Condi Rice Pulls A Nixon: When the President Does It, That Means It is Not Illegal

[mod mom]

Condi Rice Pulls A Nixon: When the President Does It, That Means It is Not Illegal

Cenk UygurHost of The Young Turks
Posted April 30, 2009 | 04:06 AM (EST)

Condoleezza Rice was recently speaking at Stanford when students asked her an excellent question on waterboarding and torture. They have her answer on tape and it isn't pretty. Condi Rice absolutely pulls a Nixon.

Here are the relevant quotes:

"The president instructed us that nothing we would do would be outside of our obligations, legal obligations under the Convention Against Torture."
Nothing we would do? Nothing? As I ask in the video above, what would happen if the president authorized you to murder someone, would it still not be illegal?

Next up, Condoleezza Rice denies any personal responsibility:

"I didn't authorize anything. I conveyed the authorization of the administration to the agency, that they had policy authorization, subject to the Justice Department's clearance. That's what I did."
Oh I see, she just conveyed the authorization. And how is that different than giving the authorization?

By the way, lest we forget she "conveyed" the authorization for waterboarding, which has been considered torture and illegal under any and all treaties and laws of the United States. That is exactly why this is a legal hot potato that no one wants to get stuck holding at the end of the day. Here she pushes the blame on to two different entities - President Bush and the Justice Department.

Now, the final coup de grace - once the president authorized it, it became legal:

"The United States was told, we were told, nothing that violates our obligations under the Convention Against Torture, and so by definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention Against Torture." (emphasis added)
That is as close as you can get to Richard Nixon's infamous comment, "When the president does it, that means it is not illegal."

video of Cenk's coverage at link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/condi-rice-pulls-a-nixon_b_193379.html

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. "L'etat c'est moi". The Unitary Executive. They openly touted that ridiculous theory. nt

[Hissyspit]

31. DU Video HERE:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=305364&mesg_id=305364

[NewJeffCT]

2. Whose authorization did she convey?

was it Bush doing the authorizing? Or, did it go farther up the chain to Cheney?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

10. Exactly. Oops! the aspens are starting to fall. Root rot! nt

[ihavenobias]

23. Ha, ha...

:)

[Mika]

3. You can see her say it here..

Condi Rice Answers Student's Question on Torture
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x305364

[madokie]

4. Well condi explain that to the judge

is all I can say to her. The dick, w, rummy and condi are all going to be getting their day in court before this is all said and done is my guess.

[Toucano]

7. +1

I hope she will be obligated to "tell it to the judge".

[closeupready]

5. Oh, PLEASE, Condi Rice! Stop with that bureaucratic fucking doublespeak!

You are so full of SHIT. :mad:

[merh]

6. and how many Nazi's said "Hitler said we could do it, I was just

relaying his orders."

Bitch knows she is in deep shit, I hope all of them have sleepless nights.

[mod mom]

8. not to mention the Japanese soldiers who were executed had orders from above.

I hope the students at Stanford hound her into the shame she appears to lack!

[ihavenobias]

35. Amen. n/t

[Booster]

9. And that worked so well for Nixon.

[Wednesdays]

33. Actually, it did.

How much jail time did Nixon do, again?
Ollie North?
Cap Weinberger?
Kenny Lay?

The slimiest at the top always walk.

[Booster]

39. Don't think for a minute that Nixon wasn't crushed. He was a

broken, miserable man - course, he was broke and miserable before.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

11. Condi, by definition, you're a criminal.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

12. The consiglieri says to the capo - "The Godfather says deliver the hit."

and then later claims lawyer client privilege for the conversation with the Godfather.

I think this is exactly what is happening when the Bush admin claims executive privilege.

[ihavenobias]

13. Hissypit posted the video here at DU.

He posted it late last night otherwise I'm guessing it would have more recs by now, but oh well:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x305364

[mod mom]

14. I did a search but on GD. I, and my guess others @ DU, don't always make the rounds

at the political videos forum unless I'm notified by someone, or looking for something specific. Anyway, what I posted was Cenk's written Huff Po piece that ALSO included TYT's video.

