Jay Bybee’s anonymous friends claim Bybee regrets his role in approving torture.
Jay Bybee’s anonymous friends claim Bybee regrets his role in approving torture.
The Washington Post interviews a number of friends and colleagues of Jay Bybee, who anonymously tell the paper that the judge regrets writing the torture memos:
“I’ve heard him express regret at the contents of the memo,” said a fellow legal scholar and longtime friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity while offering remarks that might appear as “piling on.” “I’ve heard him express regret that the memo was misused. I’ve heard him express regret at the lack of context — of the enormous pressure and the enormous time pressure that he was under. And anyone would have regrets simply because of the notoriety.”
“On the primary memo, that legitimated and defined torture, he just felt it got away from him,” said the scholar. “I got the impression that he was not pleased with that bit of scholarship,” said an associate who asked not be identified sharing private conversations. “I don’t know that he ‘owned it.’ … The way he put it was: He was head of the OLC, and it was written, and he was not pleased with it.”
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well if he’s really sorry, ok.
:|
April 25th, 2009 at 11:04 amWhen folks in high places find themselves abused or misused by their bosses, they have two recourses: very publically to 1) resign and blow the whistle or 2) kill themselves in plain view.
Bybee did neither.
Therefore my sympathy for him is absolutely ZERO!
April 25th, 2009 at 11:05 amI am not his friend and I regret his decision to be a Bush toady cause it embarrassed the hell out of us globally
April 25th, 2009 at 11:06 am“He was head of the OLC, and it was written, and he was not pleased with it.”
“Mistakes were made.”
“The lamp fell on the floor.”
April 25th, 2009 at 11:08 amI’m SURE Chuck Watson regretted going alone with Charlies’ plan too . . . .
April 25th, 2009 at 11:10 amI guess people were chosen to serve in the Bush Administration specifically because they would refuse to speak truth to power, and because they would refuse to tell the president, “No, you can’t do that. It’s illegal.” These people put their loyalty to George W. Bush, the man, not to the Office of the President of the United States. That loyalty to Bush was a violation of their oaths of office, and for it they should be impeached so that they may never serve in public office again.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:10 am“On the primary memo, that legitimated and defined torture, he just felt it got away from him,” said the scholar.”
Legitimated? Scholar? LMFAO :)~
April 25th, 2009 at 11:12 amDid Jay Bybee ever express this regret while the memos were still classified, and no one knew what he wrote? Or did the regrets come only after he was exposed for the incompetent hack he is?
April 25th, 2009 at 11:12 amHe should regret it enough to resign and go back to private practice. Assuming, of course, he keeps his bar standing when the smoke clears.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:16 amNo sympathy. Many have resigned rather than commit much smaller offenses in government. Appeasing monstrous war criminals you work for leads to sad, shame-filled golden years.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:17 amBybee could be a celebrated legal authority now, if he had a spine.
I’ll bet. Just like the thief who’s not sorry he stole, just very sorry he got caught. If he had any scruples, he would never have written the memo in the first place.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:17 amYeah right. Sure Bybee has regrets. Just like all criminals – he regrets getting caught. If Bybee really cared, he would’ve objected and blew the whistle. I believe that instead of doing the right thing, Bybee chose to write these memos in exchange for a lifetime judicial seat. Sounds like his ambition won out over doing what was morally right – his regret is total BS to me.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:19 am“I’ve heard him express regret at the contents of the memo,” said a fellow legal scholar and longtime friend,
not as much as he’s going to…
April 25th, 2009 at 11:20 amI honestly don’t know that he’s “sorry” at all, this is all second-hand information from anonymous “friends”. I’m sure he’s crying in his beer.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:21 amSounds to me like his remorse is based mostly on the fact that he got caught. Impeach the bum.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:22 amAll those innocent that were tortured are sorry too!
April 25th, 2009 at 11:27 amfire _ant_chavis Says:
Yeah right. Sure Bybee has regrets. Just like all criminals – he regrets getting caught. If Bybee really cared, he would’ve objected and blew the whistle. I believe that instead of doing the right thing, Bybee chose to write these memos in exchange for a lifetime judicial seat. Sounds like his ambition won out over doing what was morally right – his regret is total BS to me.
Absolutely, NOW he regrets it..after he got caught.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:27 amAll those who were tortured want to take Jay out for a drink of water to help ease his sorrow.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:29 amThis bozo, like the rest, could have resigned. He’s just another Bush criminal.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:29 amfrom C&L… curious:
Did Judge Bybee actually write the memos?
