From The Blog of Legal Times:
Attorney General nominee Eric Holder Jr., in response to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy's first question, said unequivocally that waterboarding amounts to torture.
The question, which nearly sunk the nomination of Attorney General Michael Mukasey, means Holder will have to make a decision, if confirmed, whether to investigate Bush administration officials who condoned the use of the tactic on suspected terrorists.
Could the rule of law be in danger of returning to Washington?
"Change we can believe in" has been done to death. I'll believe it when I see it -- though competence alone is a refreshing breeze. Holder, however, has made some fairly unequivocal statements:
"I agree with you chairman that waterboarding is torture," Holder said. He also said U.S. officials could be held accountable for transferring prisoners to the custody of foreign agents who use such tactics.
..."Mr. Chairman, no one is above the law," Holder said."The president acts most forcefully when he acts consistent with congressional intent."
Holder said interrogation methods in the Obama administration would be consistent with treaty obligations.
This alone is great. Perpwalks are better.
Holder's testimony certainly seems to indicate a willingness to enforce the letter and spirit of the law -- including the Geneva Conventions. It would be hard to overstate the relief I feel at hearing an attorney general nominee offer unequivocal statements on the question of torture. The issue is not complex, at its root. The only thing that separates the "good guys" from the "bad guys" in the realms of war and international relations, is that there are some things that the white hats simply will not do.
We've been doing a lot of those things lately.
I'm hopeful (there's that word again) that not only will that change, but that some of those responsible for doing them in our name will be brought to justice. Though not, likely, to righteousness.
From the LIVEBLOG:
Its a sad goddamned day in America (20+ / 0-)
when a simple, obvious statement of fact like "waterboarding is torture" elicits cheers and, yet here I sit with tears welling up.
Fucking Bush.
The goal is not to bring your adversaries to their knees but to their senses. -- Mahatma Gandhi
by kingubu on Thu Jan 15, 2009 at 10:35:30 AM EST