COMEY: Bush Able To Get Legal Authorization From DOJ-For WHATEVER It Wanted-Regardless Of Legality

[kpete]

Most revealingly, Comey described exactly what was happening with this process: that the White House was demanding and pressuring the issuance of these memos, but that once the torture regime became public -- as Comey warned that it would -- White House officials would defend themselves by heaping the blame on Gonzales and other DOJ lawyers, deceitfully pretending that they were merely following in good faith DOJ advice about what was and was not legal.

Alluding to the extreme pressure that had previously been exerted by the White House on then-AG John Aschroft to legally authorize the illegal NSA spying program (the Ashcroft Hospital Drama), Comey lamented that even the minimal willingness of Ashcroft to defy White House pressure was completely lacking in the Gonzales-led DOJ and OLC -- meaning the White House was able to get legal authorization from the DOJ for whatever it wanted, regardless of whether it was actually legal.



Most revealingly, Comey described exactly what was happening with this process: that the White House was demanding and pressuring the issuance of these memos, but that once the torture regime became public -- as Comey warned that it would -- White House officials would defend themselves by heaping the blame on Gonzales and other DOJ lawyers, deceitfully pretending that they were merely following in good faith DOJ advice about what was and was not legal:


more:
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2009/6/8/16570/32099

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/06/07/torture_memos/index.html

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. That was pretty obvious to us as far back as 06...how dim IS Gonzales?

Jeez, it's in the plot of any number of movies.

[doc03]

2. Remember disgraced Republican Congressman Bob

Ney? He now has a radio program, last week he said Alberto Gonzales should agree to be water-boarded if he doesn't think it is torture. He also said Bushco lied to Congress to get us into war in Iraq. Bob Ney almost sounds like a liberal Democrat now after his stay in prison.

[PassingFair]

3. Comey was ready to sing then....

I bet he's ready to belt out
an entire opera by now.

[Senator]

4. Comey and Goldsmith are not angels in this.

Merely somewhat "less bad" war criminals themselves.

When it's torture, lamenting that you haven't "carried the day" is simply not good enough. Nor is silent resignation or resignation with sneak leaks.

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[Missy Vixen]

6. Really? Did you read "Palace Revolt"?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/57101

James Comey has five kids. His wife does not work outside the home. If he was willing to quit a government job (at which he was not getting rich at,) over what he was seeing, he's not the enemy.

Then again, I'm sure there will be those here who will figure out a way to twist this, too. :eyes:

[Senator]

7. Yes, really. And "palace revolt" is obliviously accurate...

...because it raises the luxurious concerns of a cloistered aristocracy above the very real life and death -- as in innocents tortured to death -- reality of the atrocities they failed to avert.

Abiding by and enforcing the laws and treaty obligations that our greater generations fought and died to forge is not a career option or lifestyle choice.

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[Missy Vixen]

8. And didn't James Comey and Jack Goldsmith do those things?

>Abiding by and enforcing the laws and treaty obligations that our greater generations fought and died to forge is not a career option or lifestyle choice.<

I watched Comey's testimony before (IIRC) the judiciary committee. I think it was the most important television since the broadcast of the Watergate hearings.

He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He fought like hell to stop Gonzales, Cheney and Bush. There's lots of people with the family he has that would have walked away, rather than risk their livelihood. He fought them. So, surprisingly enough, did Ashcroft.

[Senator]

10. Of course not. Not even close.

The subject of discussion here is torture and war crimes.

That testimony and the Ashcroft incident were about illegally spying on Americans. And even in that case all he did was to refuse to comply with an even worse program (still unknown) than what he had already "approved" -- after-the-fact -- to circumvent the FISA laws that had protected us for decades.

His similar quibbling about just how much torture was too much torture (he "drew the line" at combined tortures) just made him a willing participant in an ongoing program of war crimes -- where criminality begins at "degrading" treatment, long before torture is applied. He's done nothing to change that simple reality.

Moreover, none of his acts were "preventative" in any way. All he did was attempt to limit just how many of the atrocities would be legalistically rationalized after the fact, to provide a fig-leaf cover story for the other conspirators.

And those other people who "would have walked away, rather than risk their livelihood" would also have been violating the torture laws. There is an affirmative duty on ALL gov't official to report any suspicion of torture and to ACT to stop it in any way that does not risk death or grievous bodily harm.

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[KakistocracyHater]

5. typical for a trust-slug, even with people's lives, they're insane

selfish, always blaming others while enjoying a dictator's position. Can't say no to them(or you're out of a job & wait till you're stabbed in the back,too) but it's ALWAYS not their fault?

[O is 44]

9. I am starting to see why...

Cheney has been so vocal, something he said shortly after he started speaking out, someone asked him why is he doing this and he said it is to protect the little guys. The little guys he speaks of is the inner circle at the OLC they called themselves the “War Counsel” John Yoo, Bybee, Gonzales, and his main guy, forget his name now. If the Dems were smart they would put the pressure on Bybee via impeachment, pressure to disbar Yoo, and go after Gonzales someone will squeal. These guys had a direct link to the VP’s office. Something I learned via research on a paper this quarter. Cheney knows he has to try and defend them, he is afraid they will turn and start talking if brought under scrutiny.