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Maddow: Why Won't Obama Pursue War Crimes Investigations?

Posted by Jason Linkins, Huffington Post at 12:34 PM on November 25, 2008.


Rachel Maddow and Dahlia Lithwick discuss Obama, war crimes, and torture.

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On last night's Rachel Maddow show, Maddow engaged Slate's Dahlia Lithwick in a discussion on how Barack Obama might tend to some of the more morally troubling aspects of the outgoing Bush administration -- issues like torture and detention and rendition. Initially, Lithwick says, she was optimistic that an Obama administration would follow through on promises to close Gitmo and bring a halt to the practice of torture. But there's been some hedging.

"I've been waiting for war crimes tribunals to get sexy," Lithwick quipped,. "For folks like me, who have been covering Padilla and covering Moussaoui, covering Gitmo, covering waterboarding for years, we were waiting for this moment for [Obama] to say, as he said, days after the election...we're closing Guantanamo...and within hours, they kind of pulled back on it a little bit." Lithwick noted that the camp is taking a "turn the page" line on potential prosecutions, that it wasn't a matter the Obama team "wanted to expend capital on." "My feeling is," Lithwick said, "if you don't want to expend capital on war crimes, what do you want to spend it on?"

I've long been a fan of Lithwick's, and my heart on the matter is very much in alignment with hers -- torturers should be punished. Abrogations of legal rights must not be tolerated. Nevertheless, I get the distinct impression that the Obama camp has always been of the mind that they could either jump out on January 20, 2009 and start repairing the damage of the Bush administration or set out on a broad campaign of investigations and hearings to elucidate and punish wrongdoing, but that they could not do both, and so were going to follow the former path.

Moreover, while I feel pretty strongly about loudly holding Obama to his promise to end these evil practices and close Guantanamo Bay, I don't recall the campaign promising anything about prosecutions or war crimes tribunals. There's always been a strong, undercurrent theme of reconciliation in Obama's rhetoric. On balance, I'm satisfied with reconciliation playing a part in future governance, but as someone who's long been convinced that the nation was dragged into a moral cesspool by men like David Addington and John Yoo, I'll admit it's a bitter pill.

Lithwick is more bullish on the choice of Eric Holder as Attorney General. "He's been a lifer at Justice, he really cares about the Department. I think it broke his heart, what happened to the Department under Alberto Gonzales, and I have the sense that he's going to fight the good fight."

Urge Obama to close Gitmo, ban torture, and end unconstitutional military commissions.

Digg!

Tagged as: torture, war crimes, george bush, barack obama

Jason Linkins is an associate editor at the Huffington Post, based in Washington, DC.


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the country is in no mood... no Democrats are guilty too.
Posted by: Lauren on Nov 25, 2008 1:07 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I don't believe it for a minute.

The real reason, and as journalists they should be talking about it, is not that there is still any real resistance from the Republicans. Oh no! It is because the Democrats are so heavily involved too.

I don't know about Rachel anymore. She used to be real good then she stuck up for Lieberman. Now this. She underhandedly props up the conservatives in moments when they deserve to totally fall flat.

If we are going to discuss corruption in government, the whole idea the Democratic party is not a gang of war criminals has got to be disabused. Rachel was not being honest about it by omission, IMO.

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Ladies
Posted by: Lauren on Nov 25, 2008 1:24 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The country is in the mood.

Prosecute George W. Bush For Murder

It is your employer who is not in the mood to look into the crimes they are so heavily involved in. Do not spin lies into a false and painted truth!

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» RE: Ladies Posted by: Lauren
» RE: Ladies Posted by: weathered
Ten Reasons to Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney
Posted by: Lauren on Nov 25, 2008 1:26 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
HE ONLY HAS TWO HANDS
Posted by: VZEQICVA on Nov 25, 2008 2:02 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The economy is the most important problem facing Obama. Anything that Bush and his friends and his father's friends did wrong will still be wrong when the time comes to take action. I'd love nothing more than to see them all in the slammer, but some poor guy in Michigan about to lose his job and his house doesn't see it that way. Until we get to it he can still be prosecuted by any number of foreign countries. Wouldn't that be nice. ANNA

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» RE: HE ONLY HAS TWO HANDS Posted by: Lauren
Rachel doesn't seem to be as with it as she seems
Posted by: DCostello2 on Nov 25, 2008 2:25 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I am fortunate enough to live in western MA and lived there during the time when Rachel was the morning DJ on my local radio station - shout out for WRSI. When I first arrived there and started listening to her show, it was like a breath of fresh air - someone who seems to get it. A true progressive - there aren't as many as you think. Having a "D" as your party affiliation doesn't make you progressive. In fact, it's a good sign that you're probably NOT.

