Won't spend a day in jail

Dubya casually admitted that he's guilty of war crimes, and that he'd do it again. Never mind that. The real outrage comes from Paul McCartney.

Wait, let's send this guy to jail instead.

Happy New Decade

The first decade of the 21st century is now in the books. It can be remembered as the decade that conservatives were given everything they wanted. They were given all three branches of government by the branch they already owned; the Supreme Court. Osama Bin Laden gave them the war they always wanted with a bonus war, Afghanistan, thrown in. Phil Gramm, Alan Greenspan and others gave them the economy they always wanted. They were also given the energy policy they wanted (drill, baby, drill), the gun control policy they wanted, (none), the unitary executive they wanted, and the media they always wanted(Fox Noise).

They went on a binge and we were left with the hangover. We were told that they knew what they were doing and to sit down and shut up. We're now currently enjoying the results. It was only when we ignored that admonition that we could slow the destruction. Something to consider in the upcoming decade.

Turning over another rock

And finding the horror squirming in the light. That's what happened this week as more torture information is being revealed. Today McClatchy reported that the Bush administration pressured interrogators to torture detainees into claiming a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaida.

A former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the interrogation issue said that Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld demanded that the interrogators find evidence of al Qaida-Iraq collaboration.

"There were two reasons why these interrogations were so persistent, and why extreme methods were used," the former senior intelligence official said on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

"The main one is that everyone was worried about some kind of follow-up attack (after 9/11). But for most of 2002 and into 2003, Cheney and Rumsfeld, especially, were also demanding proof of the links between al Qaida and Iraq that (former Iraqi exile leader Ahmed) Chalabi and others had told them were there."

That's right. People were tortured not because they were lying, but because they were telling the truth.

"Cheney's and Rumsfeld's people were told repeatedly, by CIA . . . and by others, that there wasn't any reliable intelligence that pointed to operational ties between bin Laden and Saddam, and that no such ties were likely because the two were fundamentally enemies, not allies."

Senior administration officials, however, "blew that off and kept insisting that we'd overlooked something, that the interrogators weren't pushing hard enough, that there had to be something more we could do to get that information," he said.

Cheney and Rumsfeld didn't give a damn whether it was true or not. They didn't give a damn that torture didn't work. They just wanted some cover. This began as early as the summer of 2002.

Last night Rachel Maddow interviewed former executive director of the 9/11 Commission Philip Zelikow who had written a memo against the use of torture. Not only did the Bushies ignore it, they sought to suppress it, to pretend it never happened.

They knew it was illegal. They didn't care. It was party time. These scumbags gave themselves absolute power over other people's lives, bodies and sanity and crushed them just to show how tough they were. They and their enablers on the Democratic side, like Jane Harman, who is shocked, shocked, I tell you, that they would abuse their self-bestowed powers.

Obama who is reluctant to get involved in an investigation and possible prosecution, has gotten hammered (yes!) by the Left for it, has still left the door open. We'll see if anyone steps through it.

I've said this before and I'll keep saying it until it happens or I die, these people belong in prison.

In our names

Obama's decision to release four OLC memos confirms what a lot of us already knew. The United States of America engaged in criminal acts of torture.

This is the result of  a government that has lost its moral bearings. These memos show that the Bush administration at the highest levels instituted torture even when it knew it was on shaky legal standing. One of the authors of these memos, Jay Bybee is still deciding fates of Americans as a federal judge. He needs to be held accountable. They all need to be held accountable. 

If you are an American, if you believe in the Constitution, if you believe we are better than this, make some noise. These monsters cannot be allowed to get away with this, for if they do, the next time (and there will be a next time) it might be you. Pat Leahy wants an inquiry, which is a start, but we need a special prosecutor. Tell the White House. Sign the ACLU's petition, or FireDogLake's petition.

Why we fight

Lee J and I became politically active because we feared that democracy was in danger here in America. We joined millions of other concerned progressives to turn the tide in the last two elections. Our efforts are bearing fruit. The Obama administration has begun disclosure of secret legal documents written by Bush administration lawyers. We knew it was going to be worse than we thought, and this is being verified. 

Progressives had already denounced Bush's trashing of habeas corpus and the 4th Amendment, but these memos show that his attorneys thought they could override the 1st Amendment and probably the entire Bill Of Rights as well. This is not hyperbole, this is confirmed the Bush administration's own writings.

A substantial percentage of Americans have no respect for democracy and are relentless in undermining it. Even the people we've elected can be infected by this. A dictatorship could happen here if we let them win. That's why we fight.

