candy coating from me. Dick Cheney is VILE.

By the way, the apparent talking point du jour from the right wing, is that the whole issue of torture has already been settled by "career prosecutors." Heard it from Dick, Liz and William Kristol. Same exact wording. Who issues these talking points?

David Ippolito's Resolution

David Ippolito, "That Guitar Man from Central Park" is best known for snarky tunes like Tom Cruise Scares Me. But this tune, which skews a little more toward rock and hip-hop than his usual folky style, targets the very serious subject of torture. And it takes George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (plus the rest of the sorry Bush Administration) to task for their part in it. And for you folks who think that liberals don't hold our own accountable, Ippolito does not spare President Barack Obama for his reluctance to do something about it either.

Anyway, despite the serious subject matter, the video is entertaining, and Ippolito is--let's face it--easy on the eyes, and ears. So, enjoy.



And a blast from the (thankfully past): They Don't Know Palin

Bush Era Lawyer Yoo Must Testify in Padilla Case

Photo from source, Raw Story

I never dreamed after Democrats swept both houses of Congress and the Presidency that it would be so hard to put a Bush Administration member in the courtroom. Good god, how much more of a "perfect storm" do you need? I still don't get it. We know they did wrong, everybody knows it. Even Republicans know it, they just don't care.

I still don't know what the downside would be if the Democrats stepped up their game. Their base would finally be satisfied, the 25%ers who still think George W. Bush was great at presidentin' will never be on their side anyway. And the oh-so-important middle? They were the ones who made sure that the Democrats got elected this time in the first place, because they were sick of the power grabbing and reality-spinning. Right? Am I missing something here?

Well, it looks like one of them is going to have a day in court, at any rate.

[Excerpt]

Ex-Bush attorney Yoo ordered to testify in Padllia case

Former Bush administration attorney John Yoo was ordered on Friday by a federal judge in San Francisco to testify in an appeal brought by Jose Padilla, an American citizen who was held for more than three years and allegedly tortured while in U.S. military custody. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Hat-tip to Stupid Monkey Planet

CNN Almost Gets Torture News Right

I found this video at AmericaBlog, and while I try not to use the same source more than once in a given day, this one is too good not to post. The most outspoken person in this video, David Waldman, did an amazing thing. He almost cracked through the usual cable news tripe, and talked about the real issues.

I say almost, because even though he got to say a whole lot, none of the other three people--who all seemed to be in opposition to him--were backing him up. Whoever the woman in the upper left was needs to just never go on a news show again. "The American people aren't interested?" The Bush Administration is over, so we're supposed to sweep everything under the rug? A nation that once urgently needed to go after a president who committed the horrific crime of lying about sex, now doesn't care about torture, war crimes, and being lied into war?

What kind of thinking is this? What will people allow the current or future presidents to get away with? I will cop to a strong desire to see Bush Era people get some justice, but it isn't out of the blue. It isn't some sort of pre-existing hatred for Republicans, like the people who hated Barack Obama (and Bill Clinton before him) before he'd even taken office. I, like much of America, cut Bush slack early on. And even while he was becoming a punchline in his first year, we all gave him a ton of rope after 9/11. It wasn't until things started to seem out of whack, and when Republicans began acting all dictatorial that I started acquiring "Bush Derangement Syndrome." I came by it quite honestly.

So, no, this is no vendetta. This is about history, the present and the future. This is about not setting a precedent that lets future presidents get away with absolutely anything they want--which ignoring this issue would surely do. This is about the rule of law. And we as Americans are supposed to be a nation of laws, not men, right?

I've wandered a bit afield of the video, I suppose, but not too far. This DailyKos reporter/blogger, Waldman, is the only one making sense in this video. He's the only one pointing out the sideshow of Nancy Pelosi for what it is. And while we don't get to see if anything more happened after the end of the clip, it would appear that the host was ineffectual too. Waldman was very close to cracking through, but the host pretty much waves him away. Too bad.



Found at: AmericaBlog

Bush Era Torture: All Nancy Pelosi's Fault?

Sorta took the day off from blogging until now, so sorry for the lack of posts. I wasn't sure I was getting Friday off, so when I did, I took advantage of it.

That said, I did have the time to check out a little cable news today. I caught much of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' press conference. And I was dismayed to hear the umpteenth "we're looking forward" excuse for why the White House won't push torture investigations. It's lame, but I sort of get it.

It's kind of like how a President can't say that he's an atheist or an agnostic, or basically just isn't too concerned with religion. Or how President Obama (and during the primary, Hillary Clinton) have to pretend that they are against same-sex marriage. It's political expediency, nothing more. But it kind of sucks.