Now, several years later, as well as a corporate contract later, Rachel doesn't seem to get it any more. She's getting very close to being a "D" that basically just points out how bad the "R"s are just to prove how good the "D"s are. The thing is, the "D"s are not much better than the "R"s. Obama is a "D". Don't expect him to act like a progressive. Expect him to pretty much act like an "R", the parties are almost identical anyway.

Personally, I expect Obama to continue along with most of what the Bush folks have done but not as 'in your face' as they have. If anything, that's the difference between the "D"s and the "R"s. The "D"s will smile in your face and distract you with feel good crap while they stab you in the back and rape your women. The "R"s will do it to your face and not care.

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People Projected What They Wanted to See on Obama and His Message of Change
Posted by: rfrancis@godisdead.com on Nov 25, 2008 4:32 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The fact is he never would have won if the rich didn't want him to.

They knew then and know who they are getting as President, it is the little people who never got it and who still don't get it.

Obama will not bring dramatic change or even moderate change.

If you want change, work on changing your own life, the time will be better spent and more productive.

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not an either/or propositon...
Posted by: undrgrndgirl on Nov 25, 2008 4:58 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"...[obamaco]could either jump out...and start repairing the damage of the Bush administration or set out on a broad campaign of investigations and hearings to elucidate and punish wrongdoing, but that they could not do both..." (emphasis mine)


BULLSHIT - repairing the damage of bu$co begins with prosecuting and punishing the wrongdoers.

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Rachel speaks insensitively and rudely about males in stilettos and another's traditional clothing.
Posted by: retlif01 on Nov 25, 2008 7:02 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Mocking an "Awkward costume" of George Bush in a poncho, and the image of Mike Huckabee in stilettos.

Can Alternet not find the similarity between gay bashing or racism with mocking males in stilettos or ponchos?!? While Rachel was probably not trying to be racist or homophobic, such mockery should be disapproved of.

Sincerely,
Aouie

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» Well then HEIL Palin !!!! Posted by: godsbreath64
Freed War Criminals Can Return to Haunt You
Posted by: jbpaz on Nov 26, 2008 1:54 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
After WWII, the Allies allowed 153,000 concentration camp workers to go home without penalty. Since then Germany leads Europe in human rights abuses.
Similarly, Obama ignores the tens of thousands of American war criminals. Rendition, torture and murder assume the back burner.
The perpetrators may return to power. They won't forget the Patriot and Military Commissions Acts. One million undesirables remain on the no fly list as targets the biggest being Obama himself.

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Tying the Hands of the Torturers?
Posted by: writerman on Nov 26, 2008 2:02 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Precedent is precisely why American officials never have been and will not be prosecuted for warcrimes and other international crimes against humanity.

To do so would undermine and restrict American options in future wars and conflicts, and the military and the politicians don't want this. If they saw that they risked jail for their crimes and actions, they might think twice about committing them in the first place, and that is unacceptable. The establishment wants the freedom to break international law with total impunity and nothing less.

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Cost of automatic pardons
Posted by: mpulier on Nov 26, 2008 6:00 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Like the Big Lie that is routinely accepted as truth, Big Crime routinely is pardoned.

While this may result from conspiracy or fear of having one's own crimes exposed, a common reason for governments letting bygones go by is simply short-sighted expediency.

Reconciliation, getting on with "more important business", avoiding more trouble, moving-on are the short-term rationale... but the long-term cost is far too high: war criminals continue to operate with impunity, ex-heads of state enjoy luxurious exile, and people at the pinnacles of power feel personally invulnerable.

The vaunted periodic "throw the bums out" cleansing process of democratic elections is vitiated when the bums continue pulling strings behind the scenes and regularly stage comebacks. This is why so many people see no essential difference between Democrats and Republicans... as if only the facade is changed by elections.

Whatever Obama was as a young man, he is now willy-nilly a politician: less a leader and more an exploiter of and servant to his immediate sources of power. Therefore, to the extent that public opinion is an important source of his power, public outcry could actually enable his administration to apply justice effectively.

