JOHN W. DEAN: 'Keep Pounding The Drums'-We ARE On "The Right Side Of This Issue & Obama KNOWS It!"

[kpete]

John W. Dean
"I would encourage those who are demanding exposure and prosecution to keep pounding their drums. Clearly, they are on the right side of this issue, and Obama knows it. While he is going to placate the national security bureaucrats from time to time in order to lead them effectively, hopefully the pressure for him to deal with the atrocious behavior of Bush and Cheney is only just getting started."

The Politics of Excusing Torture In The Name of National Security
By JOHN W. DEAN
Friday, May 15, 2009


.............

From generals and admirals at the Pentagon to Foreign Service officers in Foggy Bottom, along with untold thousands of the nameless and unknown career civil servants who soldier on to protect our national security, there is anger and resentment. Most of these people are not political in the partisan sense; rather, they work in and for our government to keep the nation safe, and take pride in their work.

For the past eight years, the Bush Administration has marginalized them, manipulated them, and beaten them down. Dick Cheney, in particular, worked to keep the national security professionals submissive, and to ignore their good advice. In a move that was unheard of for a Vice President, Cheney created his own National Security Council, which initially was better staffed and more knowledgeable than the statutory NSC. Cheney placed personal emissaries throughout the national security structure, not only to control it but to be certain that he was always aware of what it was doing, so he could operate accordingly. Dick Cheney had his own agenda, and it proved a disaster. Cheney cost the nation blood and treasure with his preemptive Iraq war. He embarrassed the United States the world over by demanding (and continuing to demand) that we use torture.

Our national security professionals have been humiliated. President Obama is a president who listens, and he has been told that airing the dirty linen that the Bush folks left behind will cause more harm than good. No doubt his top national security advisers – all products of the national security bureaucracy – started giving him serious heads-up talks when it appeared he was going to win the election, for that is when he began saying that he was more interested in looking forward than looking back, and that to investigate torture would only be looking back.

When President Obama hinted that he might prosecute those engaged in torture, he was forced to run out to the CIA for a stroking session to placate these national security professionals, assuring them that he was not going to prosecute any of them for following orders of the Bush/Cheney White House. The national security bureaucracy is testing its influence with the new president – and like all presidents, he will take some of its advice and reject other advice it gives. Right now, he is trying to figure out what to do.

...............

more at:
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20090515.html

[The Magistrate]

1. He Is Right, Ma'am, In Both Diagnosis And Prescription

[IndianaGreen]

2. And I agree with my distinguished colleague that John Dean is right

and I will add, so is Jonathan Turley.

We are a country of laws, not men.

A Nation of Laws, Not Men
Posted December 7, 2007 | 11:54 AM (EST)

Senator Edward M. Kennedy

I'm headed to the Senate floor right now to speak about startling news from today's newspapers:

The Central Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation of two Qaeda operatives in the agency's custody, a step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about its secret detention program, according to current and former government officials.

The videotapes showed agency operatives in 2002 subjecting terrorism suspects -- including Abu Zubaydah, the first detainee in C.I.A. custody -- to severe interrogation techniques. The tapes were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that video showing harsh interrogation methods could expose agency officials to legal risks, several officials said.

The news that these CIA tapes were destroyed came the very same week that we learned that as many as ten million White House emails were not preserved, despite a law that requires that they be kept, and at the same time as the president continued to insist that we grant the phone companies immunity for their role in the illegal wiretapping of American citizens.

I've already introduced the Torture Prevention and Effective Interrogation Act, legislation that requires the Army Field Manual standards to apply to all government interrogations, not only those conducted by the Department of Defense. Today's news is just another reminder that Congress needs to take action immediately to prevent this administration from continuing to make a mockery of our anti-torture laws.

