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ACLU Wants to Prosecute President Bush for "Torture"
Townhall.com ^ | November 19, 2010 | Robert Knight

Posted on 11/19/2010 5:49:35 AM PST by Kaslin

The campaign to criminalize America’s response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks continues apace.

The ACLU is calling on the Justice Department to investigate George W. Bush over his just-released memoir Decision Points, in which the former president says he ordered al-Qaeda suspects waterboarded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

The Nov. 11, 2010 letter, signed by ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, states that waterboarding is “torture” and notes that Bush says it was used on terror suspects Abu Zubaydah and self-confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Elsewhere, the ACLU is urging Americans to lobby the Justice Department to investigate top Bush Administration officials. On its accountability for torture website, the ACLU says:

“Last year, the Justice Department initiated a criminal investigation into the Bush administration’s torture program, but it focuses only on ‘rogue’ interrogators who disobeyed orders. That investigation is far too narrow. … the criminal investigation must be expanded to reach not only the interrogators but the senior officials who authorized torture….”

In bold type, the site calls on Americans to:

“Ask the Attorney General to expand the scope of the Justice Department's criminal investigation of the torture program to include not just the interrogators who used torture, but the senior Bush administration officials who authorized and facilitated it.”

In 2009, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing in which they grilled former Justice Department attorney John Yoo over four memos he wrote about the legal limits of interrogation techniques.

In a June 17, 2009 Washington Times column, American Civil Rights Union General Counsel Peter Ferrara defended the memos:

“At the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU), a conservative alternative to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), we have reviewed the four challenged legal memos. They add up to 124 single-spaced pages of careful legal reasoning reviewing all applicable statutes, treaties, cases and word definitions and applying that law to a thorough discussion of the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques used under President Bush.

“We found that those memos involve a thorough, well-reasoned, praiseworthy legal effort and analysis. We agree that their conclusions as to the legality of waterboarding and the other CIA enhanced interrogation techniques are correct under applicable law, and we are prepared to debate that point in any forum. A complete report containing our analysis is on our website, The Interrogation Memos.

“… The most controversial of these techniques, waterboarding, was used on just three of the highest-level detainees, all accused senior terrorist leaders involved in major attacks on Americans and U.S. targets and had information regarding planned future attacks. … It resulted in information that stopped at least two planned terrorist attacks on American soil that would have killed thousands of Americans.”

In a recent interview with NBC’s Today Show host Matt Lauer excerpted on al-JazeeraEnglish, Mr. Bush defended his actions:

“One of the high value al-Qaeda operatives was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. And they said, ‘he’s got information.’ And I said, ‘Find out what he knows.’ And so I said to our team, ‘Are the techniques legal?’ and a legal team says, ‘yes they are.’ And I said, “Use ’em.”

Following a statement by an unnamed British legal expert who defines waterboarding as torture, al-JazeeraEnglish correspondent Laurence Lee says: “Bush, though, seems unrepentant as ever.”

Bush: “I will tell you this. Using those techniques saved lives. My job was to protect America. And I did.”

Given the absence of any major terror incident in the United States in the seven years of the Bush Administration following 9/11, it would be hard even for the ACLU to argue with that.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: aclu; antiamerican; bush; democrats; doj; dojisajoke; holder; liberalfascism; obama; progressives; soros; spookydude
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1 posted on 11/19/2010 5:49:37 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Right after we get to the case where the ACLU is prosecuted for treason.


2 posted on 11/19/2010 5:50:34 AM PST by a fool in paradise (The establishment clause isn't just against my OWN government establishing state religion in America)
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To: Kaslin

...time to defund the ACLU also.........


3 posted on 11/19/2010 5:50:58 AM PST by Doogle ((USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Kaslin

I want to tort the ACLU.............


4 posted on 11/19/2010 5:51:17 AM PST by Red Badger (The House finally fell on Nancy Pelosi..........)
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To: Kaslin

Hmmm

If the TSA next pulls our panties over our heads, can we get Manpolitano prosecuted for torture?


5 posted on 11/19/2010 5:51:57 AM PST by silverleaf (All that is necessary for evil to succeed, is that good men do nothing)
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To: Kaslin

That he kept this great country save after 9/11 means obviously nothing to the American Communist Liars Union


6 posted on 11/19/2010 5:52:57 AM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: Kaslin

Perhaps Holder would give him a civilian trial.


7 posted on 11/19/2010 5:53:12 AM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: a fool in paradise

They need to be the subject of investigation and perhaps even some “lawfare”.

Perhaps someone needs to step up a campaign against them in the media, exposing their communist origins and their record of only attacking traditional values and always siding against America.


8 posted on 11/19/2010 5:54:01 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: a fool in paradise
Another organization funded and influenced by Soros
9 posted on 11/19/2010 5:54:29 AM PST by opentalk
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To: Kaslin

ACLU = Antiamerican Communist Libertine Union.


10 posted on 11/19/2010 5:56:00 AM PST by wendy1946
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To: Doogle

“...time to defund the ACLU also.........”

It’s long PAST time to do so!!!


11 posted on 11/19/2010 5:56:11 AM PST by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified Decartes))
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To: Kaslin

Where was the ACLU when Holder dismissed the Philly black panther case when voters were intimidated???

Where is the ACLU in defending a hiding Molly Morris who sponsored the draw Mohamed day in Seattle???

Where is the ACLU when ObamaCare demands we all buy health insurance whether we want to or not???


12 posted on 11/19/2010 5:56:24 AM PST by Le Chien Rouge
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To: Kaslin

“ACLU Wants to Prosecute President Bush for ‘Torture’”

Who listens when scu&bags speak?

Just asking.


13 posted on 11/19/2010 5:56:24 AM PST by ripley
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To: Kaslin

states that waterboarding is “torture”

I’d like to see the ACLU try this...the backlash would be a tidal wave.


14 posted on 11/19/2010 5:58:48 AM PST by y6162
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To: MrB

Don’t expect the LSM to do this


15 posted on 11/19/2010 6:02:42 AM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: Le Chien Rouge

And when have they ever defended the right to bear arms?


16 posted on 11/19/2010 6:03:45 AM PST by fruser1
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To: Kaslin

I stand with George W. Bush, the last great president of the USA,

As we do not currently have a president.


17 posted on 11/19/2010 6:05:03 AM PST by chris37
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To: ripley
Eric Holder could be listening. The wording of the ACLU statement implies that the Justice Department is still considering going after the lower-level people (we haven't heard much about that lately). It may all boil down to whether Obama thinks it helps him more with his base to go after Bush with a prosecution, or hurts him more with other Americans. Everything is political with this team.

Has the ACLU said anything about the airport screenings and gropings controversy?

18 posted on 11/19/2010 6:09:24 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: chris37
I stand with George W. Bush, the last great president of the USA,

and the best of this century

19 posted on 11/19/2010 6:11:23 AM PST by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: Kaslin
'Criminally Negligent Manslaughter'

There are numerous cases in which an omission to act or a failure to perform a duty constitutes criminally negligent manslaughter. The existence of a duty is essential. Since the law does not recognize that an ordinary person has a duty to aid or rescue another in distress, an ensuing death from failure to act would not be manslaughter. On the other hand, an omission in which one has a duty, such as the failure of a lifeguard to attempt to save a drowning person, might constitute the offense.

Or for failing in his DUTY to secure the border and/or enforce immigration laws, resulting in numerous crimes during his term as President. Include Chertoff, Obama, and Napolitano.

20 posted on 11/19/2010 6:13:13 AM PST by DTogo (High time to bring back the Sons of Liberty !!)
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