If We The People refuse to accept a "reconciliation" ritual and call for justice, Obama's administration will be empowered to prosecute event the topmost war criminals, torturers, abusers of public trust, war profiteers and felonious white collar opportunists that even now continue to wreak costly damage on our nation economically, militarily, diplomatically and morally.

Forgiveness and reconciliation can be genuine and constructive only after the extent of the misdeeds is exposed and those responsible are identified and brought at least to the brink of appropriate personal consequence.

The order of repair should be: first investigate, then indict, prosecute, judge, sentence, and only then commute or pardon. While a reasonable pardon may be, ultimately, expedient or whatever, jumping the process and granting de facto blanket universal automatic pardons ultimately harms society.

Now is the time to open the abscess and let out the pus. We face no bloodletting, "reign of terror", mob rule or resurrection of the guillotine... instead we have excellent "due process" mechanisms. So let's not get ahead of ourselves and rush into pretending to forgive and forget. A lot of work needs to be done before it's time for opinion leaders to start urging putting the brakes on justice or tempering it with mercy.

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I RATE THIS LAST COMMENT A 5
Posted by: wellaware lec on Nov 26, 2008 7:12 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
AND CAN'T MAKE THE RATING CLICK RECORD IT...SO HERE IT IS.

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What do you not understand about Accountability?
Posted by: common intelligence on Nov 26, 2008 10:19 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
All the congressional committees have already done all the investigations.

They all know the war crimes.
100's of thousands of innocent people have died because of a plethora of known reasons.

Livelihoods ruined, destroyed, nations literally in ruins., complete industries bombed to smithereens, 100's of thousands crippled for life. Families completely shattered. Agony, pain, despair. Millions homeless & destitute unfathomable hunger and starvation, whole biological environments uninhabitable and wildlife decimated.
radioactive weapons of mass destruction unleashed upon generations to come.

All this by George W. BUSH


Now what do you all not understand?

They all know how the Constitution has been trashed.

They all know actions implemented under BUSH the "Decider's" watch (or should we say "not watching" have compromised national security. That being the economic stability of the country has purposely neglected in order to maintain and push forth middle east empire building. That alone point to ill qualification to even be in a "management position. Any Corporation in the world would have fired the bastard long ago for destroying the country.
But even as Michael Moore warned the whole nation years ago people refuse to recognize the critics that fore told of the how Bush's policies were bound to lead to these consequences.

Until 911 is opened and reinvestigated, and even brought people accountable whom were negligent on their watch. There can never be any trust in this government again.

NO other President in the history of this nation has ever been allowed to get away with so much.
In comparison to Nixon and not even Clinton, Bush is unparalleled in Impeachable offenses.

But senators and congressmen in collusion with the NeoCon machine and corporate financiers guard their machine at ALL costs.
For them to be dethroned and have a national distrust of the economic system and leadership exposed as corrupt wold destroy their power base. POWER over the flow of all activity on planet earth is theirs. They will blow the world up before they give it up.

The only thing that can turn it around is the people being fully marching in unison, including our boys in uniform to weed out the system. People have the power. But the media and movie industry uses every propaganda blitz at their disposal to keep the sheeple mesmerized and divided. Because people hold on to idealistic and romantic notions that the word United States reflects this continents social continuity, they accept being exploited and accept the "Chains" (not Change) like good "Christian martyrs" belief there is redemption by suffering.
BULL SHIT.

SO Americans are subdued and fully beat each other up, accept the corruption and spin and redefinition of political wordsmithing as they
whine only left wanting more.

There can only be reconciliation and a heart warming trust and true faith in leadership when they are made accountable. Any sense of safety and security people can have in this country is nil until the perpetrators of the actions that have transpired during Bush's office are brought to justice.

IT ALL IS IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE TO REESTABLISH JUSTICE.
Does the french revolution remind you of ideas? That was a time when people had had enough.

You should all Hail the Pirates of Somalia, the only people alive that have any guts (and are pretty smart too!

You see it take desperation to light a fire under Americans asses.
How long will you tread water waiting for universal health care?

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» As long as AIPAC Posted by: weathered
Civil suit?
Posted by: westomoon on Nov 26, 2008 11:36 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was thinking as I watched this segment of Rachel's show -- as a last ditch, so that some line is drawn and some penalty exacted, could we file a class-action lawsuit -- with the American people as the class -- against the worst of the lawbreakers of the past ten years?

