In this article, Charlie Savage of The New York Times, outlines some of the difficulties in prosecuting those that authored the interrogation memos.
No doubt.
There is never an easy path when high level authority is involved in investigation and/or prosecution. No doubt these 'lawyers' (I hesitate to call them attorneys.) will drag out the 'justice' process as best they can, both as individuals and as a collective (Safety in Numbers).
However, when it comes to 'the end of the road' what they are all going to be too willing to do, is indict those in the Executive Branch that 'sanctioned' their opinion regardless of its 'purposefully poor opining.' Don't even try to tell me, "Captain Power" in the Oval Office didn't say, "Make It So." They all may as well state NOW, "The Executive Office solicited the 'Purposeful Opinion' and in the throes of September 11th we had no recourse among us to deny the act.' They may as well get it over with now. They might even be left with some dignity.
McCain on December 10, 2007 regarding destroyed CIA Tapes is below.
December 10, 2007 (video time reading 09:59 - 07:02) (From the tape above)
Destruction of CIA tapes was absolutely wrong….in a larger sense, it harms the credibility and the moral standing of America in the world again. There will be skepticism and cynicism all over the world of how we treat prisoners and whether we practice torture or not…Abu Ghraib was the best recruiting tool they (al Qaeda) had…I think it should be investigated…We are also setting up a false argument here between torture and moral high ground. That doesn’t have to be. We can keep the moral high ground without torturing people. Torture gives you reliable and unreliable information and why most people don’t do it….The Army Field Manual gives them every tool they need…
Below is the 'sameness' statement of McCain in 2009, except for this. "...But, are you going to prosecute people for bad legal advice? Are you going to keep on down this road...for maybe...the element of settling old political scores...no administration, I believe, would ever do this again?..."
Please See The Video Below in the next entry. Bob Schieffer manages to victimize the victim when he states, "...he has really opened a can of worms."
Excuse me, but, this is NOT President Obama's Can of Worms. That 'can of worms' sits directly on Former President Bush's desk and that of his administration. Kindly, get that straight. The media seems to think all this can 'discreetly' be swept under the carpet.
John McCain isn't qualified to ask the Obama Administration for a 'slap on the wrist' for the "W"rong advise.
This reference (click here) is regarding 'Bad Advice' by William Simon at Columbia Law School. It doesn't speak to the issue of torture, but, it lays out clearly the 'parameters' of legal practice in 'producing' bad advice at the client's request. John McCain overlooks the fact there are many lawyers involved in this 'episodic' and 'sustained' decision to proceed with an agenda of torture within the USA Department of Defense, OVER AND ABOVE, what is allowed in the Army Field Manual and potential precedent.
There wasn't one lawyer that is cited in the memos that ever stated there was a possiblity this was 'bad legal advise.' Not ONE.
John McCain is not only unqualified to speak regarding the issue, he is proposing to state that MANY of those that 'signed off' on these torture procedures are capable of 'bad legal advise' as a collective. Where does that come from, except, he and the RNC as well as every Republican pundit on the planet believe this is the "Nuremberg Trials" that will put the final nail in the coffin of the RNC.
McCain's pandering statements, such as, "...no administration (meaning future UNKNOWN administrations) would ever do this again." That is simply a bizarre statement. It indicates that Georgie Bush and his administration are guilty of any and all allogations, but, in realizing that guilt we should all be good sports and it will never happen again.
Is that CLASSIC Republican remorse or what? "It will never happen again Mommy, I promise. As God as my witness, it will never happen again." Please tell me this Republican Senior Stateman is not treating the American People as children. Please tell me that.
John McCain has hit rock bottom here and maybe that is what he intended. If the nation feels sorry enough for him we might actually look the other way on the ONE time in the history of the USA we were the world's enemy.
Dear God, John, what are you thinking. The USA was 'contained' in an unending war in Iraq by the world for God sake! The illegal invasion into Iraq was going to be the last illegal invasion the USA would ever see in its history regardless of the innocent people that were to die because there was a MADMAN at the switch with his finger on the nuclear button. And McCain wants us to look the other way in HOPES of this never happening again. Where does he think the 'return to credibility' is going to come from? Where? The Republicans are astounding in their pleading for forgiveness. Absolutely astounding.