Former Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Richard Myers quashed legal review of torture techniques.
Former Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Richard Myers quashed legal review of torture techniques.
In 2002, as former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld “was considering the approval of three categories of interrogation techniques for use at Guantánamo,” military officials raised “serious concerns regarding the legality” of the techniques in a series of memos. As a result, Rear Adm. Jane Dalton, the legal counsel to then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers, “began a fresh evaluation of the legality of the interrogation tactics.” But she was soon ordered by Myers to stop the legal review:
But such an analysis threatened to undermine Rumsfeld’s agenda — and that’s when Myers stepped in. Dalton testified that Myers ordered her to stop that review because of a request from Pentagon general counsel William Haynes. Haynes was spearheading Rumsfeld’s efforts to set up a harsh-interrogation program at the Pentagon. “The best of my recollection as to how this occurred is that the chairman called me aside and indicated to me that Mr. Haynes did not want this broad-based review to take place,” Dalton testified. “When I learned that Mr. Haynes did not want that broad-based legal and policy review to take place, then I stood down from the plans.”
Dalton told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month that Myers was “aware” of the concerns about the techniques’ legality when he quashed the review.
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Wow! That list of war criminals getting really long!
June 30th, 2008 at 5:46 pmshoeless Says:
Wow! That list of war criminals getting really long!
About the only one missing here is Barney ….. and I hear he is on the witness list next week.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:53 pmGeneral Myers: Good little Nazi.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:54 pmTrippleKick Says:
See, another Repug who finds no crime in torture, lying, illegal invasions, ‘lost’ billions in contractor fees, the loss of human rights, etc.
Why am I not surprised?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:57 pmtriplekicker,
What is so ‘patriotic’ about the clusterfcuk in Iraq?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:03 pmTrippleKick Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 6:07 pmupside,
I’m not a Republican. Please, don’t be a simpleton who is reduced to left vs. right party bashing. I just think the hysteria over this non-torture/torture is ridiculously out of proportion to the amount of (non)outrage expressed towards the terrorists by some leftwing communities.I don’t condone terrorist activites, from anyone. But I also believe you can’t apply the Rule of Law haphazardly. And if BushCo had been honest (Yea, right) about what is going on, and had real legal advisers, not his lapdogs, we would be in a much better place as a country and in the eyes of the world.
TrippleKick Says:
Before rushing to the defense of *just three* known Gitmo prisoners getting water-boarded, keep in mind that out of the 450/500 of prisoners released from Gitmo, roughly 10% have been recaptured or killed in the battlefield.
All the words you just wrote are predicated on the fact that the information you have is the truth - which I don’t believe it is the truth. You have NO PROOF of your 10% claim, and the number of innocents tortured is in the hundreds and hundreds if you count the rendition flights and the free lancing done in places like Germany and Syria.
You can believe the most secretive and untrustworthy administration this country has ever had, but please don’t insult us with your obvious BS statistics. The outrage from AMERICANS has to do with that fact that we have allowed this criminal enterprise to run roughshod over our country and way of life. Maybe you don’t care if innocent people are tortured and murdered - that’s between you and your God.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:11 pmHaynes? Haynes?
You mean this William Haynes?
A front page article in the Los Angeles Daily Journal reported that Haynes opposed giving members of the U.S. Armed Forces access to the Supreme Court if they are court-martialled. In 2005 he wrote letters to Congress opposing the Equal Justice for Our Military Act, which was pending in the 109th Congress. Haynes opined that “there is no apparent justification to modify the current review process, thereby increasing the burden upon the Supreme Court and counsel to address the myriad of matters that would be encountered with expanded certiorari jurisdiction.” from wiki
and more…
On July 7, 2004 The United States Navy’s General Counsel, Alberto J. Mora responded to a request from Albert Church, the Navy’s Inspector General for information about the role his office played in the development of questionable interrogation techniques.[7] Mora’s narrative described learning, from David Brant, the Director of NCIS, that questionable interrogation techniques were being practiced in Guantanamo. Mora described immediately calling meetings of the Navy’s most senior legal staff, who all concurred the techniques were questionable and dangerous.
