Move Along. Nothing To See Here

President Obama is getting kudos for releasing the Bush torture memos (as he should). However, by his own statement, the president is basically saying, "Yes we tortured. Yes it was wrong, but I am not going to prosecute because it would divide the country (very Lincolnesque) ." He uses the CIA operatives as his shield, but who cares about the small fry anyway?

In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution. The men and women of our intelligence community serve courageously on the front lines of a dangerous world. Their accomplishments are unsung and their names unknown, but because of their sacrifices, every single American is safer. We must protect their identities as vigilantly as they protect our security, and we must provide them with the confidence that they can do their jobs.

This is a time for reflection, not retribution. I respect the strong views and emotions that these issues evoke. We have been through a dark and painful chapter in our history. But at a time of great challenges and disturbing disunity, nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past. Our national greatness is embedded in America’s ability to right its course in concert with our core values, and to move forward with confidence. That is why we must resist the forces that divide us, and instead come together on behalf of our common future.

As I said, who cares about the small fry? What about the big fish? I want the senior officials in the Bush administration, the ones who ordered the torture, the ones who ordered these memos distributed, to face justice. Obama is saying, he can't do that because Republicans might get pissed off. Well, too bad. The law is clear. You torture you go to jail. The law doesn't say, you torture you go to jail, unless that makes you angry. If Obama walks away from this, he is a guilty as Bush and even more so because he is making a cold, calculated decision to let torturers get away with their crimes. Disgusting.

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