Are there no limits of civilized behavior that’s not subject to be waived away by legal sophistry?
At the core of the legal arguments were the views of Yoo, strongly backed by David Addington, Vice President Dick Cheney’s legal counsel, that the president’s wartime powers were essentially unlimited and included the authority to override laws passed by Congress, such as a statute banning the use of torture. Pressed on his views in an interview with OPR investigators, Yoo was asked:
“What about ordering a village of resistants to be massacred? … Is that a power that the president could legally—”
“Yeah,” Yoo replied, according to a partial transcript included in the report. “Although, let me say this: So, certainly, that would fall within the commander-in-chief’s power over tactical decisions.”
“To order a village of civilians to be [exterminated]?” the OPR investigator asked again.
“Sure,” said Yoo.
Apparently not. No limits on barbarity and no moral bright lines these people would not cross.
Punishing Yoo and Bybee would have set a healthy precedent regarding the use of torture. The American collective conscience seems to want to sweep our continued championing of a right to torture whoever and whenever the mood strikes the President under the carpet. Some, perhaps more fragile minded, knee jerk “patriots”, can’t simultaneously hold both American exceptionalism and the plain fact we tortured prisoners in their brain. The cognitive dissonance is apparently just too much. Owwww brain hurt…
I’m shocked Yoo skated on the torture memos. It’s a travesty.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/yev3h6d