By John Amato Saturday Apr 25, 2009 6:30am
I’m hearing serious rumors that the newly disgraced Judge Jay ByBee may not have actually written the CIA memos under his byline, but acted like a stenographer on the torture issue while he was John Yoo’s boss. I’m in the process of investigating these allegations.
seems risky putting this up based on “rumors”, no matter how serious they may be, but casting that net may bring information…
April 25th, 2009 at 11:34 amnot?
Too late Karl. You’re little friend is going to be outed at least, hounded from office at best. At which point, I surmise he might have some comments of his own to advance, and not anonymously either.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:37 amIf true, this is a lesson in never letting the views of others defeat your better judgment and never letting your bosses push you into doing something wrong. Rove, Cheney and Bush won’t be around to defend Judge Bybee, but he gave up his soul to them.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:39 amExit – sounded awful to me too… but:
–verb (used with object)
9. to make lawful or legal; pronounce or state as lawful: Parliament legitimated his accession to the throne.
10. to establish as lawfully born: His bastard children were afterward legitimated by law.
11. to show or declare to be legitimate or proper: He was under obligation to legitimate his commission.
12. to justify; sanction or authorize: His behavior was legitimated by custom.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/legitimate
April 25th, 2009 at 11:43 amNow they want to play “Cry me a River?” Sorry, Bybee you get no sympathy and you should cry your a$$ off the bench you circumvented the law and broke it-you legitimize “torture.”
April 25th, 2009 at 11:44 amIf ByBee’s “friends” are so close, and if the remorse ByBee expressed was so convincing, then why can’t a single one of those “friends” go public with their information? What is it about this particular information (that ByBee expressed remorse) that would allow a reporter to grant the sources anonymity?
No doubt these sources are former (and maybe current) public officials. Their salaries were (are) paid for by taxpayers. Their opinions should be public. If they feel that ByBee is being treated unfairly, then they should go on the record to say so, or the reporter should require that they go on the record, otherwise the reporter should simply refuse to publish the “information”.
The reason the sources are anonymous is obvious—they want to promote a “meme” without being subjected to any critical argument. That a newspaper would allow this sort of off-the-record conduct is unconsciable.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:46 am“Zoe”? new poster? abbreviated name? from “zooey”…
April 25th, 2009 at 11:46 amjust want to be sure…
OK, well if that’s true _ and there’s no reason to doubt his friends at their word at this point in time _ then Judge Bybee should DO something about it. I’m thinking media interviews to explain the situation and his feelings/viewpoints about the memo. Let’s clear it up once and for all. That should be our response and it’s a very, very fair one.
Give the guy a chance to explain and if he supports the memo and torture tactics then we should call on his resignation. If he’s contrite then we should ask him how he intends to correct that mistake.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:52 amBybee regrets writing memos legitimizing war crimes — so what’s the best way to express that regret?
– Go public with a press release, interview or editorial;
– Resign your current office which you have tarnished with your scurrilous behavior;
– Denounce your previous actions and employers, throw yourself on the mercy of investigators and assist them with learning in greater depth the extent of the abuse you abetted.
Nah, forget all those approaches — instead, release your expression of regret secondhand through anonymous sources. Yeah, screw Bybee and his spineless faux remorse. The only lifetime appointment he deserves is in federal prison.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:53 amKatydid, I don’t think it’s zooey.
JosephP, excellent points.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:53 amyea, jane – i just realized that her name was not linked…
hi zoe!
April 25th, 2009 at 11:54 amWayne Ant Schneider Says:
Did Jay Bybee ever express this regret while the memos were still classified, and no one knew what he wrote? Or did the regrets come only after he was exposed for the incompetent hack he is?
I stand corrected. The regrets were expressed long before the memos became public. Just not while testifying before the confirmation committee.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:55 amToo bad so sad for him.
I’ve heard him express regret that the memo was misused.
Ok, perhaps he can tell us how the memo was “misused”. He wrote it to give them cover for torture and then they tortured. What did he think they were going to do with the memo?
I don’t care how many regrets this guy has, he still has to go. He wrote bad law for political purposes. If he did it once, he can do it again. He has no business sitting on a court as influential as the 9th Circuit.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:56 amHad Hitler not cowardly put a gun to his head and took his life, I’m sure he would have felt remorse too. *rolling eyes*
April 25th, 2009 at 11:56 am“The only lifetime appointment he deserves is in federal prison.”
