Posted on 11/16/2008 7:14:46 AM PST by BGHater
George W Bush is considering issuing pardons for US spies embroiled in allegations of torture just before he leaves the White House.
Senior intelligence officers are lobbying the outgoing president to look after the men and women who could face charges for following his orders in the war on terrorism.
Many fear that Barack Obama, who has pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and put an end to the policy of extraordinary rendition, could launch a legal witch hunt against those who oversaw the policies after he is sworn in on Jan 20.
Most vulnerable are US intelligence officers who took part in intensive interrogations against terrorist suspects, using techniques including water boarding, which many believe crossed the line into torture.
A former CIA officer familiar with the backstage lobbying for pardons, said: "These are the people President Bush asked to fight the war on terror for him. He gave them the green light to fight tough. The view of many in the intelligence community is that he should not leave them vulnerable to legal censure when he leaves.
"An effort is under way to get pre-emptive pardons. The White House has indicated that the matter is under consideration."
In addition to frontline CIA and military officers, others at risk could include David Addington, Dick Cheney's former counsel, and William Haynes, the former Pentagon general counsel who helped draw up the regulations governing enhanced interrogations.
Many in the Democratic party and human rights groups are calling on President-Elect Obama to tear up Mr Bush's executive orders licensing intensive interrogations on his first day in the Oval Office. They also want an immediate end to rendition, whereby suspects are flown to countries that practise torture.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
BTTT!
That and post #11.....
He won’t.
True. The British have to know that they are responsible for most of this mess. They are the ones that created little Kingdoms (where none existed) all over the middle-east.
Ramos and Campion. Amen!
They should be pardoned and I would rather see my tax dollars go to a pension for them then bail out these other bast*rds.
I hope he doesn’t pardon them. Those men did what the American people wanted done, which was find out quickly what pending threats were still in existence and who was involved. If a poll had been taken in November of 2001 about torture the overwhelming majority of Americans would have said “do it, and make it painful.” Besides, the house and senate committees on intelligence knew all about what was going on and half of them were Democrats. This needs to come out even if it takes a court of law to do it. Furthermore, before they can be prosecuted the court would need to define what constitutes torture.
Good they have kept MOOHAMAAD from killing another three thousand americans... Pardon away GW
You beat us to it.
“George W Bush could pardon spies involved in torture”
Whatever you do Mr. Bush, don’t pardon border patrol agents who tried to protect your country!
A lot of people hoped W would go after Clinton in the legal sense. Wonder if O goes after W.
Tim Shipman! LOL!
Gads, I hope so.
If spies engaged in torture in California, how would a pardon protect them?
Presidential pardons do not shield people from prosecution by the state.
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