General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama is BOUND BY LAW to prosecute torture. [View all]Prophet 451
(9,796 posts)Let me state upfront that I believe everyone involved, from the politicians who ordered it, to the staff who signed off on it, to the troops who enacted it, should be charged and tried for war crimes. They must not be tortured in turn, they must receive a fair and public trial and a decent defence counsel. Should they be found guilty, they should be imprisoned for the rest of their lives, however long that may be.
Having said that, you don't really think the law matters here, do you? Firstly, the US has wiped it's ass with international law for years. Secondly, Obama is, above all else, a politician and charging the CheneyBush regime would be characterised by the Republicans (and therefore, by the media) as sour grapes, payback for impeaching Clinton and/or part of Obama's nefarious scheme to turn the USA into a Communist gulag because he's a Kenyan clone of Stalin working for the Illuminati/New World Order/Jewish bankers and the GOP would impeach him even faster than they're going to anyway.
No, I don't think the president should be above the law. But I also recognize that, in practice, he is above the law. Watergate wouldn't even make the papers today. The reigns of Reagan and W concentrated an incredible amount of power in the executive and while restrained by the law on paper, in practice, the president is above the law. It's not right, it's not fair and it's not how things should be. But it's how things are.