Even though civil suits are not as satisfying a way to address criminal actions, they are the only method that doesn't require the cooperation of government. I'm thinking of the OJ trials -- it made a difference that he was publicly declared to be guilty, even if it wasn't in a criminal prosecution.

We've proven in the past 4 years that we the people can do a good job of funding an effort we deem worthwhile. And there must surely be some illustrious lawyer who'd like to have his/her name in the history books. The only real problem I can see is jurisdiction -- would it have to be tried by the Supremes? Or by the DC District Court? Could we bring separate suits across the country?

Is this idea crazy? What I want is public drawings and quarterings -- live by the sword, die by the sword, sez I. But that doesn't look likely. Can we the people take legal action to declare what is not acceptable behavior in our country?

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Talking points memo
Posted by: Lauren on Nov 26, 2008 12:20 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Report: Some Obama Advisers Worried About Message Keeping Gates Would Send

Gates discussion in the comments worth reading. Here is some I lifted,

what's the sentiment like in defense industry circles?

Posted by Greg Sargent in reply to a comment from ClosetLuddite
November 26, 2008 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink


They're depressed by the pick. Gates (and his undersecretary, John Young) have been fierce critics of the most bloated and expensive weapons programs. Politico quoted one anonymous defense analyst yesterday: "the defense industry would like to see the entire Bush team move on."

I'll have a full post on this up in the next hour or so. But the bottom line is that, ironically, keeping Gates is an enormous blow against the status quo.

Gates is a traitor and war criminal. He was a co-conspirator in the Iran-contra episode (he advocating bombing Nicaragua) and part of the original "October surprise," when he met with Iranians officials to arrange holding the hostages until after Reagan was elected.This from the American Conservative: http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/11/26/gatesgate/

As a former CIA director, he is in a class with Bush Sr. and Tenet, neither of whom should be wandering around as free men.

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The Law of the Land,Has been neglected
Posted by: topview on Nov 26, 2008 12:48 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When Pelosi lied to the Chief Justice of the Supreme court and swore to Defend the Constitution, she let herself be a party to the crimes she ignored.
When she has to go before The chief Justice again in Jan. She will be lying again.
It has been her responsibility to see the Laws of the constitution has not been broken. She broke them herself and she should not be allowed to be sworn into elected office again and should be indicted for crimes against humanity, for not impeachment of the two top leaders for the last 8 years.

We might as well tear it up and just do as we f**king well please.They are traitors and why should we let them make more laws for us to follow, when they don't follow the law themselves.
I can't see how the people in San Francisco ever re-elected her. She is a traitor and a felonious leader of the Congress of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA. They are the supreme law makers of this country and yet they treat the law with complete disrespect.
Why should the citizens respect their laws if they won't respect them at all.

By Pelosi not impeaching Bush and Cheney in her last term as speaker of the house she is guilty of treason and that is a felony, so how can they swear into office, a traitor to the United States of America?

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There is still such a thing as moral courage
Posted by: DaBear on Nov 26, 2008 1:29 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There's always been a strong, undercurrent theme of reconciliation in Obama's rhetoric. On balance, I'm satisfied with reconciliation playing a part in future governance, ...I'll admit it's a bitter pill.

Then have the courage to spit it out and NOT accept reconciliation when it's being sold as a cover for intentional criminal negligence.

God dammit, progressives, get a god damned spine. Just because you voted for Obama (in some bizarre belief system I have yet to comprehend) doesn't mean you cannot disagree. Even Tim Wise is making a mockery of progressive principles and progressive-liberal ethics. Stop drinking the water you pissed in!

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Forgive and forget my ass
Posted by: willymack on Nov 26, 2008 6:01 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We're talking about CAPITAL CRIMES here, folks. Having full knowlege of those crimes and giving the criminals a pass is a felony in itself-accessory after the fact-if you will. If we have to decimate both houses of Congress as well as the bushie bastards to set things right, so be it; it simply MUST be done if we're to call ourselves law-abiding citizens.

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Israel's gifts to America
Posted by: weathered on Nov 27, 2008 7:51 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
acrimony, angst and a inexhaustable supply of selfish and manipulating deceit - all very carefully wrapped up in the phony and fraudulent energy of a hollywood production.

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