According to Mora’s narrative, he met with Haynes on December 20, 2002 January 9, 2003, and January 15, 2003. Mora described being surprised to learn, when he returned from his vacation, that the questionable interrogation techniques had not been rescinded.
and
In November, 2006, the German government received a complaint seeking the prosecution of Mr. Haynes for alleged war crimes. The complaint alleges that during his tenure, he was legally responsible for the US torture programs. The charges have since been withdrawn due to a lack of substantial evidence. [8]
The plaintiff’s legal strategy for the prosecution of Mr. Haynes and his co-defendant lawyers is to attempt to use the precedent of the Nuremberg trials, where German jurists whose legal work was complicit in Nazi atrocities were prosecuted.[9]
June 30th, 2008 at 6:13 pmIt’s nice to see the pieces of the puzzle come together. But will anything happen? A demanding letter or subpoena just doesn’t make it.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:13 pmMaybe another women hero? Is Dalton the earth of America?
McCain couldn’t match this WOMAN for heroism!
TrippleKick Says:
LOL@shoeless… war criminals.
Yes, trying people as war criminals for torture is soooo 1946.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:13 pmTrippleKick,
Do you have ANY IDEA how DAMAGING it was, when then picture of the “alleged terrorist” standing on a box with wires hooked to his fingers was shown to the world??
If not…imagine if it was a captured American soldier on that box.
Winning the “war on terror” requires the moral highground!
June 30th, 2008 at 6:15 pmTrippleKick Says:
…out of the 450/500 of prisoners released from Gitmo, roughly 10% have been recaptured or killed in the battlefield.
Gee, I’m surprised that being unfairly imprisioned, and tortured for years would turn much more than 10% of those innocent people into militants.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:18 pmTrippleKick Says:
Before rushing to the defense of *just three* known Gitmo prisoners getting water-boarded, keep in mind that out of the 450/500 of prisoners released from Gitmo, roughly 10% have been recaptured or killed in the battlefield.
You will, of course, provide us with proof of this assertion. And please don’t tell us it’s up to us to prove you wrong. That’s not the way it works on progressive blogs. When you come and make a blanket statement, then you will only be believed if you can back it up with proof. And it is NOT proof to link to Fox or any other right wing news organization.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:19 pmTrippleKick,
Were you pro-torture before 9/11, or was it that event which turned you against civilized mores?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:25 pmTrippleKick is tied with Bush until the ends of days, I’m afraid. TrippleKick thinks Bush is brave and resolute because once Bush makes a decision, he never wavers. Even in the face of unquestionable data, Bush doesn’t waver. Even when the results will be shown to be horrific, Bush doesn’t waver. Even if all of Bush’s advisors tell him otherwise, Bush will do as he pleases - just like a small and spoiled child.
TrippleKick supports the criminal administration even when the facts offer him reason to doubt. Too much investment in the neocon dream, I guess. Maybe it made TrippleKick seem important for a little while. Maybe he was telling all the catalog women (asian rose, anyone?) that he was a firefighter or maybe a special forces guy. Heck, he probably got a couple of social diseases out of it too. Made him appear to be a real, brave American for a second. Actually, I feel sorry for him. But he had it coming.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pmshoeless Says:
TrippleKick Says:
…out of the 450/500 of prisoners released from Gitmo, roughly 10% have been recaptured or killed in the battlefield.
Gee, I’m surprised that being unfairly imprisoned, and tortured for years would turn much more than 10% of those innocent people into militants.