This was not an intentional slight to Hissy's thread. :hi:

[ihavenobias]

25. Oh no, you took it the wrong way!

I just wanted to make sure everyone saw the video in the video section since it was posted so late at night (unfortunately).

This story is currently the top rated diary at DailyKos, and the #1 most viewed and commented story at Huffington Post, and it's been picked up by Andrew Sullivan, Think Progress, FiredogLake, etc. I'm a little disappointed by the (lack of) reaction here.

[Froward69]

15. And she wonders why

she still has no job... :rofl:

[mod mom]

17. According to this she is back at Stanford. Note her email is listed in case some would like to

comment on her total devotion to the former (illegitimate) pResident:

http://fsi.stanford.edu/people/condoleezzarice/

[ananda]

16. Don't worry Kindasleezy..

.. you can still wear shoes and play the
piano in elite prison.

[pleah]

18. After her first statement the students should have said

that we executed people for the exact same thing. Why no one follows up with that bit of information when these dumb asses say we did not break the law on torture, is beyond me.

[mod mom]

21. they probably recall the "don't taze me bro" episode.

[Seldona]

19. K&R

A true Nixon moment. Condi, I though you were supposed to be smart? Evil, but smart. That was amateur hour cover-up, at best.

[ConcernedCanuk]

20. Rice Pulls A Nixon - lol - first thing I thought, "Is that what Dim-son calls his weiner?"

.
.
.

:silly:

sorry - that's just the way my canuk brain related

after all

Nixon was a "dick" in more ways than one.

:dunce:

yeah

that's how serious I think anything that Condolezza Rice has to say is worth thinking about

right up there with wolfowitz, rumsfeld, perle, powell, and any other "human" that progressed the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

scum

worth less than pig-shit

yeah

I'm angry - and REALLY disappointed that the Iraq and Afghan invasions/occupations/genocides continue.

USA WILL PAY FOR THIS

but unfortunately, it will most likely be the innocent that had nothing at all to do with these invasions/occupations/genocides.

The rich will walk away,

bailouts in hand

laughing

(sigh)

[JuniperLea]

22. Oh, she's merely a "pass through" domestic terrorist

I get it now.

[pardesidude7]

24. ofcourse

she's just a permanent yes woman for the bush administration

[OhioChick]

26. K&R

:kick:

[closeupready]

27. Another thing: doesn't she have a responsibility to READ the Convention for herself?

In other words, as Secretary of State, it is true, is it not, that she has a responsibility to the American people to independently confirm what the Convention Against Torture said as to waterboarding, rather than simply rely upon what any other member of the administration told her?

[20score]

28. K&R

[malaise]

29. Sorry Condi

You're a war criminal

[ColbertWatcher]

30. It's not ispo facto; it's NIXO facto ...

... http://www.wikiality.com/Nixo-facto

[ihavenobias]

32. Kick. This should be on the front page, just like at Dkos and HuffPo. n/t

[Badgerman]

34. Condi is, and always was a sociopathic toady. Nothing more. n/t

[Octafish]

36. Where'd she get THAT idea?

[rustydog]

37. I guess she is lucky Bush didn't anally rape her and kill her then

..because, by her own words; if the decider does it, it is LEEGAL!

These incompetent assholes actually believed rove could create a permanent GOP majority and they would never have to answer for their crimes.

now they are panicking.

[TankLV]

44. How do we know he/she/they didn't FREQUENTLY play that game?!!!!

ewwwwww!!!

MY EYES!

MY EYES!

[CherylK]

38. K & R!!!

:kick:

[Jawja]

40. When a REPUBLICAN President does it, it's

not illegal.

[mod mom]

41. Does anyone know if this made network news?

[Vinca]

42. Condi would look good in prison orange.

[ihavenobias]

43. Kick n/t