An Old Defense Strategy

I see Michael Isikoff on the Rachel Maddow show, telling everyone that it's going to be really hard to convict anyone from the Bush administration of abuses, because of their defense, which, in brief, consists of something along the following lines:

"I vas chust following orders! I vas following ze legal directives of my leaders!"

Here are the last guys who tried that line of legal reasoning:













It didn't work for them, in case you don't remember. It damn well better not work for our war criminals.

Comments

Derek said…
It would also be difficult unless they find some "abuses" that were actually illegal.
Green Eagle said…
Derek,

Torture is illegal.
Lying to Congress is illegal.
Extracting false information from prisoners for the purpose of justifying an attack on an innocent country is not a technical violation, but a war crime, pure and simple.

Do I need to go on?

Of course, Bush and Cheney committed no crimes remotely on the level of what the Nazis did, but "out of small acorns, great oaks do grow." The deaths resulting from Bush and Cheney's behavior may be measured in the dozens or hundreds, not the millions. Let's see that it stops with that.
Derek said…
the US method of waterboarding is listed as torture under any provision. period.

Even if it was torture, it would be legal under international law because they are unlawful combatants.

Who lied to Congress? Even if they did lie, it would be an ethics violation, not a criminal act.

"Extracting false information from prisoners for the purpose of justifying an attack on an innocent country is not a technical violation, but a war crime, pure and simple."

If you are suggesting Iraq, then you must be mistaken. When were prisoner testimonies ever used in the justification for going to war. All I heard from Bush was humanitarian military intervention, freedom, and WMDs. And no, that isn't a war crime.

"Do I need to go on?"

No, you need to explain and back up what you say.

"Bush and Cheney committed no crimes remotely on the level of what the Nazis did"

Godwin's law lol.

"The deaths resulting from Bush and Cheney's behavior may be measured in the dozens or hundreds, not the millions. Let's see that it stops with that."

You cannot say it was illegal because their actions somehow led to the death of certain individuals, but rather that the actions committed were illegal. Declaring war was legal, if that is what you were eluding to.
One thing these jokers learned is to not testify under oath. The perjury gets them every time.

That's why I think the Cheney's and the rest will avoid any oath taking. They're scumbags. Not stupid.
Green Eagle said…
Truth 101,

Right on there, buddy.

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