Obama:
Obama said his team is still evaluating the whole issue of interrogations and detentions.
"Obviously, we are looking at past practices and I don't believe anyone is above the law," he told ABC in an interview.
"But my instinct is for us to focus on how do we make sure that moving forward we are doing the right thing. That doesn't mean that if somebody has blatantly broken the law, that they are above the law," he added.
Paul Krugman:
I'm sorry, but if we don't have an inquest into what happened during the Bush years - and nearly everyone has taken Mr. Obama's remarks to mean that we won't - this means that those who hold power are indeed above the law because they don't face any consequences if they abuse their power.
Glenn Greenwald, of course, is apoplectic:
Now added to the pantheon of "liberal" dogma is the shrill, ideological belief that high government officials must abide by our laws and should be treated like any other citizen when they break them. To believe that now makes you not just a "liberal," but worse: a "liberal score-settler." Apparently, one can attain the glorious status of being a moderate, a centrist, a high-minded independent only if one believes that high political officials (and our most powerful industries, such as the telecoms) should be able to break numerous laws (i.e.: commit felonies), openly admit that they've done so, and then be immunized from all consequences. That's how our ideological spectrum is now defined.
Greenwald goes on to claim, quite rightly I suspect, that probably the main reason Obama -- and more importantly, Congresss -- doesn't want to go there is because they were complicit with Bush's extralegal activities. In short, if they investigate, everyone will be swept up. I suspect the DC Establishment is content with Obama's promised kinder, gentler anti-terror activities, which probably will preclude torture, if Eric Holder's recent testimony during his confirmation hearings is any indication.
Still, it's torture. Those that green-lighted torture, those leaders that approved its use, should be prosecuted to the fullest, whether they were Democrats or Republicans. It's not a matter of "settling scores," it's about holding the guilty accountable, about ensuring that government officials respect the law. |
