Cheney Is Wrong: There Is Precedent for the Torture Investigation

[BuyingThyme]

Cheney Is Wrong: There Is Precedent for the Torture Investigation
By STEVE SHEPPARD

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Vice President Cheney has complained that the Attorney General's new investigation of alleged torture during the Bush Administration is unprecedented. Cheney says that such an investigation is merely political, criminalizing a disagreement between Presidents over policy. He claims that no administration has investigated its predecessors' crimes, and that it is wrong for the Obama Administration to break tradition.

Yet, as Cheney well knows, the United States has previously investigated criminal acts by officials, even White House officials. Indeed, such investigations – and the resulting prosecutions – are the duty of the White House.

...

Dick Cheney may be forgiven his sketchy use of history, as long as we don't accept his peculiar views of the past, or let them color our views of the future. Or of the law. After all, the former Vice President has many reasons not to want this particular investigation. Not the least reason, which he has yet to list, is that there may be more investigations to come.

http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20090902_sheppard.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. Cheney wrong? Now I know the world is ending.

[bleever]

2. Most crimes, when investigated, happened in the past.

This is not a question of policy. Even if there were no precedents at all, it would make no difference. Crimes are crimes, though they are committed by government agents or the Vice President's allies. Ask Scooter Libby.

I'm starting to even feel pity for those who thought they could fly to the sun on wings made of their own special waxing of the Constitution.


So proud; so vain.

[RandomThoughts]

3. We also prosecuted a few in the Japanese army when they water boarded. n/t