The big news story of the day seems to be Nancy Pelosi, what did she know, and when did she know it. This isn't a real story as far as I'm concerned. It is a Republican-planted shiny thing to move the press' focus from the actual Bush Era torture story. And--big surprise--the press went for it. I even heard an MSNBC commentator saying that the question is, if Pelosi knew, why didn't she speak out at the time? Which is utter B.S., because we've known for some time now that those meetings are classified, and that briefed Congress members were barred from talking about them.

Anyway, it looks like there are some members of the press seeing through it.

Karl Rove to Be Questioned by Prosecutors

Image from source, RawStory

I hope these prosecutors live up to their title. Prosecute!!!

[Excerpt]

Rove to be questioned by prosecutors on US attorney scandal

Karl Rove, former political adviser to George W. Bush, will be interviewed Friday by prosecutors as part of an ongoing investigation into the politically motivated firing of U.S. attorneys during the Bush administration.

“He will be questioned tomorrow by Connecticut prosecutor Nora R. Dannehy, who was named last year to examine whether any former senior Justice Department and White House officials lied or obstructed justice in connection with the dismissal of federal prosecutors in 2006,” reported The Washington Post. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Rachel Maddow's Torture Timeline

(Editor's Note: I'm aware that I've used quite a few Rachel Maddow Show and Countdown with Keith Olbermann clips. There's just been a lot of good stuff there lately.)

Each of us has a subject in the news that makes our eyes glaze over. I have two, the economy and Afghanistan. I know they're vitally important, but have a severe concentration problem whenever either story is in the news. I try, but I usually fail to pay attention. For The Other Half, it's Bush Era torture. To him, it all sounds the same, and he can't get into it.

I, on the other hand, am deeply enmeshed and interested in the subject. But I understand that it can be difficult to follow. If you've been wanting to figure out just what the rub is, but have had that eye-glazing problem, here is the perfect solution. Rachel Maddow has put together a timeline of all the relevent information that we know so far. It's a great primer.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Maddow & Turley on Torture Photos

President Obama reversed himself, and now will attempt to block the release of hundreds of photographs depicting "enhanced interrogation techniques." That seems bad. Since I'm no expert in this area, here are two people who know an awful lot about it: Rachel Maddow and Constitutional law professor, Jonathan Turley.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Torture Photos: Bad; Torture: Meh

Every time a GOPer like Dick Cheney gets on the teevee and talks about torture, it goes something like this. We don't torture, we've never tortured. But if we did, it's because it works! And not doing it will make us unsafe! But, er, we don't torture.

Beyond that, we'll hear ranting and raving about the Obama Administration talking about torture, threatening to investigate Bush Era torture programs, and releasing documents and photos--well, all of that is terrible, deplorable, and is making us less safe. Actual (not!) torture though, that's good, remember. I'm starting to wonder if I should ever want to understand the tortured logic of Republicans.

[Excerpt]



Conservatives Outraged Over Release Of Torture Photos, But Not Over Actual Torture

On April 23, the Obama administration announced it would release hundreds of photos of detainee interrogation, obeying a court order from a lawsuit filed by the ACLU. Predictably, conservatives furious with the Obama administration’s attempt at greater transparency denounced the move. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) wrote to President Obama asking him not to release the photos because they could inflame potential terrorists. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Did Nancy Pelosi Know All About Bush Era Torture?

Photo from source, Raw Story

Nancy Pelosi has spelled out in no uncertain terms that she was briefed that "enhanced interrogation (torture)" was deemed legal by the Bush Administration, but not that it had actually been used. Moreover, she said that she was barred from saying anything or doing anything about it by Senate rules.

But now, there are reports that she did know about it. And if she did--in my opinion--I say we let the chips fall where they may. This whole "rule of law" anti-torture thing is not a vendetta to me, a way to punish George W. Bush and his cronies. Not to me anyway. But you have to wonder if this is the reason politicians are dragging their feet on the issue.

[Excerpt]

Pelosi was briefed on waterboarding in 2002, despite saying she wasn’t: report

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on the Bush Administration’s torture techniques in 2002 — even though she’s publicly said she was never told about the use of waterboarding, according to a new report. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Jonathan Turley: Obama's Comments on Bush Era Torture

From last night's Rachel Maddow Show.

Blast from the Past: George W. Bush on War Crimes

Let's hope for one time in his life, George W. Bush was right about something. Watch. . .

2,000 Photos of Torture Abuses?

Image from source, RawStory

And the hits just keep on coming. And seemingly, the release of this information is worse than the reality that it happened, if you believe the right-wing. If we keep hearing more of this, how long can the Obama Administration stall on investigations?

