Aug 08, 2008 05:50PM GMT
Question
•
Politics - United States
Would Barack Obama prosecute the Bush Administration?
On the campaign trail in April, Barack Obama was asked whether, if elected, he would prosecute Bush administration officials for establishing torture as American policy. The candidate demurred. "If crimes have been committed, they should be investigated," he said. But he quickly added, "I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of the Republicans as a partisan witch hunt, because I think we've got too many problems to solve."People who have given advice to the Obama campaign say they see little political advantage in the candidate discussing during a general election campaign how his administration might investigate or prosecute Bush administration officials for torture. Other than the response above, prompted by a question from Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News, he has said little about his plans. But behind the scenes, a slate of foreign policy and human rights experts with various degrees of connections to the Obama campaign, some of them likely to occupy positions of authority in an Obama administration, have begun to discuss that very issue, and in great detail. What they're likely to recommend to Obama, should he become president, won't fulfill the dreams of those who've hoped for immediate criminal accountability for Bush administration officials.
While there are certainly participants in these discussions who believe that top-level administration officials deserve to be hauled before a judge, even the harshest critics of the current administration's torture policies don't think there will be an immediate effort by the next president to prosecute anyone from the Bush administration. "I don't sense the political appetite for it," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, who is involved in the informal discussions about what Obama could do about investigating torture. "I don't think the next president will do that no matter who he is."
Attorneys say successful prosecutions would be tough anyway. The Justice Department approved the abuse and Congress changed the War Crimes Act in 2006 to make prosecutions more difficult. There is also speculation that any end-of-term presidential pardons by Bush might include some of the likely torture defendants.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/08/04/obama/index.html
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raves posted Oct 29, 2008 04:44AM GMT
Answered None of the above
Obama even as President can't do this by himself. There has to be evidence presented to an Independent Council, and an investigation. If the investigation warrents a summons and a Grand Jury the procedings will go onto Court. But no one person or group of people can 'just decide' for themselves to do this. There is a process in place that must be followed. -
raves posted Aug 13, 2008 11:21PM GMT
Answered Why do we require an administration to do this? Why can't US citizens pursue this in court?
I think he's guilty of more offenses than we imagine. I would love to see some hearings which would result in prison, huge fines, or at least being stripped of his pension and Secret Service protection. -
raves posted Aug 11, 2008 09:10PM GMT
Answered Why do we require an administration to do this? Why can't US citizens pursue this in court?
All I know is I sure hope somebody prosecutes Bush and Cheney as well as other members of this corrupt administration. It would be a sad day indeed if they all got off scott-free. Bush has got to be the land lord or the absolutely most corrupt, dishonest, immoral administration that our country has ever seen. He makes Nixon and Harding (Warren G) look like innocent lambs by comparison. -
raves posted Aug 11, 2008 03:35AM GMT
Answered Most likely not. A prosecution would divide the country, which is the last thing Obama wants. I'm betting Obama is going to adopt the "let the past be the past and lets all move on" approach with this.
No it will not happen. It would divide the country. -
raves posted Aug 10, 2008 10:08PM GMT (edited)
Answered Why do we require an administration to do this? Why can't US citizens pursue this in court?
I think we need to convince Congress and the Senate that we demand that these matters be looked into and if necessary prosecuted. After the election may be wise due to too many distractions but it needs to be done sooner rather than later. How else will we ever regain any respect in the rest of the world? It would mean that a great many folks in Washngton DC would either have to find or grow a pair though. -
raves posted Aug 10, 2008 02:58PM GMT
Answered Most likely not. A prosecution would divide the country, which is the last thing Obama wants. I'm betting Obama is going to adopt the "let the past be the past and lets all move on" approach with this.
Probaly not but I sure hoping he will, crimes have been done and we need to set an example for future candidates as well anyone who serves this country that crime will not be tolerated any longer. We must get contol of these scondrells no matter what party. -
raves +1 posted Aug 09, 2008 11:48PM GMT (edited)
Answered None of the above
If Obama happens to be elected, he will stay in the background and his associates will do the punishing, if he and they decide to punish, that is. He will not risk losing his heroic image in the public's eye. He's a "fence staddler." He will stay in character and will try to take both sides or neither side, of any controversial issue.
Remember how he played it when the Rev. Wright scandal broke? Remember how he usually voted the way Hillary voted in the Senate? Remember the unusually large number of times he voted "present" instead of "yes" or "no" when difficult issues were voted on in Congress? Examine his actions. Whenever there has been a possible risk of his losing his "popular" image, he has moved to the "fence."
He is not a leader who will risk himself for the American public's best welfare! And...we need a leader who is 100% for the U.S.A., who will stand up and fight for us and our country.
The following documentary is interesting.
http://www.eyeblast.tv/public... -
raves posted Aug 09, 2008 06:11PM GMT (edited)
Answered None of the above
Obama is not about to prosecute anyone. It is he who needs to be prosecuted for his socialist/Marxists/communist/... connections.
Barack "Tire Gauge" Obama shud be prosecuted for thinking the American public is too stupid to recognize his idiocy. -
raves posted Aug 09, 2008 02:46PM GMT
Answered Most likely not. A prosecution would divide the country, which is the last thing Obama wants. I'm betting Obama is going to adopt the "let the past be the past and lets all move on" approach with this.
What the F*** kind of question is this ? Obadama will never be president ! -
raves posted Aug 09, 2008 06:51AM GMT
Answered None of the above
I don't know how likely it is that he would, but I think I would like to see him do it. It would drive a further wedge between liberals and conservatives, and given that liberals have just about destroyed what our nation once was, I think that accelerating that divide and finding out where that would lead is a better thing than continuing to slowly slip into a socialist state. I would rather see a U.S. divided into two nations than to see a liberal/socialist U.S. -
raves posted Aug 09, 2008 04:19AM GMT
Answered None of the above
it won't be a top on the list ..with the mess he is leaving behind ....but he should be punished some how for this mess he made ....that will take years to clean up ....and mccain sur as hell isn't the one do it ....amybe bush should be made clean up some of this debit ...sense him and his father have made so much money off the oil business ...that would make for a good punishment -
raves +1 posted Aug 09, 2008 02:34AM GMT
Answered None of the above
My gut instinct is to see this present administration squirming on the end of a hook, but I really don't know what will happen if Obama is the next president. The country is so divided now, maybe a prosecution will open all our eyes to the danger of a president with too much power. I'm hoping for an international court to prosecute this administration, wouldn't that be fun. -
raves posted Aug 09, 2008 12:10AM GMT (edited)
Answered None of the above
Obama will do nothing but the Judiciary Committees of both the House and Senate should prosecute anyone who broke the law and betrayed the punlic trust. And Karl Rove who defied their suponeas should be first on the list.
Good point made earlier the World Court good take actions about torture and human rights vilolations. When we allow any President to hold himself above the law and violate the constitution this is wrong and someone needs to take action to restore the Bill of Rights and due process. Americans right now can be spyed on wihtout any court order and that's got to stop.
Your phone calls, emails etc are subject to monitoring and there are not any real guidelines. -
raves posted Aug 08, 2008 11:30PM GMT
Answered Most likely not. A prosecution would divide the country, which is the last thing Obama wants. I'm betting Obama is going to adopt the "let the past be the past and lets all move on" approach with this.
He'll have enough on his hands if and when he becomes president to waste his time chasing his tail. -
Answered None of the above
The premise is just plain stupid. We do NOT torture in the conventional sense and if it saves the life of even one American to waterboard some terrorist, then I am all for it. This contrasts to Obama who would rather sing a few refrains of "Kumbya" with those who want to murder each and every one of us.