Not everyone will appreciate this... but the torturers have already been held accountable in a sense

[CTLawGuy]

It has historically been difficult to hold government officials accountable in the legal system for their excesses--Truman (Atomic Bomb attack on Japan, i.e. mass murder of Japanese civilians), Johnson (Gulf of Tonkin fiasco), Nixon (Watergate), Reagan (Iran-Contra), and now Bush (torture, Iraq, Spying).

But there is a way to hold them accountable in the political system. I seriously believe that Bush's torture and spying activities contributed to his unpopularity, and his unpopularity spread to other members of his party including John McCain who wore Bush as an albatross around his neck and Repub members of congress, many of whom lost their seats starting in 06. Bush may still stain the Republican party in 10 and 12.

Because of Bush's excesses, the Republicans have paid a heavy price at the ballot box, and the lesson to be learned is that the American people reject this sort of behavior by their government and will not return people who engage in this behavior to office.

Now would I prefer that those responsible go to jail? Sure. But lack of legal action against government officials is not new, but it has historical precedent. There are practical considerations that people who actually must GOVERN face; that never occur to us as outsiders. I trust Obama's decision because his background has been as a community organizer and a civil rights lawyer working to make the world a better place, a man who gave up a wall street white shoe firm job to fight for the have-nots. Bascially I trust him because of who he is, and I know that his heart is in the right place.

I know not everyone will be comforted by this, but it IS something.

[BlooInBloo]

1. C'mon dude. Seriously. C'mon.

[tekisui]

2. What a stretch. That means absolutely nothing.

[CTLawGuy]

3. does it?

spying and torture didn't contribute to Bush's unpopularity? Do you think Republicans feel there has been no consequences for this?

[Atman]

6. Why do you feel this is a Republican/Democratic political issue, not a LEGAL issue?

I wish I could use some of the ridiculous rationalizations posted here in a real court of law if I ever get the opportunity.

"Your honor, I've already paid a heavy price for my crimes...my wife is really, really mad at me!"

Yeah. I see your point.

Good gawd.

.

[CTLawGuy]

7. you aren't president

I didn't notice Nixon, Truman or Reagan being "brought to justice".

It sucks, but it's different when you're in the government.

[tekisui]

8. The repukes didn't lose because of torture and spying.

That wasn't even much of a campaign issue. They lost because we had a strong candidate, and they were sprinting into a recession and an unpopular war.

I would say the Katrina response, Iraq, and the economy is what made the repukes so unpopular. When torture of spying were brought up, the reaction was largely to gloss over it as liberal wimpiness to question it. Torture and spying were sold as a necessary and bold action by the M$M at the time. The anger against it has been hard to breach into the narrative majority.

Justice is when the rag-holding waterboarder up to the Commander-in-Chief are indicted tried and sentenced.

[Atman]

4. Oooh...people don't like Republicans because Bush tortured. JUSTICE SERVED!

You can't be serious. Really...you can't. Right?

.

[CTLawGuy]

5. you're partially right

but this may be the only justice we get.

[Towlie]

9. If that's "the only justice we get" then we don't get any justice.

[ProSense]

10. "Because of Bush's excesses, the Republicans have paid a heavy price at the ballot box"

You think losing an election is the same as prosecuting war crimes?

[lame54]

11. But they are still sitting on huge piles of OUR money

[noamnety]

12. Maybe some of them will also receive

a tersely worded letter.

[Kaleko]

13. I get your point.

It IS gratifying that roughly 75 % of the voters in this country are repudiating BushCo behavior now, and every day their numbers increase as the fallout from those last eight years becomes more clear.

The price we're all paying for this lesson is horrendous, though, and it terrifies me to know that we're not finished experiencing the blowback for what we have collectively allowed to happen.

Americans are the new Germans now, history has repeated itself - except, this time the new Germans have elected a bi-racial community organizer by the name of (god help us, praise be to Allah!) Barack Hussein Obama.

Yeah, nothing changes, except when suddenly there's a paradigm shift.