[Excerpt]

Pentagon may have up to 2,000 photographs of prisoner abuse

The Pentagon will release for the first time 44 photographs depicting prisoner abuse after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) won a court ruling in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in 2004.

A "substantial number of other images" are also being processed for release, the Department of Justice wrote in a letter to a US federal court: according to the Guardian, citing an unnamed official, that "substantial number" could be as many as 2,000 photos. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Rachel Maddow Disambiguates Bush Era Torture Revelations

The economic crisis is too big for me to wrap my head around, and I'll be honest, I haven't tried very hard. That's why my blog posts about it have included very little editorializing. But when I really want to understand something, one of the best places to turn to is The Rachel Maddow Show.

Wait! Isn't that a liberal show? Yes it is. But that doesn't mean it's a screechy, partisan for the sake of it kind of show like Hannity or The O'Reilly Factor. In the following clip, Rachel breaks down the current Bush Era torture revelations story into an easy (or easier) to follow narrative. It's as disturbing as it is fascinating, and I encourage you to watch it. And as you do, try to picture any other cable news host delivering this kind of segment. I couldn't do it.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dick Cheney & Condi Rice Signed Off on Torture?

Image from source, Huffington Post

It isn't difficult to see why President Obama is having so much difficulty with the Bush Era torture revelations. As more information comes to light, what many liberals already believed to be true is being confirmed: they were all in on it. If truthful investigations were allowed, it is apparently very likely that the big guns like Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush would be in deep doo-doo.

So, even if it is all absolutely true, and these people really are stone cold guilty, President Obama would be seen (even if the office of the President is not involved) as the guy who put a whole previous administration in jail! There would be parties across the nation to rival the inauguration of course. But the fury of the right-wing noise machine would be akin to Armageddon. It's quite a kettle of fish. And it makes me wonder if that wasn't already on Bush's and Cheney's minds when they were up to all this. Like "too big to fail," are these guys "too big to punish?"

[Excerpt]

Rice, Cheney Approved Waterboarding

Then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice verbally OK'd the CIA's request to subject alleged al-Qaida terrorist Abu Zubaydah to waterboarding in July 2002, a decision memorialized a few days later in a secret memo that the Obama administration declassified last week. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Jonathan Turley: Bush Era Torture and its Remedies

I don't really agree with the title of the video below, but I enjoyed watching its contents. I am not a constitutional scholar, so it is comforting to hear a guy who is talking about this whole torture disclosure thing, with some authority. I don't think President Obama is so much setting Eric Holder up, as giving him the reigns.

Obama is Letting Bush & Co. Off the Hook. Or Is He?

I've been highly irritated with the continued buzz from the Obama Administration about letting the Bush Administration get away with torture, and other war crimes. I can't wrap my brain around it. I have theories of course. Like maybe too many Democrats would go down with the ship due to complicity or lack of action. Or maybe Obama is afraid of the right-wing noise machine.

But I have thus far been willing to cut Obama a little slack. He's a smart guy. And he knew what he was doing back in the primaries, and in the general election. Maybe this is part of a master plan that we don't quite see yet. Maybe by laying the groundwork that he himself doesn't wish to prosecute anyone from the Bush Era, he frees up the Justice Department and Congress to do it themselves, while Obama is working on the rest of his agenda? I sure hope it's something like that.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Update on the "Cheney Assassination Ring Wing"

You know, when a respected investigative reporter writes that the former Vice President of the United States was running an "assassination ring," unaccountable to anyone but himself, you'd think there'd be a bigger fuss made. So far, outside of Countdown with Keith Olbermann and the blogs, I'm unaware of much time being focused on it.

But there's finally a little more to the story, with writer Seymour Hersch amending his phrase to "assassination wing," and with former National Security Advisor John Hannah denying it. Sort of. At one point he uses the phrase "certainly true" and it sounds like he's affirming Hersch, albeit with some provisos that I didn't quite follow. See what you make of it.

Olbermann Reports on Dick Cheney's "Assassination Ring"

There is probably no one who would have trouble believing that Dick Cheney had an "executive assassination ring." The real question is, if Seymour Hersch's story checks out, will we do anything about it? And if we don't, where does that leave America, and its reputation?

Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to Testify--With Conditions

Photo from source, Think Progress

It's not all we hoped for, but it's something. Now, let's just hope that "perjury" thingy comes to pass. . .

[Excerpt]

House Judiciary Committee secures Rove, Miers testimony on U.S. Attorney scandal.

After months of ignoring congressional subpoenas to testify, Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have apparently agreed to discuss the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys with the House Judiciary Committee, the Committee announced this evening. Rove and Miers will submit transcribed depositions under penalty of perjury, and the Committee has reserved the right to have public testimony from the two former Bush aides. . .

Read more at: Think Progress