I'm headed to the floor to demand answers. I hope you will demand them as well.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-edward-m-kennedy-/a-nation-of-laws-not-men_b_75809.html

[ControlledDemolition]

6. I'd forgotten about the 'lost' White House e-mails. Ted's bill should include contractors. n/t

[Skidmore]

16. Indeed he is, dear Magistrate. I do believe that

Obama has all along demanded of us that we do our jobs as citizens. This is a task for us, not him. Us, and those we elect to represent the people.

[chill_wind]

3. Recommended. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

4. Heh. It's like a really, really big game of tug-of-war.

[Swamp Rat]

5. k&r

[leftstreet]

7. K&R

[mtf80123]

8. If both parties need to be dragged through the mud....

then so be it.

This whole damn government needs to be brought to a screeching halt NOW!!!

Obama forgets we put him and his party in power to end this madness. And what do they do? Continue the same fucking bullshit the Pukes did by funding TWO wars on Emergency Supplementals instead of adding it to the budget.

AND he is going to INCREASE our Military presence in the Middle East!!! Un-Fucking believeable!

Making the wealthy even richer by bailing them out for more than DOUBLE their actual worth.

While I will NEVER vote for a RepubliKKKan... I will certainly be voting against Obama in 2012!

I want to see some trials and more than a few public hangings at this point!

[Skidmore]

15. *raising eyebrows*

That was quite a mouthful. So which RepubliKKKKKKKand are you planning to vote for in the GE 20012? Just curious.

[Hekate]

9. KnR. This is the work of the citizens.

:kick:

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Called the WHI today, and they are busy

though they did tell me that it was mostly older people... talking to the lady who answered the phone.

[MasonJar]

20. So what if it is mostly older folks, and how do they know? Do you

have to give your age when you send in a message to our government now. Also I doubt that anyway. The young people are sick of subterfuge too. You are a prince, John Dean. keep speaking out!

[democracy1st]

11. K & R

[Wednesdays]

12. K&R

:kick:

[Echo In Light]

13. K&R

[D23MIURG23]

14. An excellent read and admirable author. n/t

[BlueJessamine]

17. K&R!

:kick:

[Overseas]

18. K&R !! //nt

[Stuart G]

19. K and R

[pleah]

21. K&R

[dothemath]

22. Stand down, Mr. President ..................

"I would encourage those who are demanding exposure and prosecution to keep pounding their drums. Clearly, they are on the right side of this issue, and Obama knows it".
***************************************************************************

President Obama, of all people, knows, repeat, knows this matter is not in his hands. As much as the previous administration tried to make it so, all that has gone before does not go away on Jan. 20.

Neither Mr. Obama, nor anyone else, can usurp the authority of the U.S. Constitution. I am disappointed in Mr. Obama, who seems to have gotten caught up in 'beltway bastardization'. Jockeying for postition, playing for advantage, going along to get along, ad nauseum, instead of being the man I thought he was when he was campaigning for the office he now holds, is scary.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe he does realize he does not have the authority to decide whether or not a crime has been committed.

I hope so.

[DCKit]

23. We're on the right side of universal health care and not handing the treasury over to criminals too,

but it looks like the war criminals, deniers of health care and embezzlers are, currently, winning on all three fronts.

Apparently we're not screaming loudly enough.

[nc4bo]

24. Error: you can only recommend threads which were started in the past 24 hours.

I will not shut up until the war criminals are found guilty and punished.

[clear eye]

25. Like he listened on FISA and the bank bailout n/t

[AzDar]

26. K & R

[geckosfeet]

27. Hopefully James Carville will keep his trap shut on this one.

[pmorlan1]

28. I hope Dean is right.

"I would encourage those who are demanding exposure and prosecution to keep pounding their drums. Clearly, they are on the right side of this issue, and Obama knows it. While he is going to placate the national security bureaucrats from time to time in order to lead them effectively, hopefully the pressure for him to deal with the atrocious behavior of Bush and Cheney is only just getting started."

I hope John Dean is right. I certainly know that I will take his advice to keep demanding exposure and prosecution.