Gonzales Memo Advised Bush How to Avoid War Crimes Charges

[vow66]

http://www.pubrecord.org/torture/944-gonzales-memo-advised-bush-how-to-avoid-war-crimes-charges.html

On Jan. 25, 2002, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales advised George W. Bush in a memo to deny al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners protections under the Geneva Conventions because doing so would “substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act” and “provide a solid defense to any future prosecution."

Two weeks later, Bush signed an action memorandum dated Feb. 7, 2002, addressed to Vice President Dick Cheney, which denied baseline protections to al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners under the Third Geneva Convention. That memo, according to a recently released bipartisan report issued by the Senate Armed Services Committee, opened the door to “considering aggressive techniques,” which were then developed with the complicity of then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Bush’s National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and other senior Bush officials.

“The President’s order closed off application of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which would have afforded minimum standards for humane treatment, to al-Qaeda or Taliban detainees,” says the committee’s Dec. 11 report.

“While the President’s order stated that, as ‘a matter of policy, the United States Armed Forces shall continue to treat detainees humanely and, to the extent appropriate and consistent with military necessity, in a manner consistent with the principles of the Geneva Conventions,’ the decision to replace well established military doctrine, i.e., legal compliance with the Geneva Conventions, with a policy subject to interpretation, impacted the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody.”

[bulloney]

1. Is Gonzo still looking for a job?

He must be a pox even to the Bush Administration and Republicans because they often take care of their own after they leave office.

[Demeter]

2. Talk About Mass Delusion! And Bush/Cheney BELIEVED Gonzales?

What a bunch of nitwits, dimbulbs and fools.

[bullimiami]

3. its a classic case of criminal conspiracy. why wont anyone prosecute this again?

[mwb970]

4. That was all in the past. Time to "move on".

:eyes:

[AndyA]

5. That's right. We need to look forward, not back.

It will do no good to prosecute for crimes done in the past.

Obama is making some serious mistakes. I hope he figures this out and corrects them before too much time goes by. He's not keeping campaign promises, and he's becoming complicit in Bushco crimes by covering them up, and that's exactly what he's doing if he knows of a crime and does nothing about it.

Get it together, Barack.

[GodlessBiker]

6. Except for gay marriage. For that, we look backwards to see how we have always done things.

[AndyA]

11. You are so correct about that, unfortunately.

I always find it interesting that some forms of discrimination are more palatable than others.

I wonder what the difference would be if instead of gay people not being able to get married, or serve in the military, it was black people. Or Asians. Or ___________ (insert any other group of people who are discriminated against). :shrug:

[mwb970]

8. People don't like this idea, but...

...COULD Obama know of factors that we aren't aware of? I have often had people criticize me for decisions I have made without "walking in my shoes" and realizing what I had based the decisions on. Is it POSSIBLE that this could be the case with any of our second-guessing of Obama on this and many other issues? Or are "we" always right and he is always wrong, despite his access to high-level information and advice?

As I said, people here obviously don't like the idea of trusting Obama to make the right decisions based on info we simply don't have access to, so (*sigh*) flame away....

:hide:

[mopinko]

9. i am sure he was promised that he would never get a gop vote on anything

or any other form of cooperation, if he went after these criminals. we may have a majority now, but you never know what the next november will bring.
afa gay rights, i think he mostly just doesn't want to fall into the trap they set for bill clinton.

[struggle4progress]

10. As far as I can tell , he's not getting GOP votes anyway

:shrug:

[caraher]

12. No kidding

I can count maybe 3 votes Obama's received from Republicans when it's even come close to mattering - Spector and the senators from Maine onthe stimulus.

Why try to compromise when the other side isn't interested?

[mopinko]

13. i know.

perhaps that is part of the show. i don't know.
we can live without them for now, but if we loose anything in the midterms......

[JDPriestly]

7. Proud to be the fifth to recommend this thread.

Prosecuting the torture and human rights violations of the Bush administration has to remain priority number one. That's what our American Revolution was about -- human rights, not just property and representation rights, but also and more importantly, human rights. If you do not believe me, read the writings of the men who founded our country. They abhorred the cruelty and torture of the British and other foreign troops on American soil. Were they perfect when it comes to human rights? No, but they were way ahead of other leaders of their time, and our Constitution memorializes their scorn for torture and denying those accused of criminal conduct of fair and speedy trials.

[Optical.Catalyst]

14. What is Eric Holder waiting for? There has been enough evidence just here on DU to put Bush in jail

The voluminous posting of evidence should at least warrant a Special Prosecutor and a Grand Jury investigation.

They knew they were breaking the law, and Gonzales went on record with a preemptive defense. Half the Bush Administration and Dick Cheney should be in jail right now.

[MasonJar]

15. I am sure that Holder is waiting for Obama to give the go ahead. Holder is

is also a major disappointment. He has excused three GOPers, but has ignored Seigelman.

[Canuckistanian]

16. See? They EXPECTED to be prosecuted!

And now we have proof they were planning their defence in 2002!