'Nuff said

Almost over.

The case for prosecution

We're in the final week of the eight-year nightmare that has been the Bush Administration. Most Americans are glad to see him finally leave, allowing us to begin the healing process. Bush, on the other hand, will amble off to a comfortable retirement, having learned few lessons from his toxic term in office. Those of us on the left, who called for his impeachment a few years ago are now asking whether Obama will investigate, much less prosecute Bush and his associates over possible war crimes.

There are two main reasons why investigating and, if necessary prosecuting members of the Bush Administration. First, we need to ask ourselves what kind of nation we are. Are we a nation of laws, a nation that works with other nations to foster justice and democracy around the world? Or are we an empire whose maintenance justifies any action?

Second, If we decide that things like torture and the elimination of basic civil liberties are acceptable for the President to use, do we draw a new line that the President can't cross or do we leave the door open for a dictatorship down the road?

We know that the USA under Bush committed war crimes. Bush admitted it. Cheney admitted it. CIA Director Michael Hayden admitted it. Books have been written about it.

Cheney in recent interviews has been not only unrepentant, his admissions are essentially daring Congress to go after him. Cheney is betting that they won't. This will establish a precedent that future Presidents who want unlimited power can hide behind.

Some congresspeople like John Conyers want to investigate. The media, who were on the bandwagon all along, naturally wish it would all go away.

Obama and the Democrats had an epic win. Republicans are arguing amongst themselves and Karl Rove's Permanent Majority is rubble. But these people are like weeds that can't be killed. They never give up. Just like Cheney and Rumsfeld learned at Nixon's knee, loyal young Bush stormtroopers, like this guy, will wait, and have their time again.

Bush's legacy

From MSNBC, comparing when Bush took office to today:

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Then: 4.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2001)
Now: 6.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2008)

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
Then: 10,587 (close of Friday, Jan. 19, 2001)
Now: 9,015 (close of Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009)

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE (1985=100)

Then: 115.7 (Conference Board, January 2001)
Now: 38.0, which is an all-time low (Conference Board, December 2008)

FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY
Then: 6.4 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 7.6 million (Census numbers for 2007 -- most recent numbers available)

AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
Then: 39.8 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 45.7 million (Census numbers for 2007 -- most recent available)

U.S. BUDGET
Then: +236.2 billion (2000, Congressional Budget Office)
Now: -$1.2 trillion (projected figure for 2009, Congressional Budget Office)

Not to mention two unjustifiable wars, the destruction of habeas corpus, letting New Orleans drown, ruining the environment and on and and on. Chimpy says history will judge and he's right about that. I just wish I could see how he'll be portrayed 200 years from now. Less than two weeks to go.

Can we haz January yet?

Now that the election is over, I don't have as much to get riled over, so I'll have to find something else to blog about. Of course, our economy's collapsing due mostly to Republican policies, so if I lose my job, that should give me fodder. I'm not in imminent danger of that. Yet.

So, pretty much like everybody else, I'm taking care of holiday business and trying not to spend too much and looking forward to this season's big day, January 20th. I scheduled the day off and will be watching the inaugural on TV. Most likely saying "buhbye dickhead," over and over, louder with each drink. And I will drink.

41 more days.

In a nutshell

From here.

War Criminals

Lots of info lately on the authorization, nay, encouragement of torture by the Bush Administration. First, via Meteor Blades at Kos, the stunning report by Physicians for Human Rights called Broken Laws, Broken Lives: Medical Evidence of Torture by the US. This has accounts by the victims backed up by medical tests. The PHR is a  human-rights organization that shares the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize and demonstrates that international standards for the treatment of prisoners were willfully broken by the White House and the Defense Department.

Another article from the Guardian via C&L depicts how Donald Rumsfeld overruled military lawyers who warned against using torture. C&L also writes that General Antonio Taguba, who investigated Abu Ghraib and was fired for doing his job to well, states that "there is no longer any doubt that the current administration committed war crimes."

Naturally, Congress's response to all of this is another toothless hearing.

"Stay the course! Kill them!"

In the hubbub over Scott McClellan's book, the Washington Post found a chilling anecdote from an new book by Lt. Gen, Ricardo Sanchez:

Among the anecdotes in "Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story" is an arresting portrait of Bush after four contractors were killed in Fallujah in 2004, triggering a fierce U.S. response that was reportedly egged on by the president.

