Obama would ask his AG to "immediately review" potential of crimes in White House

[proud2BlibKansan]

Tonight I had an opportunity to ask Barack Obama a question that is on the minds of many Americans, yet rarely rises to the surface in the great ruckus of the 2008 presidential race -- and that is whether an Obama administration would seek to prosecute officials of a former Bush administration on the revelations that they greenlighted torture, or for other potential crimes that took place in the White House.

Obama said that as president he would indeed ask his new Attorney General and his deputies to "immediately review the information that's already there" and determine if an inquiry is warranted -- but he also tread carefully on the issue, in line with his reputation for seeking to bridge the partisan divide. He worried that such a probe could be spun as "a partisan witch hunt." However, he said that equation changes if there was willful criminality, because "nobody is above the law."

The question was inspired by a recent report by ABC News, confirmed by the Associated Press, that high-level officials including Vice President Dick Cheney and former Cabinet secretaries Colin Powell, John Ashcroft and Donald Rumsfeld, among others, met in the White House and discussed the use of waterboarding and other torture techniques on terrorism suspects.

I mentioned the report in my question, and said "I know you've talked about reconciliation and moving on, but there's also the issue of justice, and a lot of people -- certainly around the world and certainly within this country -- feel that crimes were possibly committed" regarding torture, rendition, and illegal wiretapping. I wanted to know how whether his Justice Department "would aggressively go after and investigate whether crimes have been committed."

more . . .

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Barack_on_torture.html

[derby378]

1. He damn well better!

In fact, at the inauguration ceremony, when Obama gives his speech, I expect him to announce investigations right there on the podium.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Amen

He damn well better.

[DaDooRonRon]

2. Nothing but chickens@*t pandering

Read the salient part again :

"immediately review the information that's already there" and determine if an inquiry is warranted -- but he also tread carefully on the issue, in line with his reputation for seeking to bridge the partisan divide. He worried that such a probe could be spun as "a partisan witch hunt." However, he said that equation changes if there was willful criminality, because "nobody is above the law."

He'll "review", he'll "tread carefully", he seeks to "bridge the partisan divide".

Here's the translation - I won't do jack shit about it, but I'll provide just enough of a snippet so the groupies will get all damp in the pants and come out to vote in November.

Honestly folks, haven't we been down the bullshit road long enough to know that the only place it goes is over a cliff?

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. Well, which other candidate is even talking about this?

:)

[DaDooRonRon]

10. It doesn't matter

It's what they will DO.

Hell, Bush ran his whole freakin' campaign on "changing the culture of Washington."

Campaign words don't mean shit.

All he (Obama) is doing is what any good pol (now THERE'S an oxymoron) would do - telling the people what they want to hear.

Liberal red meat, conservative red meat - no difference in how it s presented, and (usually) no difference in how it's cooked.

I'll bet the ranch that if Obama is elected that Bush will skate "so as not to further wound an already wounded nation."

See, I can even write his speeches for him in advance. :)

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Of course it matters

The other candidates are not even bringing it up.

[DaDooRonRon]

15. So????

He won't DO anything about it.

He can bring up anything he wants if he has no plans to act on it.

Seriously, do you think he'll get within 100 miles of anything to do with Bush if he gets elected?

He'll run away from that bastard so fast it will make heads spin in Asia.

I'll actually argue that it is far worse that he broach the subject, for all it will do will crush the hopes of those who believe him.

Call me cynical, but this is just a ploy to keep those pesky "progressives" in line.

Or at least the ones who pretend to be. :)

[merh]

11. Hillary can't make the same statement, can't call for investigations

her husband, Bill, is the one that began the extraordinary rendition program in 1995, he authorized it - his hands are dirty - he farmed folks out to be tortured which at that time was a clear violation of the torture statue on the books.

[ClassWarrior]

16. Any port in a storm, my friend. Remember, Obama represents nothing more...

...than an opportunity for Progressives -- if we have the cojones to seize it and demand our nation's due.

CUNY Professor Frances Fox Piven on a recent Democracy Now!:

You know, in 1932, FDR didn’t run with a good program; he ran with the same program the Democrats had run with in 1924 and 1928, and that wasn’t a good program. But nevertheless, his rhetoric encouraged people who were suffering as a result of the Depression—working people, the unemployed—and helped to fuel the movements, which then forced FDR to support initiatives which he otherwise would not have supported, including the right to organize...

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/2/6/super_tuesday_roundtable_with_bill_fletcher

NGU.

[onehandle]

3. Dupe several times over. Also, just election year talk.

Bush will pardon his cronies and No President will investigate or prosecute him.

I believe that Obama is in some sort of institution called "Congress." Why not push for investigations now when Bush can be gotten?

Next year he will be out and untouched.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Other responses to this article:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3164702&mesg_id=3164702

[ClassWarrior]

7. Finally, Bush/Cheney** crimes are on a leading candidate's radar!!

:bounce:

Visualize it.

NGU.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. MTE

My thoughts exactly. I am thrilled to even see this mentioned by a candidate.

[invictus]

8. We need a special investigator to cover 8 years of corruption including the no-bid contracts n/t

[merh]

14. it won't happen under Hillary

no-bid contracts were awarded to Halliburton for work in Bosnia and Kosovo during Bill's administration.

[flvegan]

13. "...determine if an inquiry is warranted..." wtf?

At least he's just ignorant, rather than totally complicit like the other one.

[ClassWarrior]

17. Oh, c'mon! Every legal proceeding needs an official discovery process.

You can't be that clueless...

:crazy:

NGU.