Barack Obama, Torture Enabler-by Ted Rall

[kpete]

Published on Friday, April 10, 2009 by Ted Rall.com
Barack Obama, Torture Enabler
by Ted Rall

America is a nation of laws--laws enforced by Spain.

John Yoo, Jay Bybee, David Addington, Alberto Gonzales, William Haynes and Douglas Feith wrote, authorized and promulgated the Justice Department "torture memos" that the Bush Administration used for legal cover. After World War II, German lawyers for the Ministry of Justice went to prison for similar actions.

..................

Obama has failed to match changes of tone with changes in substance on the issue of Bush's war crimes. "We need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards," he answered when asked whether he would investigate America's worst human rights abuses since World War II. Indeed, there's no evidence that Obama's Justice Department plans to lift a finger to hold Bush or his henchmen accountable.

......................

Fortunately for those who care about U.S. law, there are Spanish prosecutors willing to do their job. Baltasar Garzón, the crusading prosecutor who went after General Augusto Pinochet in the '90s, will likely subpoena the Dirty Half Dozen within the next few weeks. "It would have been impossible to structure a legal framework that supported what happened (in Guantánamo)" without Gonzales and his pals," argues the criminal complaint filed in Madrid.

When the six miscreants ignore their court dates (as they surely will), Spain will issue international arrest warrants enforceable in the 25 countries that are party to European extradition treaties. All hail King Juan Carlos I!

............

more at:
http://www.uexpress.com/printable/print.html?uc_full_date=20090409&uc_comic=ru
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/04/10-6

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. can Spain extradite US citizens?

I would love to see bush and cheney hauled onto a Spanish aircraft and be thrown into a jail in Spain.