Lost in Tarnation, good post. But this last sentence should read “The only lifetime appointment he deserves is in federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.” ;)
April 25th, 2009 at 11:57 amSunshine…..the best disinfectant.
Amazing what happens when you throw open the curtains and let the sun shine in.
Oh…and Bybee – you’re full of shit.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:59 amToo little too late! He should go tell that to the detainees that had to deal with his little memo and see how they like it.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:00 pmOld Goat Says:
I honestly don’t know that he’s “sorry” at all, this is all second-hand information from anonymous “friends”. I’m sure he’s crying in his beer.
I think he may be crying in his beer. But not because of what he did but because he is about to lose the cushy lifetime gig he got for doing what he did. If anyone thinks that his appointment to the bench was not a quid-pro-quo from Bush, think again.
This man has no moral compass. He has no business sitting as a judge.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:00 pmJane E. Schneider, Katydid
Let me see what I can find out.
Hello Zoe: Are you fuzzy?
April 25th, 2009 at 12:04 pmBilbo (#37), I agree wholeheartedly. He was quite content to not give a whit, until the hammer was positioned over his head. I think that his friends are going to be all too willing to throw him under the bus to save their own backsides.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:05 pmBybee is just remorseful that President Obama released the memos. Bybee is hurting internally now and was hoping to spend the rest of his life saying, “What memo? It doesn’t exist. Ha ha, now let me enjoy the rest of my fabulous Caribbean vacation!”.
Poor thing. He’s been exposed like Goebbels was. Oh boy. No wonder he’s got stomach aches today!
April 25th, 2009 at 12:06 pmI think you’re all missing the bigger – HUGE – picture here. This is a Bush official saying he thinks that torture happened, that the memos are wrong. This is disastor for BushCo, and probably for Bybee.
He’s covering his ass. And opening a huge door.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:08 pmTo say it again: Bybee sent these friends to the press. This is no accident.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:09 pmPeople get very comfortable in their positions and it is a test of character to do the right thing.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:09 pmHe cannot claim ignorance in any form as a lay person might be able to do – he was at a high level position.
He had options: He could have refused to approve it; and if his refusal were not accepted, he could have resigned. He could have blown the whistle.
It is in the worst of times that true character reveals itself; today, I suspect he is more woeful about the turn of events and calls for his resignation than he is for his actions in the past.
He could still come clean and expose what ever else he knows about what was going on in the OLC.
Perhaps if he won’t resign, an impeachment hearing will provide the impetus to reveal what he knows.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:11 pmBybee is enjoying the fruits of his tortured legal fictions.
Senator Leahy’s call for his resignation is ridiculous political posturing.
To resign under these allegations would 1) confirm his culpability as a war criminal, & 2) crack open Bush/Cheney’s anti-constitutional omerta.
If this was Pakistan, the entire legal profession would be in the streets protesting this stain on their country’s administration of justice.
But this is America.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:18 pmGet OVER it, folks.
No Bushevik is ever gonna face prosecution.
Mebbe some kinds of lesser, administrative sanctions, but they’ll be minimal, painless, and short.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:20 pmI have very little sympathy for him — why should I? Bybee had no reason to fear that physical force would be used against him should he have decided not to sign that memo, unlike many of the people who were subjected to brutality at least in part as a result of his signature (including some who never presented any threat to our country). Granted, Bybee probably would have lost his position had he refused to sign the memo — time and time again over the past eight years, Bush’s behavior made it glaringly apparent that he had no tolerance whatsoever for anyone who tried to disagree with him or thwart him. However, any judge who believes that self-interest is more important than ethics should not be on the bench in the first place. It’s not always easy to do the right thing, of course — but especially when a person earns his keep by deciding who’s right and who’s wrong, giving his consent to something which he knows is unethical merely for the sake of expediency or self-interest makes him no better than the defendants who appear before him in court. Putting self-interest ahead of ethics is partially what motivates most people to commit crimes in the first place.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:22 pmHe regrets his role.
Deaths were regrettable.
The war was unfortunate.
Freedom’s untidy.
Mistakes were made.
We regret civilian deaths.
Enhanced interrogation.
Rendition.
Internment camp.
Showers.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:23 pm*
*
*
It’s even still called ‘Department of Resettlement.’
Great point!
