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I have been told by the radical right that Newsweek is the leftest of the left news source on the planet. Once I quoted Newsweek and that is what they told me.
Anyway, appraently it was the White House who presuaded the OPR to downgrade the accusation. So, you guys are accidentally celebrating Obama's success. How embarrassing.....
Quote:
Cohn is immediate past president of the National Lawyers Guild and a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She said today: "A prior draft of the Office of Professional Responsibility's report reportedly determined that John Yoo and Jay Bybee violated their professional obligations by writing the now infamous 2002 torture memo. After several months and likely pressure from the White House, the OPR's conclusion was downgraded to 'poor judgment,' which will not trigger potential discipline of Yoo and impeachment of Bybee. This is consistent with Obama's approach of shielding Bush officials from accountability to curry favor with Republicans." Obama Shielding Torture Memo Lawyers? -- Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA)
August 1,2002
Office of' the Deputy Assistant Attorney General
The Honorable Alberto R. Gonzales Counselto the President The White House Washington, D.C.
Dear Judge Gonzales:
You have requested the views of our Office concerning the legality, under international law, of interrogation methods to be used during the current war on terrorism. More specifically, you have asked whether interrogation methods used on captured al Qaeda operatives, which do not violate the prohibition on torture found in 18 U.S.C. § 2340-2340A, would either: a) violate our obligations under the Torture Convention,1 or b) create the basis for a prosecution under the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC).2 We believe that interrogation methods that comply with § 2340 would not violate our international obligations under the Torture Convention, because of a specific understanding attached by the United States to its instrument of ratification. We also conclude that actions taken as part of the interrogation of al Qaeda operatives cannot fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC, although it would be impossible to control the actions of a rogue prosecutor or judge. This letter summarizes our views; a memorandum opinion will follow that will more fully explain our reasoning.
http://www.justice.gov/olc/docs/memo-gonzales-aug1.pdf
Definitely not shielding... they (Obama et al) were looking specifically into whether or not there was any merit behind pursuing charges and whether there was any basis for prosecution of Bush officials.
So much for the war crimes BS coming from the Left.
This must be a monumental blow to them. I mean, they've been screeching for war crimes trials for years, never with any evidence to back up their claims.
Hopefully, this will put it to rest. Hopefully, the Left can take comfort that once again, they were wrong.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department lawyers showed "poor judgment" but did not commit professional misconduct when they authorized CIA interrogators to use waterboarding and other harsh tactics at the height of the U.S. war on terrorism, an internal review released Friday found.
So the best lawyers that Bush could get to work for the Justice Department were lawyers who used "poor judgment"?
Why couldn't he have real lawyers who demonstrated "good judgment" or even "superior judgment"?
Maybe the lawyers were coached by the administration goons on what they were supposed to recommend, huh?
I'm glad the crooked bastards are finally gone.
Shouldnt we have "good judgment", or even "superior judgment" in regards to judging those who were put in charge to defend americans from terrorists trying to kill us?
If only you upheld yourself to the same standards you want to impose upon others.. I know.. you expect more from those who represent us in the White House.. I can respect this opinion, but in the end, its just that.. just an opinion for the cop-out response thats sure to come, especially considering the "judgment", or more properly the lack of judgment, we are seeing from the current administration..
So the best lawyers that Bush could get to work for the Justice Department were lawyers who used "poor judgment"?
Why couldn't he have real lawyers who demonstrated "good judgment" or even "superior judgment"?
Maybe the lawyers were coached by the administration goons on what they were supposed to recommend, huh?
I'm glad the crooked bastards are finally gone.
Well, the whole thing it's a two-edge sword. But given the chance, I would error on the interrogations as they were done.
Back then we heard all kinds comments from the left about Homeland Security and Bush wiretapping American citizens, but once Obama took over the whining stopped. The telephone monitoring hasn't stopped, Homeland Security wants to keep a tab on all telephone conversations (even GPS tracking), and the left is as quiet as Al Gore is in relation to global warming.
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Doubtful at best.
No misconduct for Bush interrogation lawyers;
