Bush's Key Men Face Grilling On Torture And Death Squads -- The GuardianFormer vice-president Dick Cheney could be forced to testify to Congress over allegations that a secret hit squad was set up on his orders, as Democrats press for inquiries into the conduct of the 'war on terror'.
America is bracing itself for a series of investigations that could see top officials from the administration of President George W Bush hauled in front of Congress, grilled by a special prosecutor and possibly facing criminal charges.
Several investigations will now cast a spotlight on Bush-era torture policy and a secret CIA assassination programme, examining the role played by big names such as the former vice-president Dick Cheney and the former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
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My Comment: I do not know if we will learn anything new from such an investigation (I doubt it). But I do know that by criminalizing past Government policies and National Security actions will only open a Pandora's Box for prosecution and interrogation of all future administrations.
What is happening now is the politicization of intelligence and war strategy. House Speaker Pelosi accused the CIA in May of lying to her .... a lie that she has not backed with solid evidence. This is now being done to give her cover. But the prospect of dragging former government officials who have to pay hundreds of thousands for their lawyers in front of Congressional Committees is going to create a bad taste for years to come. There will eventually be a tit for tat response .... but the harm will have already happen.
For example .... the increase by the Obama Administration in the use of drones for targeting
Several investigations will now cast a spotlight on Bush-era torture policy and a secret CIA assassination programme, examining the role played by big names such as the former vice-president Dick Cheney and the former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Read more ....
My Comment: I do not know if we will learn anything new from such an investigation (I doubt it). But I do know that by criminalizing past Government policies and National Security actions will only open a Pandora's Box for prosecution and interrogation of all future administrations.
What is happening now is the politicization of intelligence and war strategy. House Speaker Pelosi accused the CIA in May of lying to her .... a lie that she has not backed with solid evidence. This is now being done to give her cover. But the prospect of dragging former government officials who have to pay hundreds of thousands for their lawyers in front of Congressional Committees is going to create a bad taste for years to come. There will eventually be a tit for tat response .... but the harm will have already happen.
For example .... the increase by the Obama Administration in the use of drones for targeting
My Comment: I do not know if we will learn anything new from such an investigation (I doubt it). But I do know that by criminalizing past Government policies and National Security actions will only open a Pandora's Box for prosecution and interrogation of all future administrations.
What is happening now is the politicization of intelligence and war strategy. House Speaker Pelosi accused the CIA in May of lying to her .... a lie that she has not backed with solid evidence. This is now being done to give her cover. But the prospect of dragging former government officials who have to pay hundreds of thousands for their lawyers in front of Congressional Committees is going to create a bad taste for years to come. There will eventually be a tit for tat response .... but the harm will have already happen.
For example .... the increase by the Obama Administration in the use of drones for targeting and killing of Al Qaeda/Taliban commanders has resulted in numerous civilian casualties. One can make an effective argument that this is a war crime, and that Administration officials from President Obama on down can be charged for this crime. Is this the road that we want to go down? It appears that Attorney General Holder does want to go down this road .... and he ahs the support of many Democrats in Congress to do so.
The immediate harm will be in the neutering of our Intelligence Services, and to the men and women who serve our country and who take great risks in defending it. The message coming from the politicians in Congress is clear .... we may support your actions today, but tomorrow we may change our mind but we will hold you accountable for your past anyway.
In such an environment .... who would want to protect the United States?
What is happening now is the politicization of intelligence and war strategy. House Speaker Pelosi accused the CIA in May of lying to her .... a lie that she has not backed with solid evidence. This is now being done to give her cover. But the prospect of dragging former government officials who have to pay hundreds of thousands for their lawyers in front of Congressional Committees is going to create a bad taste for years to come. There will eventually be a tit for tat response .... but the harm will have already happen.
For example .... the increase by the Obama Administration in the use of drones for targeting and killing of Al Qaeda/Taliban commanders has resulted in numerous civilian casualties. One can make an effective argument that this is a war crime, and that Administration officials from President Obama on down can be charged for this crime. Is this the road that we want to go down? It appears that Attorney General Holder does want to go down this road .... and he ahs the support of many Democrats in Congress to do so.
The immediate harm will be in the neutering of our Intelligence Services, and to the men and women who serve our country and who take great risks in defending it. The message coming from the politicians in Congress is clear .... we may support your actions today, but tomorrow we may change our mind but we will hold you accountable for your past anyway.
In such an environment .... who would want to protect the United States?