April 25th, 2009 at 12:26 pmNPR’s All Things Considered had two segments (totaling almost 12 minutes) on torture last night. The first segment pretty well debunked the question of efficacy, with two FBI sources reporting that all the good intel from Abu Zubaydah was gotten before he was tortured and nothing after.
The NPR reporter even used the word “torture”. Once.
The second, longer segment established a timeline through the Bush administration for the shifting acceptability of torture, including one attorney whose memo on the complete illegality of waterboarding was silenced by Cheney’s people, who confiscated every copy.
The good news is that this is getting a thorough airing in the press, at least on NPR. The bad news is that they largely stuck to “enhanced interrogation technique” or “harsh treatment” rather than simply calling it torture. Still, it’s a start.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:30 pmIf this criminal bastard is sorry then why doesn’t he man up and go to the press himself and just start TELLING THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, NOW!!
He’s just another RePugniScum sissy boy!
If you can’t man up Judge Torture then you better lawyer up fast!
April 25th, 2009 at 12:34 pm.
Well, NOW he regrets his words like the crumb filled faced kid regrets the cookies he munched down behind mom’s back.
.
April 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pmNow that the hounds are howling at the door, remorse rears its pathetic head.
Anyone want to bet the AG won’t have to use ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ to get these cowards to beg for some kind of immunity if they testify?
April 25th, 2009 at 1:08 pmWell I guess that’s enough for the men/woman/children who were tortured, those 7 tortured so much now their medically insane and of course those tortured to death are please Judge Bybee is now sorry. Well then Professor Bybee taught Legal History at college and one topic was World War II’s famous 1951 trial and conviction of Japanese soldiers who were convicted f or Waterboarding US POW. The United States at the time was Leader of Human Rights and Torture was declared illegal. Some Japanese soldiers were hung, others sentenced to 15 years hard labor. Yes Judge Bybee knew the US fought against torture and even had a trial and convicted. Yes he join in the Bush/Cheney Co. and rewrote the Law to suit political reasoning. One could ask is Judge Bybee doing the same thing as a Judge with the cases he hears now? He’s so willing to make up and change the Law will he do it with current cases? Is it legal for a Judge to lie under oath, then hear cases and convict others who do the same?
April 25th, 2009 at 1:17 pm#42 LT Says:
April 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pm———————————————————–
To say it again: Bybee sent these friends to the press. This is no accident.
Bybee the narcasits – sending your freinds to do your dirty work. Apology NOT accepted. Be a man and resign!
Even if this is true, Jay Bybee was the guy in charge at OLC. His name is on the document. That makes him responsible for its contents. Now, if he wants to claim an additional anonymous author other than himself who should take part of the blame, that’s fine. I’d like to make sure that such a person isn’t on the Court of Appeals somewhere, either. And, even if there is another author, it does not diminish the culpability of either person. The guilt isn’t lessened by 50% just because there’s another author. Rather, both are 100% guilty of twisting the law into knots to approve a torture program.
April 25th, 2009 at 1:29 pm“Did Judge Bybee actually write the memos?”
Doesn’t matter.
SOP is to have an underling prepare it, Top Dog reviews, edits & then approves.
Final decision is Top Dog’s and ONLY Top Dog’s.
April 25th, 2009 at 2:06 pmSlowly it turnssssss…twist by twistttttt…turn by turnnnnnn.
Let the flippin begin – Who’s First? (remember…the first flipper always gets off the easiest)
April 25th, 2009 at 2:08 pm“I’ve heard him express regret that the memo was misused. I’ve heard him express regret at the lack of context — “
Misused? Context? What possible context could there be? What other use could have possibly been intended?
“Yeah, this one time Jay wrote part of a slashfic novel and somebody couriered his rough draft to the White House instead.” – that’s all I can think of.
Also, one doesn’t “regret” what someone else does. These political hacks need to stop using that terminology.
.
Did Judge Bybee actually write the memos?
By John Amato Saturday Apr 25, 2009 6:30am
I’m hearing serious rumors that the newly disgraced Judge Jay ByBee may not have actually written the CIA memos under his byline, but acted like a stenographer on the torture issue while he was John Yoo’s boss. I’m in the process of investigating these allegations.
Spreading the guilt around doesn’t exonerate his. Legally, his signature qualifies as authorship.
A lot of the arguments they’re putting out in general seem to be of the nature that the torture program was designed to spread a little bit of responsibility out to a lot of people. The OLC wrote the memos, the White House rubber-stamped techniques based on the memos, the military held the detainees, and the CIA performed the techniques; everybody only did one little piece of it and the people with the bloodiest hands were just following orders.
