no doubt there will be a huge divisive fight in the country if there is an investigation and charges are brought

it will be painful and a bitter pill to swallow but you have to do it

kind of like chemotherapy — to help you get rid of cancer

Mr. Holder,

Please do the right thing. Appoint an independent prosecutor. It will be hugely cathartic for the whole country if not the whole world. You know how they say that the American Public is always 2 steps ahead of DC? This is absolutely true in this case. We know what they did, and we know it was wrong. You shouldn’t be surprised that no one will be surprised by the evidence. Now it’s up to you to lay down the consequences.

If you want to wait until after a Healthcare Reform gets passed, that’s ok. I would rather not jeopardize something so crucial, and besides the evidence will still be there come winter. You should take advantage of the extra time to piece together a bullet proof plan of action. But after that, it’s your show. Do your job and bring justice back to America.

Thank you.

Senator McCain asked: “What’s going to be the positive result from airing out and ventilating details of what we already knew took place and should never have? And we are committed to making sure it never happens again.” The only manner in which we can prevent such abuses of power from ever happening again is to hold accountable those who conceived of, implemented, and justified these nefarious, illegal policies.

The issue here is not political, but the “Rule of Law.” The “privilege” of individuals can not be allowed to circumvent or subvert laws, without checks or balances. By holding officials accountable for the abuses of power, and systematic subversion of the Constitution they swore to “protect, preserve and defend,” those who committed these crimes will be exposed, and a strong message sent to future administrations that such acts can and will not be tolerated. It can show that America is serious about its values, principles, ideals, and the rule of law and that it holds itself accountable for transgressions against same.

We prosecuted and punished officials, judges, commanders and soldiers of the Third Reich and executed Japanese soldiers who water-boarded Allied POW’s. The precedent has been set, by us, that there should and needs to be accountability. If we are to regain our credibility as a nation, claiming to be the leader of the “free” world, then we must set the same example and hold the same standards by which we’ve judged others, for ourselves.

The media are pushing Repub propaganda about investigations into Bush war crimes as further “endangering troops” and “endangering Obama’s domestic agenda.” The troops are in danger of losing their lives because they are deployed to war zones. If the US does not want its troops in danger, don’t start wars of aggression against countries that never attacked America nor selectively invade countries with so-called ties to groups or persons supposedly associated with 9/11. 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi nationals, but the US did not invade Saudi Arabia. Osama bin Laden’s family is from one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia, but the US did not carry out any “surgical strikes” against any bin Laden family compounds in Saudi Arabia, nor has the US sought out and prosecuted any of the Saudi Royal family for their ties to funding terrorism. As for Obama’s domestic agenda, to say that investigating US war crimes and bringing those responsible for those crimes to justice is a “distraction” to the President’s domestic goals is not only morally corrupt, it is downright sociopathic.

You’ve been doing great work. Thank you very much Andy Worthington.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00002441—-000-.html

“(a) Offense.” Whoever, whether inside or outside the United States, commits a war crime, in any of the circumstances described in subsection (b), shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for life or any term of years, or both, and if death results to the victim, shall also be subject to the penalty of death.”

“(A) Torture.” The act of a person who commits, or conspires or attempts to commit, an act specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another person within his custody or physical control for the purpose of obtaining information or a confession, punishment, intimidation, coercion, or any reason based on discrimination of any kind.

(B) Cruel or inhuman treatment.” The act of a person who commits, or conspires or attempts to commit, an act intended to inflict severe or serious physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions), including serious physical abuse, upon another within his custody or control.”

Enforce the law or be complicit, Mr. Holder.

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/confess/

There has to be an US answer to the atrocities of the Bush/Cheney administration. They happened, they are now global knowledge and the world will not forget. If the US fails to acknowledge its own violations of international (and domestic) law and binding treaties, it loses all credibility concerning preaching others about their responsibilities. Not only torture, but the illegal, unnecessary Iraq war has to be probed also. It is about your legitimacy as a modern liberal democracy and as a nation of laws.