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The Left and Plans for "Nuremberg-Style" Tribunals for Bush Administration Officials
The National Review ^ | August 06, 2008 | Byron York

Posted on 08/06/2008 7:33:23 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

One thing that hasn't received much attention in conservative and Republicans circles is the ongoing conversation on the left about the possibility of Nuremberg-style war-crimes trials for members of the Bush administration should a Democratic president take office. I'm not exaggerating or introducing the Nazi analogy myself; they actually use the phrase "Nuremberg-style" when they discuss "war-crimes tribunals." And they are quite serious (although the more moderate of them prefer a "truth commission.")

At the Netroots Nation gathering in Austin, Texas last month — that is the successor to YearlyKos — Dahlia Lithwick, of the Washington-Post-owned website Slate, did an interview with the Talking Points Memo site in which she described a panel discussion she had just taken part in on what is known as the "first 100 days of accountability." Among Lithwick's observations:

We're already falling into this trap of either positing Nuremberg-style war crimes tribunals, or nothing, immunizing everyone from John Yoo up and down…but everybody says there's a lot of gray area in between that, and that accountability doesn't necessarily mean Nuremberg, it doesn't necessarily mean nothing, it means possibly a truth commission, possibly appointing a special prosecutor to look at it…

Lithwick recommended a massive retrospective investigation of the Bush administration, going through every piece of paper, before moving forward:

Certainly long before we make a decision to do what Stuart Taylor suggested this week, which was immunize everybody in advance, or alternatively make a decision to trot them out before a war crimes tribunal before the whole world, we should really find out what happened…

But Lithwick recognized that there are those who argue such an action might be divisive:

We talked a lot about this notion that it's bad for America, that it will rip America apart if we have hearings or we have criminal trials or if we have war crimes tribunals. And I think it's really worse for America if we don't…

I think the thing to emphasize here is that this is a serious conversation going on among people who might have influential voices or play influential roles in an Obama administration. Many of them want to put John Yoo — a special favorite of theirs — on trial, whether before a Nuremberg-style tribunal, a criminal court, or a truth commission with as-yet unspecified powers. And, of course, they wouldn't stop with Yoo; if they had their way, they would likely have a long list of former Bush administration officials to put in the dock. They are serious.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; congress; democratsarescum; election; elections; mccain; netroots; nutroots; obama; peacecreeps
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

If they think that they can get away with it, they will do it in a heartbeat.

Why the Republican National Committee wants to give the White House to the Democrats I don’t know. But I know that they do because they are runnibg the weaket candidate that they could find. And they scheduled the primaries so that he would get the Republican nomination.


21 posted on 08/06/2008 7:49:53 PM PDT by sport
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To: proxy_user
If Obama wins, he will have to appoint an official under-bus-chucker to get rid of his faithful followers.

Actually I think he'll be pulling those folks out from under the bus. Except perhaps his "Typical White Person" grandmother, she'll probably be left down there.

22 posted on 08/06/2008 7:50:05 PM PDT by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I wonder how many Americans would stand in the way of Federal authorities attempting to extricate Pres. Bush or VP Cheney from their residences upon refusing to participate in such a circus?


23 posted on 08/06/2008 7:50:15 PM PDT by Rebelbase (Black dogs and bacon bombs.)
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To: Yogafist

Couldn’t help a 2nd post. “time to stock up on ammo” don’t forget that new 2 year shelf life.


24 posted on 08/06/2008 7:50:16 PM PDT by enduserindy (232 years and now we want to blow it?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The same party that wants to disarm us and bring back the Fairness Doctrine.

Good luck with that. There will be a bloody revolution and Martial Law.


25 posted on 08/06/2008 7:52:26 PM PDT by DCPatriot ("It aint what you don't know that kills you. It's what you know that aint so" Theodore Sturgeon))
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To: Yogafist
time to stock up on ammo?

Does a bear do it in the woods? Is the Pope Catholic?

26 posted on 08/06/2008 7:53:14 PM PDT by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

That happens, and Civil War II is on, immediately.


27 posted on 08/06/2008 7:53:35 PM PDT by wendy1946
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To: mylife

They will realize that they should have quit as they are being lined up against a wall and shot as traitors.


28 posted on 08/06/2008 7:54:40 PM PDT by DarthVader (Liberal Democrats are the party of EVIL whose time of judgment has come.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Never happen - this is like the calls here to try this or that Democrat politician for “treason” - either one would be political suicide for the party that tried it.

But to the extent that someone does want to take it seriously, what that is the basic argument argument against setting up extra judicial “tribunals” to try anyone - history demonstrates very clearly that once a government gets in the habit of using such techniques to try anyone, it becomes very tempting use them to try everyone.


29 posted on 08/06/2008 7:55:12 PM PDT by M. Dodge Thomas
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Where are all those irrational McCain haters promoting that brilliant strategy “ LET OBAMA WIN SO WE CAN WIN REAL BIG LATER “ tonight ????????
30 posted on 08/06/2008 7:55:45 PM PDT by ncalburt
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To: mylife

I’m with MyLife.


31 posted on 08/06/2008 7:56:57 PM PDT by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: sport
Do you McCain haters ever stop and think about the long term impact of your non stop McCain bashing ?? Apparently not ! McCain seems to be giving both the Obama media and Obama hell right now !
32 posted on 08/06/2008 7:59:36 PM PDT by ncalburt
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; MurryMom
And they are quite serious...

The impeached *Squirt averaged one Iraq bombing for every week he was in office. Where are the calls for his head?

33 posted on 08/06/2008 8:00:05 PM PDT by Libloather (August is Liberal Awareness Month.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

** AMERICA’S REAL ENEMY **

The evil, anti-American left, that would burn this country to the ground, if they could RULE OVER THE ASHES. What a bunch of sick bastards.


34 posted on 08/06/2008 8:04:07 PM PDT by EagleUSA
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To: nwrep

Criminalizing policy differences...always works so well


35 posted on 08/06/2008 8:04:12 PM PDT by woofie
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t care!


36 posted on 08/06/2008 8:04:12 PM PDT by GregoryFul
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To: ncalburt

I just call them like I see them.

But one thing is certain, after the first Tuesday in November, the Democrats will control the White House. Be it Obama, Hillary, or John Mc Cain.


37 posted on 08/06/2008 8:05:26 PM PDT by sport
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To: sport
they scheduled the primaries so that he would get the Republican nomination. Really?
38 posted on 08/06/2008 8:05:47 PM PDT by eyedigress
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Maybe certain people shoud read this book: War Crimes: The Left's Campaign to Destroy the Military and Lose the War on Terror

Bestselling author and military expert Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson (Ret.) lays bare the Left's extensive campaign against all things military and how it severely compromises the ability to fight the war on terror.

Then go over mr. Clinton's past.

39 posted on 08/06/2008 8:07:04 PM PDT by TribalPrincess2U
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To: sport

Looks like you have some time on your hands.


40 posted on 08/06/2008 8:08:07 PM PDT by eyedigress
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