A tiny step forward on US torturers

[E.J.Armstrong]

'...Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is leaning toward appointing a criminal prosecutor to investigate whether CIA personnel tortured terrorism suspects after Sept. 11, 2001, setting the stage for a conflict with administration officials who would prefer the issues remain in the past, according to three sources familiar with his thinking. ...'

from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071102787.html?wprss=rss_print/asection

This is welcome but unfortunately: -
1/ It is not actually a probe into torture as officially approved torture is not to be investigated.
2/ The organisers, facilitators and originators of the official torture programme are not being investigated.
3/ Effectively it is OK to be a torturer in the USA if the US government has okayed it.
4/ While the US government is going around the world telling others to obey international law, all the people and US organisations who initiated, approved, facilitated and carried out the official US torture programme are walking around the US free and happy as Larry. Another case of do as I say - not as I do.

This is however a step forward and as such any step forward - no matter how minute - is to be welcomed.

[Dancing David]

Not all of us who voted for the O-man are happy with his current 'lead from the back strategy'. I for one am not happy with his stance on a number of issues.

However I for one know what representative government means, I hope that before his term is out that we have had much more progress, I am thinking it will be 'truth and reconciliation'.

I am pissed that there are still likely to be 'black holes', that Git-mo detainees may be held indefinately and that Daniel Choi got cashiered.

[E.J.Armstrong]

Not all of us who voted for the O-man are happy with his current 'lead from the back strategy'. I for one am not happy with his stance on a number of issues.

However I for one know what representative government means, I hope that before his term is out that we have had much more progress, I am thinking it will be 'truth and reconciliation'.

I am pissed that there are still likely to be 'black holes', that Git-mo detainees may be held indefinately and that Daniel Choi got cashiered.

I wondered how Obama's approach would be received in the US. I recognise that governing is more difficult than being a candidate but his stance over Guantanamo, not telling the world about what happened to US prisoners and the lack of action on the official US torture programme is deeply disappointing to those who looked forward to a better approach to the abuses of the Bush era.

I think a lot of US friends around the world would welcome at least a truth and reconciliation approach to try and lay some of the ghosts of the Bush, Cheney and Rice regime, especially at a time when Cheney is still telling the world how important and good his torture regime was and Obama is trying to show the world that the US has changed for the better.

This and General McChrystal's approach, in not killing so many civilians in Afghanistan, amongst others, are hopefully harbingers of a more robust approach to wrong doing.