I have seen numerous replies to various posts

[yeoman6987]

Saying that Bush and Chaney need to be brought to The Hague. How can this happen? It can't. There is not anyway possible. We are not under their jurisdiction. We are not members. The only thing that could be done is three things, the justice department could bring charges, the Congress could arrest them or the UN could kicks us out. The third option would virtually destroy the UN so that won't happen. The first two are possible but doubtful. I don't know of anyway they will be punished in any meaningful way. Suggestions?

[snooper2]

1. The best that could happen is tarnish their legacies forever as stupid+evil assholes

Everything else is just people on the intertubes seeing who can say "Burn the Fuckers!" louder. Some of those sites may just be looking for clicks

[TreasonousBastard]

2. True dat. History will be their judge, although...

we might wish something a bit more punitive right now.

[treestar]

3. To my mind Cheney is punished

by his loss of power and status and his desperate attempts to double down must humiliate him. And that's a good thing.

Bush can't be punished, he's too dumb.

[shraby]

4. We signed the Geneva Conventions and that makes them a part of our

constitution. Read them, you might learn a thing or two.
They outlaw torture, there is no statute of limitations, if the offending country doesn't prosecute the perps, other members of the Convention have a duty to bring them to justice.

[frazzled]

5. I don't even think your third option is viable

Since this program was ended definitively on January 20, 2009, by executive order, banning all torture and all interrogation procedures not in compliance with the Geneva Conventions and the Army Field Manual .... I doubt the UN would act to remove the US. Why kick out a country for policies that occurred in the past and have since been reversed. Even Germany was eventually admitted to the UN, after a horrendous recent past.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/EnsuringLawfulInterrogations

[Nye Bevan]

6. Also, if this was possible, why could Obama not be prosecuted for the drone attacks? (nt)

[hfojvt]

7. the notion of punishment seems backward to me

Although our entire system seems to be built on it. I mean here you have a crime (let's say it is very clear)

Person X harms person Y in some way that is against the law.

So then what does society do.

Society then goes through a process to determine if they/we can legally harm person X.

That does very little for person Y, or their family. It's "an eye for an eye". It provides some satisfaction to the person who has lost the eye, but it doesn't do things like a) pay for the medical bills, or b) pay for the lost wages because of the medical issues, or c) provide any sort of compensation to the person who will live the rest of their life with only one eye.

Our society, our world has a lot of problems. There is a lot of, presumably preventable, human suffering. I don't see how "punishing Bush and Cheney" help fix any of it, much less needs to be such a priority.

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. So life should be a free-for-all with no consequences?

Interesting outlook.

[tularetom]

8. I like the idea of Obama pardoning both bush and cheney for war crimes and human rights violations

And rice, rumsfeld, etc. etc. etc. It's more or less a tacit acknowledgement that they are guilty of a lot of evil shit, but there really isn't a lot we can do about them.

And the pardon will be there in black and white forever. They will always be known as the American administration that was pardoned for violations of international law.

[GeorgeGist]

9. Discontinue Secret Service protection ...

to any and all of them.