The troll’s link says that 20 released prisoners have been killed or captured in fighting again. That is not 10%, that is 5%. But, I agree with shoeless. It’s amazing that the number is so small. I can’t imagine what I would do if I was held by a foreign government for years and years with no charges against me, all the while being tortured, only to be finally released. I can tell you one thing I know for sure, I certainly would not feel kindly towards my captors.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pmSo many lies, so little effort at support. Hate to break it to you Trippledip but without a valid cite you aren’t going to persuade anyone but yourself about the alleged recidivism rate by Gitmo detainees. Even if the number was accurate, it doesn’t support torture or deprivation of due process in general. To the contrary, it suggests that either the intelligence on the detainees is so bad they don’t have any idea who to keep and who to release or the cases are so contaminated by illegally obtained evidence that the military knows it can’t get a case to stick. Either way, it is no surprise that even our truth-impaired executive branch isn’t using your BS 10% figure. As for your “liberals heart terrorists” nonsense, ever notice how the people who live in big cities that are actually at risk of a terrorist attack (like say New York City) tend to vote for the so-called leftist candidates? Doesn’t mean they love terrorists. It means that unlike the fearmongers and the fearful on the right they don’t believe a small group of fanatics are enough to justify shredding the constitution. Don’t know why I bother with clowns like you who will make great pets once the last of our civil liberties is gone but there ’tis.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:26 pmPeace out.
TrippleKick Says:
Badger
Something like seven people were convicted in the abu ghraib situation.
Listen, we always have had, and will always continue to have the moral high ground while fighting cowardly islamo terrorists. Why can’t you understand that?
And all seven were grunts. The people who authorized the torture were never charged and some of them were even promoted.
We have lost the moral high ground fighting anyone in this world. No matter where we are, if our soldiers are captured, the country that has captured them can justifiably (by our definitions) torture our soldier and there won’t be a damn thing we can say about it. If I was the parent of someone in the military today, I would be storming the gates of the Whitehouse to beat the holey shit out of the coward who has put our brave soldiers in this position.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:29 pmOh please, TrippleKick….Wikipedia? Alleged? IHT articles? Stop, please your making me feel very bad for you, now. Really, stop while you are behind….
June 30th, 2008 at 6:30 pmTrippleKick Says:
we always have had, and will always continue to have the moral high ground while fighting cowardly islamo terrorists.
I truly wish you were correct, but sadly, I don’t think the World agrees.
We invaded Iraq, a Muslim country, that DID NOT attack us…and was a secular force AGAINST islamo terrorists.
The fact that we are having any trouble AT ALL winning the “Battle of Ideas” with those that blow up their own people in Markets should tell you something. It took over 4 years for the Iraqi people to fear AlQaeda more than they feared American troops.
Fighting Islamo Terrorists is serious business…and Bush, Cheney, And Rumsfeld have made a real mess of it.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:33 pmFirst TrippleKick says this:
TrippleKick Says:
Badger
Something like seven people were convicted in the abu ghraib situation.
Listen, we always have had, and will always continue to have the moral high ground while fighting cowardly islamo terrorists. Why can’t you understand that?
Then he says this:
These are murderous religious fanatics who joined with other murderous religious fanatics with the express purpose to go kill Americans.
Frankly, sir, it sounds like YOU are the one who is the coward. Why are you so frightened - besides being told to be frightened? Can’t you think a little for yourself and wonder if you have been given the most accurate data? Bush has lied about most everything and if you don’t acknowledege that, there maybe no hope to make you well again.
Please stop spreading lies and bad rumors around - thats what Fox News is for.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:34 pmTrippleKick Says:
Bilbo,
Believe what you want to believe. I’m not here to educate you. I just think some here lack respect for the dangerous nature of the people like KSM and his friends in Gitmo.