However, this is precisely how the Holocaust was set up, with lots and lots of people only doing a little bit of the work. Few people could be proven to be aware of the entire picture; the rest of them pointed fingers and complained that the culpability of others exonerated them.
They’re going to keep trotting this out. Let the lawyers go because they were just giving a legal opinion. Let the executives go because they were covered by the lawyers. Let the CIA go because they were following orders.
That didn’t work then, and it won’t now. Everybody involved must go down, regardless of what anybody else did.
April 25th, 2009 at 2:12 pmWhen you sell your soul, you no longer own it!
April 25th, 2009 at 2:21 pm.
Next thing you know, Bybee will regret having been born.
.
April 25th, 2009 at 2:30 pmElBruce @#59,
That’s like five people standing around the corpse when the detective walks up and the first guy points to the second guy and says, “He pointed the gun!” And the second guy points to the third man and says, “He pulled the trigger.” And the third man points to the fourth guy and claims, “He loaded the gun.” But the fourth man points to the fifth man standing around the corpse and explains, “The first guy bought the gun.” And so the detective turns to that first man for his explanation, “Well, they all bought bullets.”
.
April 25th, 2009 at 2:36 pmJosephP Says:
The reason the sources are anonymous is obvious—they want to promote a “meme” without being subjected to any critical argument. That a newspaper would allow this sort of off-the-record conduct is unconsciable.
Based on what has happened to the Fourth Estate, it’s no wonder newspapers are folding like, well, newspaper.
If Bybee didn’t believe in the legality or morality of what was written by him or under his name, how did he allow it to move forward? What, was he tortured into providing the legal cover for torture?
PEACE
April 25th, 2009 at 3:05 pm“I’ve heard him express regret at the contents of the memo.”
I guess that makes it all okay, idiot.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:21 pmI am sure many bank robbers regret their actions too. AFTER they face the consequences of their actions they can show that remorse. Remorse is NOT a way to dodge responsibility nor consequences of your actions.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:25 pmIf he REALLY wants to express his regret then he should show it by stepping down.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:31 pmThe Nazi’s expressed their regret too. Just before they were executed for war crimes.
April 25th, 2009 at 3:32 pmeyeswideopen1 Says:
The Nazi’s expressed their regret too. Just before they were executed for war crimes.
It’s amazing… the more time that goes by and the more information that is revealed, the easier it is to draw comparisons to Nazis. Real, geniune, valid comparisons.
Who would have ever thought that a simple blowjob and a stain on a blue dress would lead my country down such a path? If we don’t force our government to hold these criminals to account, we are nothing better than Nazi sympathizers.
PEACE
April 25th, 2009 at 4:05 pmToo litle too late!
April 25th, 2009 at 4:16 pmHe should have the courage of his convictions and say so publicly.
April 25th, 2009 at 4:17 pmSure, it got away from him like the family dog. And he probably had to chase it. And when he did, he wrote the memo approving torture.
It’s not like it was real torture. I mean they were from other country’s and not real human beings. And after all he wasn’t the one doing it. And if he did not have to look at it, then he really had nothing to do with it. Out of sight out of mind. And besides that, if these people were not doing something wrong, they would not have been caught. And further more if they had stayed home and away from trouble they would not be questioned.
And evidently this was post, I am in trouble regret. Not the kind of pre-regret that allows reflection and the humane response that says NO I WON’T CONDONE SUCH A THING. And like the rest of the lawyers that wrote those justifications, he said nothing. Just sign here, on the dotted line Jay.
And like the others, if this monument of moral rectitude has any friends, they must be clinically and morally as moribund as he is.
April 25th, 2009 at 4:24 pmLots of people have regrets after they commit crimes. It does not mean that they get off scottfree. He will be lucky if he only loses his judgeship.
April 25th, 2009 at 4:27 pmimpeach, indict, disbar, incarcerate.
April 25th, 2009 at 7:00 pmthose at the nuremburg trials were “really sorry” too but that didn’t stop them from swinging.
oh poor little pooh pooh bybee, the torture memo “got away from him” and as a result of his little illegal, immoral, indecent faux pas, people were tortured repeatedly, a country was invaded and a society destroyed, a trillion dollars flushed down a rat hole, and the US’s reputation ruined. Maybe little bybee poos can work on getting his sadism a little more under control.
