General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama is BOUND BY LAW to prosecute torture. [View all]branford
(4,462 posts)strength, the fact that most Americans don't care about torture, and the legal and political precedent either a domestic or foreign prosecution would set. I think you already knew this, as well as vastly underestimate Cheney's popularity with large segments of the country.
Again, you keep on conflating what you want to be the repercussions of torture as somehow providing a basis to compel Obama or any other current or future official to prosecute. Your beliefs and motivations might be noble, but they do not change American law or alter fundamentals of politics and popular opinion.
I would also note that every president from both parties has engaged in what could generously be described as "dubious" conduct with regards to human rights and war crimes in defense of the American people. Other world leaders from democracies to tyrannies have acted likewise. I doubt the political unicorn you would want for president would ever be elected, and once in office, just like Obama, would almost always choose less savory options over risks to the safety and security of real Americans. Governing a country is not some college sociology seminar, real lives are routinely at risk, and every president ultimately makes unscrupulous choices.