No, you are just another right wing troll here to throw crap at the wall to see if it sticks. The people who are at Gitmo were not dangerous when they went there. Our own government estimates that over 50% of them are not guilty of any crime other than being at the wrong place at the wrong time or for being sold to our government by a neighbor who needed money. These people who were not dangerous when they went to Gitmo are most certainly dangerous right now because they hate our guts, justifiably so. And not only do they hate us, their friends and families hate us too. The Bush Crime Family has created more terrorists in the last 7 years than there were in their entirety before he started. He HAS NOT made the world a safer place to be, he has made it a less safe place to be and the rest of the world knows that. This is one of the reasons why we no longer have the respect of the rest of the world. We have become the enemy.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:34 pmtripplekick,
Who is the enemy in Iraq? How do you tell?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:42 pmTrippleKick Says:
Bilbo,
Yea, Gitmo detainees like admitted terrorist murder KSM were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when big bad Bush and Cheney nabbed them.
So brilliant troll. If half the people at Gitmo are guilty, then why have none of them been tried for their crimes? It’s been 5 years. One would think that in 5 years the military could come up with a cogent case against at least one of the people they have detained.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:48 pmoops…forgot the link:
http://law.shu.edu/ news/ guantanamo_report_final_2_08_06.pdf
June 30th, 2008 at 6:49 pmYou and StratRat sound so foolish when you protect the criminals and demonize your own country’s efforts to rid ourselves of them.
Cheers.
It is false and a lie that I ‘protect’ criminals - hell, I want Bush impeached - just like the rest of the planet.
Seriously though, It is wrong to say that I want to protect criminals. I live in this country, and I have many, many cool things to live for (money, family, music, pot, etc…).
If you want to snark a little about this topic, I don’t mind; I certainly throw out some dumb words from time to time. but I want to make sure you have my gameplan. When the suspects get their turn before a judge, and they have a reasonable amount of due process, then lets go to court. If our evidence is solid, whats the problem? If the truth is there, whats the problem? If we can’t convince an impartial judge that we have the right guy, whats the problem? What’s the problem?
But you know what the problem is don’t you? We have NO EVIDENCE, NO WITNESSES, NO TRUTH, NO PLAN, NO HONOR. That is the problem. The guy who lied us into war wants to be the dealer in a card game. Lets err on the side of righteousness and honor; or are you frightened of that too?
I am not scared of terrorists - you seem to be wetting yourself because of them. That makes me brave and you not so much. I have no problem with that explanation, do you?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:55 pmShorter version - The entire Bush Administration are War Criminals.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:06 pmBuckie Boy Says:
Shorter version - The entire Bush Administration are War Criminals.
That’s what I was trying to say, but I took 72 words to say it. Your way is better.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:08 pmWhy is it that all the Repugs have to do is scream “ISLAMO-TERRORIST” and the 23%ers are willing to roll over and give up all their rights. Oh wait, the only one they will whine about is the 2nd Amendment.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:12 pmTerraists? Oh, excuse me, the good ole CIA of the good ole USA has been torturing and terrorizing poor people in the third world since the end of World War II in 1945. We have been imperializing the Middle East since the end of World War I.
June 30th, 2008 at 7:13 pmHe got his medal of freedom, his niece got a government job, and he’s retired on a pension, playing golf all day now.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:28 pmThat’s what happens to members of the Bush Crime Family.
.
I didn’t know that “quashing” a legal review of a illegal policy was a good thing. It makes everyone involved seem so, so… guilty!
.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:37 amLet me take TripleKick at his word (strawman argument ?) that 10% of those released later went to active positiions of fighting America.
First, that is saying 90% didn’t. So to stop one speeder I can ticket 9 people traveling below the speed limit ? To do so is to destroy any illusion of justice or moral character on the part of our country.
Second, the 10% figure doesn’t say at what level they were involved or re-involved. Were they star athletes or were they the towel boy ?
Third, what they did later doesn’t say they were previously involved. In fact, there is growing evidence that those who have been “entertained” by our methods are actually targeted by the militants as being fertile ground for indoctrination and recruitment. Just thinking about it logically, even someone who supported our country (not to mention someone ambivalent or even negative), arrested illegally, held incommunicado, subjected to torture, etc. is very likely not going to be thinking rosy thoughts about us after that. (Not to mention what the people in their family develop feelings of).
July 1st, 2008 at 1:45 pm