During a videoconference with his national security team and generals, Sanchez writes, Bush launched into what he described as a "confused" pep talk:

"Kick ass!" he quotes the president as saying. "If somebody tries to stop the march to democracy, we will seek them out and kill them! We must be tougher than hell! This Vietnam stuff, this is not even close. It is a mind-set. We can't send that message. It's an excuse to prepare us for withdrawal."

"There is a series of moments and this is one of them. Our will is being tested, but we are resolute. We have a better way. Stay strong! Stay the course! Kill them! Be confident! Prevail! We are going to wipe them out! We are not blinking!"

A White House spokesman had no comment.

Bring it on. This swaggering frat boy who's never faced any danger in his life.

Nobody believes you anymore

The media and the White House are spinning frantically over former Bush spokesliar Scott McClellan's new book in which he claims that he's just an honest man given bad information by his bosses. It's pure bullshit, of course, but what surprised people is that he would turn on Bush with such venom. What's not surprising is that former Bush lackeys want to scrub off the filth of this administration that they wallowed in so long. McClellan has an inkling of how badly he's going to look in history so he wants people to think he was manipulated.

In his book he states that Bush wanted all along to attack Iraq, cherry-picked facts to suit him and had no plan for the war once we were there. This has been common knowledge for those of us on the left for, oh, six years now. The White House and what's left of its squad of apologists are in full attack mode, aided by a nervous media, desperate to conceal its complicity. The scrambling by both these groups of people over the next few weeks will be fun to watch. And this can't be good for John McCain.

"We do not torture."

A simple statement, another lie from George W. Bush. A Department of Justice report revealed just how much we torture and in how many ways. It shows FBI agents revolted by the conduct of military and CIA interrogator toward the detainees. It also shows that Rice, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and Gonzales knew and approved what was happening. Abu Ghraib was not an aberration, it was policy.

In an ironic reversal of the outsourcing of American jobs, the Chinese hired us to abuse their muslims. What do we have to show for it? Dropped charges. Captives driven insane by their treatment and unable to assist in their own defense.

This is what we've been reduced to. Our President and his cabinet are war criminals in every sense of the word and should bee incarcerated in the Hague.

This post ties in with the previous one because the ACLU was instrumental in uncovering and analyzing this information.

Even his own people don't like him any more

Gallup has dropped Bush's approval to 60% among Republicans, Pollster has his overall at 28.3%. Among all the primary hoopla we forget that the American people hate Bush more every day. Bush will hang from McCain's neck in November.

Happy WTF Day

Today used to be May Day; we were supposed to dance around a pole or something. I think strippers took over that gig. Now it's called International Workers' Day, to, what? Honor workers? I still had to work. The dockworkers shut down the ports here on the west coast to protest the war, which is cool, but nobody's going to fight a dockworker over it.

Evangelicals have proclaimed today National Day of Prayer, but only if you're a Christian. Everybody else is supposed to STFU I guess.

Bush, with his usual sensitivity, proclaimed today Law Day to celebrate the rule of law. Let that one soak in. So far I haven't seen any reports that he resigned and turned himself in. Maybe we should call every day Global Irony Day.

We Have A Winner!

For the Worst President Evah! We knew you had it in you, George. USAToday and Gallup found he has the worst disapproval rating in Gallup's 70-year history. He's polled under 40% approval for almost two years.

Our Government Tortures

Last week ABC News broke the story that members of Bush's cabinet, including Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Ashcroft outlined our country's new torture policy. This is in violation of the UN and the Geneva Convention. Bush approved it. These people belong in a call in the Hague. Crooks & Liars and the ACLU want to send 100,000 letters to congress to demand a special prosecutor. Join in.

More Republican Math

So Bush magnanimously declared that the troops only have to stay in Iraq for 12 months instead of the 15 that they're currently sweating under. At the same time, Petraeus says that they can't bring anymore troops home from the "surge" because the Iraqi army is still not ready. Let me get this straight. We can shorten the tours but we can't decrease the amount of troops over there? How will this work? We can't get troops from anywhere else because the army is already stretched to the limit.

Oh, wait. This is The Math. You know The Math Karl Rove cited when he guaranteed a Republican win in 2006.

A Consensus Opinion

I think we've finally come to an agreement. 81% of us agree that this country is on the wrong track. Bush has polled in the low thirties for almost a year.

Dick Cheney said that history will vindicate this administration. Returns are now coming in and they're not good. 61% of historians rate Bush as the Worst President Ever. An amazing 98% rate him a failure.

John McCain wants to continue this war and these policies. How much easier could the choice in November get?