!! Bush Seeks Retroactive Immunity for Violating War Crimes Act !!

[The Cleaner]

...The "pardon" is buried in Bush's proposed legislation to create a new kind of military tribunal for cases involving top al-Qaida operatives. The "pardon" provision has nothing to do with the tribunals. Instead, it guts the War Crimes Act of 1996, a federal law that makes it a crime, in some cases punishable by death, to mistreat detainees in violation of the Geneva Conventions and makes the new, weaker terms of the War Crimes Act retroactive to 9/11.

Press accounts of the provision have described it as providing immunity for CIA interrogators. But its terms cover the president and other top officials because the act applies to any U.S. national.

Avoiding prosecution under the War Crimes Act has been an obsession of this administration since shortly after 9/11. In a January 2002 memorandum to the president, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales pointed out the problem of prosecution for detainee mistreatment under the War Crimes Act. He notes that given the vague language of the statute, no one could predict what future "prosecutors and independent counsels" might do if they decided to bring charges under the act. As an author of the 1978 special prosecutor statute, I know that independent counsels (who used to be called "special prosecutors" prior to the statute's reauthorization in 1994) aren't for low-level government officials such as CIA interrogators, but for the president and his Cabinet. It is clear that Gonzales was concerned about top administration officials...

What to do? The administration has apparently decided to secure immunity from prosecution through legislation. Under cover of the controversy involving the military tribunals and whether they could use hearsay or coerced evidence, the administration is trying to pardon itself, hoping that no one will notice. The urgent timetable has to do more than anything with the possibility that the next Congress may be controlled by Democrats, who will not permit such a provision to be adopted...

...A president who knowingly and deliberately violates U.S. criminal laws should not be able to use stealth tactics to immunize himself from liability, and Congress should not go along.

Original Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/68705,CST-EDT-REF23B.article
Cross-Posted on Truthout.org: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/092706J.shtml

[ShortnFiery]

1. Our Democratic Senators MUST filibuster this or they will be complicit

in the commission of War Crimes!!!

:wtf: is wrong with these people?

They all swore an oath to protect and defend The Constitution and NOT The Bush Junta!

[helderheid]

5. couldn't agree more!!

[bdamomma]

2. this is just despicable any way for this coward to immune

himself from prosecution he will even re write the laws to cover his sorry ass, geez, Congress if they have any shred of decency must stop this. really sickening, this coward wants to avoid any accountability or responsibility he can crash and burn for all I care, I can't stand him.

[AndyA]

3. Some Dem needs to put a SECRET HOLD on this legislation.

That stops it dead in its tracks, at least until November, or whenever the person who put it on hold decides to unlock it.

[Coexist]

4. THAT would be a great move.

:thumbsup:

[helderheid]

6. send that suggestion ON!

[KoKo]

7. The Congress wants to continue the Stability of the Government at all

costs. They will give him and others immunity because it's better to move forward and not look back.

It's why Nixon was allowed to resign. It's why Iran-Contra was covered over and Ollie North and others "got off."

The Stability of Government is to be preserved at all costs. That's the way they think and that's why we are dealing with the CRIME FAMILY once again. :banghead: