General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama is BOUND BY LAW to prosecute torture. [View all]branford
(4,462 posts)Polls that shows majority of American support torture, and the support in actually growing:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/senate-torture-report-public-opinion/
You can frame the questions any way you wish, but regardless of your moral positions, the American public opinion is increasingly sympathetic to the use of torture.
If you've read even a fraction of my posts, you know that I did not argue that torture "protects" Obama, but rather that all presidential administrations engage in often questionable conduct to protect American citizens, and that to protect themselves against later prosecution, they will no prosecute prior administrations. You may find that distasteful, but the notion is hardly surprising.
You inquire as to whether treaties mean something if we have discretion not to abide by them. That is a philosophical question you need to answer for yourself. Nevertheless, the president still has the authority and discretion to choose whether to prosecute, and even if he does not, that will not affect whether the USA abides by the vast majority of its numerous treaty obligations concerning innumerable matters or the fact that other countries are eager to enter into agreements with us about commercial, military, security, environmental, social and other issues.