Presidential Poison (the signal to support prosecutions will haunt Obama)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | April 23, 2009 | Editorial

[St. Louis Conservative]

Mark down the date. Tuesday, April 21, 2009, is the moment that any chance of a new era of bipartisan respect in Washington ended. By inviting the prosecution of Bush officials for their antiterror legal advice, President Obama has injected a poison into our politics that he and the country will live to regret.

Policy disputes, often bitter, are the stuff of democratic politics. Elections settle those battles, at least for a time, and Mr. Obama's victory in November has given him the right to change policies on interrogations, Guantanamo, or anything on which he can muster enough support. But at least until now, the U.S. political system has avoided the spectacle of a new Administration prosecuting its predecessor for policy disagreements. This is what happens in Argentina, Malaysia or Peru, countries where the law is treated merely as an extension of political power.

If this analogy seems excessive, consider how Mr. Obama has framed the issue. He has absolved CIA operatives of any legal jeopardy, no doubt because his intelligence advisers told him how damaging that would be to CIA morale when Mr. Obama needs the agency to protect the country. But he has pointedly invited investigations against Republican legal advisers who offered their best advice at the request of CIA officials.

"Your intelligence indicates that there is currently a level of 'chatter' equal to that which preceded the September 11 attacks," wrote Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee, in his August 1, 2002 memo. "In light of the information you believe [detainee Abu] Zubaydah has and the high level of threat you believe now exists, you wish to move the interrogations into what you have described as an 'increased pressure phase.'"

[P-Marlowe]

Obama will prosecute GWB and Cheney OVER MY DEAD BODY!

[Texas Eagle]

Finally some transparency. Pres—ent Ubama considers the Bush administration as threats but not terrorists and Latin American dictators.

[Lockbar]

No matter how vile the concept is, I hope his administration goes forward with this. It will repulse the majority of Americans, and seriously damage the traitorous RATS.

[LeonardFMason]

DemocRATS fight to WIN.
Republicant’s fight to WIMP out.

[exit82]

Paul Revere is riding and sounding the alarm.

April 19, 1775. Lexington and Concord.

April 22, 2009—the skirmish line is forming. This issue is the proverbial line in the sand.

[DannyTN]

He can't prosecute.

Who can he prosecute?

• Bush
• Condoleeze (MSM is reporting she gave the go ahead to Tenant
• George Tenant
• White House legal advisors.

• He can't prosecute the legal advisors, the lawyers in the white house won't allow it.
• He can't prosecute Tenant, he's a Clinton holdover.
• He can't prosecute Condoleeza, he would lose too much of his black and female base.
• That leaves only Bush.

It may be that he is mollifying his base by first supporting the idea of prosecutions and then letting it be known that Condoleeza was in the middle. Now he can let it die.

[When do we get liberated?]

It will never happen, he will posture and act like he will, but prosecution will shed light on what those interrogations yielded, thus making him look more like a creampuff. He will posture and act for the MoveOn crowd, but he isn’t dumb enough to do anything.

[nhwingut]

The prosecution and jailing of political opponents.

Karl Rove said, and I’m paraphrasing: “This is what you see in Third World coutries run by colonels wearing mirrored sunglasses.”

[bigbob]

I’m kinda with you on that. If BHO would follow through on this, the consensus seems to be it would cost him Independent and moderate Democrat support, and effectively end his Presidency. One has to at least give that some consideration...even though the idea is abhorrent.

[FlyingEagle]

All part of the Obowma dictator plan. Haul Pres Bush and VP Cheney up for war crimes. Do not be surprised if he gets the UN to put them on trial.

[Larry381]

This is more than a policy change, it is a prescription for revolt. A large segment of this country will not allow this to happen.

[4Speed]

This “threat” will be dropped like a hot potato....unless the dummy Dems in Congress pursue it.
Then, keeping it in the Public eye “Bush was nasty to Terrorists” will remind everyone Congress is Ignoring The Economy and Fiddling with Revenge while America Burns.

[ElayneJ]

Yes, this is what third world dictators do. But surely obama knows this. Is he giving in to pressure from the left or is this what he planned all along?

[Man50D]

Juan McCain and other like minded Republican leaders should reach out across the aisle once again to their fellow socialists in the Democrat party in the spirit of bipartisanship.

[MHGinTN]

Waxman, Conyers, and Leahy are so far left of Karl Marx, they will now go full bore into the prosecutions, and it will be interesting to see how O bow ma resists releasing the subpoenaed documents.

[Kakaze]

I hope this is one big deflection, because if its not, this country will fracture.

Which is what obama wants in the end, but before it splits he wants to shred the constitution.

[P-Marlowe]

April 22, 2009—the skirmish line is forming. This issue is the proverbial line in the sand.

I had my issues with Bush, but when it came to protecting us from terrorists, Bush is a hero in my book. If Obama tries to prosecute Bush for saving America while at the same time Obama is trying to buddy up to tyrants and murderers like Chavez and Castro, then this is WAR.

This is 1812 and the Enemy is occupying the White House.

[Man50D]

It will never happen, he will posture and act like he will, but prosecution will shed light on what those interrogations yielded, thus making him look more like a creampuff.

The threat alone is a shot across our Constitutional bow. It should be enough for any Constitution loving American to heed this warning of events to come.

[Himyar]

I stand with you!