April 25th, 2009 at 7:24 pm“Jay Bybee’s anonymous friends claim Bybee regrets his role in approving torture.”
Please.. Not buying the beans. Now, Bybee regrets the torture memos? If Bybee regrets his role in approving torture, then:
1. Why did he only release 3 OLC memos while he worked in the Office of Legal Counsel at the time of his hearing with the Senate for judgeship nomination?
2. Why did he refuse to answer certain questions according to Sen. Feingold at the Senate hearing back in 2003? [By the way, Feingold opposed Bybee's nomination. Leahy voted yes for Bybee's nomination. The Senate vote was 79-14.]
Sorry, but it is hard to believe that Bybee can sit on the bench as judge and make decisions on cases on according to the law when he, himself, broke the law as the former DOJ employee in the Office of Legal Counsel division.
April 25th, 2009 at 8:18 pmI call BS on this one. If there was any validity to these claims, the friends wouldn’t remain anonymous.
April 25th, 2009 at 8:25 pmAs this was someone speaking for Bybee, it probably means that someone is “floating this idea” to see if it gets any political momentum to stop the flood of requests for him to resign or be impeached.
Looking at the point: He was under pressure – he had a choice to make and choose the wrong one – which resulted in a life appointment as a payoff. He could just as easily have said NO and resigned but he did not. Somehow that does not enhance his position as a Federal Judge…if he can be pressured into one decision, how can anyone believe that he won’t behave that way again….how can we trust someone who twisted words and used hyperbole to get around the serious issue of defining torture.
He used the same departments “experts” who told him that these techniques were torture to be the experts on that these same techniques would not cause overt pain that would be on the order equivalent to torture…as they had 40 years of experience in SERE Training and who were also “paid off” as miracle of miracle, after the enhanced interrogation / torture program was approved they resigned, started their own company and the gov’t then hired as consultants for overseeing the exhanced (torture) interrogation program.
Sorry, this balloon has just been popped and Bybee has no moral authority to judge others.
Having someone “close” say that you are sorry…don’t we hear that everyday after someone is found guilty of a major crime? Are we sympathetic? Do we forgive the criminal?
April 25th, 2009 at 8:51 pmHe sold his soul for a seat on the 9th Circuit. Another fine example of a professed Christian…. in case a Mormon
April 25th, 2009 at 9:47 pmOh, I feel so bad for this man. Everyone makes a mistake now and then ; this shouln’t end his career and of coure it was done with the best of intentions. blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…..send this piece of sh*t to prison with a roomate who will pleasure him.
April 25th, 2009 at 9:56 pmWhether he wrote it himself or one of subordinates wrote it (Yoo?), this man put his name to a legal justification for using torture in violation of International Treaty (which the Constitution counts as “the Supreme Law of the Land.”) That means he must take responsibility for it. Responsibility is not the same as blame, though he may have to own that, too. But it is the foundation of our legal system. When you violate the rules, you have to take responsibility for your actions and face the punishment. You can’t rely on the “someone will protect me” approach, especially if that was what your memo was all about – evading responsibility for one’s actions.
Jay Bybee should resign from the federal bench (a seat which he was clearly unfit to hold) and prepare to surrender himself to the Attorney General for arrest. It would be the responsible thing to do.
April 25th, 2009 at 10:24 pmBybee deeply regrets that he was caught with his pants down, and that he has zero credibility, and that his promising career is thus truncated because he rationalized torture, a friggin’; war crime for crying out loud.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:53 pmThere is an ANCIENT legal principle called “respondeat superior” which means that the boss is responsible for the actions of his underlings.
Even without the signature, Bybee OWNS this memo. Whether he directed it or drafted it, it is his will, his document, his deed. He assisted the Bush Administration’s desire to torture and punish and break the prisoners. They were engaged in “fixing the intelligence”. Torturing people until they supply false confessions and the false information desired is always shown to be wrong. There are centuries of evidence proving that torture does not yield the truth. So why do it? Because you are sadistic and immoral and inhuman.
And this beast is set up to judge others???
Impeach, disbar, and prosecute!
April 26th, 2009 at 6:55 amThis is important!
In our system of justice an expression of regret is the difference between getting life without parole and hanging by the neck until dead. (Although I feel the latter option only makes us as bad as the criminals)
If found guilty, Mr. Bybee will need to express that regret to the court, in person. At that point I’m fine with him spending the rest of his life in prison.
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