Yoo's Memo Hints at Bush's Secrets

[babylonsister]

Yoo's Memo Hints at Bush's Secrets
Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2008-04-06 18:59.

By Jason Leopold, www.consortiumnews.com



The Pentagon’s declassification of a five-year-old memo authorizing military interrogators to use brutal methods to extract information from prisoners at Guantanamo Bay sheds new light into the dark corners of the Bush administration’s legal theories that put the President and his subordinates beyond domestic and international law.

In the March 14, 2003, memo – which was released this past week – administration lawyer John Yoo cited the principle of national “self-defense” in combating terrorism as grounds for justifying harsh treatment of detainees up to and including death.

Yet, as Yoo advanced his argument for virtually unfettered presidential war-time powers regarding the treatment of prisoners, the memo also pointed to other still-secret documents suggesting the administration was prepared to take its authority even further, into domestic military operations that would brush aside constitutional protections.

Yoo footnoted one of his earlier memos, dated Oct. 23, 2001, entitled "Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities Within the United States.” According to the footnote, that memo “concluded that the Fourth Amendment had no application to domestic military operations.”

The memo – with its provocative title – has remained a closely held administration secret, kept even from the House Judiciary Committee which renewed its request for the document on Thursday.

It’s now clear, however, that from inside the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, Yoo and his colleagues were churning out a series of memos that fit with President George W. Bush’s desire to be “forward-leaning” – or extremely aggressive – in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

more...

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/32523

[MadMaddie]

1. Sounds like Yoo is let's see how should I say it.....a war criminal.

The Nazi's tried to use the same bullshit arguments and well it didn't work out too well for them.

War Crimes plain and simple.

[guyanakoolaid]

2. Shall we try them ourselves, or just hand them all over at the Hague

[aquart]

3. I favor Hague. But however will they get a fair trial overseas?

Or here?

So loved as they are.

Let me propose (again) a more American tradition: the stocks. A fifty-state, every major city and some rurals, tour with our fine war criminals in the stocks. Viewing is fifty cents. Pelting with rotten fruit, eggs, and possibly some roadkill, ten dollars a bag. We have a large national debt to defray. We can't afford punishment that doesn't make a profit.

[MadMaddie]

4. Well the Irony would be that they would be judged by

world judges, just as during WWII there were American judges sitting on the court.

I do like the pelting tomatoes though...I would like to see hard labor. Or even better they serve the rest of their lives providing comfort to our wounded servicemen and women. Let them be involved with the tradgedies that they created.

[aquart]

5. Oh, where's the money in that?

You know, prisoners used to be ransomed for hefty sums. Do you suppose Saudi Arabia or Dubai would pay us for Bush and Cheney? I'M THINKING OF THE DEFICIT HERE!

[MasonJar]

6. They did not choose to send the head of state for Iraq to the Hague.

They were too afraid of what he would disclose. Many have died for the promotion of Bush and his sleazy war. They can go to the Hague or here, as long as the punishment fits the act.

[MadMaddie]

7. You are absolutely corret...they scoffed at the Hague when it

came to Saddam...that may be their undoing.

[Turner Ashby]

8. Well, there is no death penalty at the Hague.

So, it would be life, only. I would love to see Yoo's work challenged and settled by the Supremes. I sincerely think the guy went off the reservation. But, if not, I would also like it announced that this is the American standard for all to see.

[Demeter]

9. A US Trial Would Be a Sure MoneyMaker

Think of the TV ad market, the talking heads.... reading newspapers might come back in style, if they actually printed trial coverage!

Sales of fresh vegetables would skyrocket, if public stocks were used.

I see no reason to outsource such a media event to the world. Let their reporters come here and help our trade imbalance, or pay locals for correspondence...


And then the executions on Pay Per View! The mind boggles!!