Photo Reveals CIA's Response to the Senate Torture Report

Torture Never Stopped Under Obama 

The Torture Memo Obama Never Rescinded 
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Liz Cheney To Challenge Mike Enzi In 2014

if mitch mcconnell hadn't declared a goal of making obama a one turn president and he, and boehner reducing the congress and senate into the most ineffective EVER.

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There was nothing new about that - That's what Republicans have been doing for decades.  They play hardball and they play for keeps.  I can't even fault Republican politicians for it - Their constituents put them into power to achieve their goals.  It's just Democratic voters who accept short shrift, are ok with getting sold down the river, because their elected representatives played 'nice' and wouldn't get in the dirt with Republicans.  

How anybody could have lived through the past several decades and not know that is beyond me.  They kept the nation hostage for years impeaching a president over a blow j0b.  In spite of the fact that they knew they would take in poll ratings and at the ballot box, that the nation did not support their impeaching Clinton.  That's what Republicans do.  
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Liz Cheney To Challenge Mike Enzi In 2014

The situation might have been remedied had Democrats and Obama come into office investigat­ing and prosecutin­g the Bush administra­tion and restoring the 'rule of law'.  BushCheney exploited the inherent weaknesses in the Constituti­on:  A precarious balance of power between the three branches of government­.  But Obama refused, and has continued the BushCheney disregard of the Constituti­on, even going beyond BushCheney abuses.

We got off on a wrong turn in this country, not just once but at many important junctions throughout our 200 plus years, but never always with the possibility of enough lead time to rectify and change course.  When it comes to a Supreme Court decision, some say, "Oh it's not a big deal, it's just one decision, unlikely to affect much."  That one decision, Bush v. Gore, has set the course for the demise of human civilization on the planet within my children's lifetime.  By giving the election to Bush and Cheney with all the power that went with it, a set of actions have been put into place which spell the end game for ecosystems around the world as well as political systems.  

If it sounds like I'm speaking in extremes, apocalyptic, yes, I am.  The extremes were are facing include monetary (another worldwide Great Depression, beyond the last one because the planet doesn't have the raw materials to build on like the last one), energy that is too dangerous to handle (nuclear and gasoline, destroying the environment and making it impossible for humans to survive), extreme weather, food and water shortages, pandemic diseases, anarchy in the streets.

When you don't right the wrongs in history, they have a funny way of coming back to cause mayhem all over again.  

The Bushes, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, et al, all happened because Nixon was pardoned, not tried.  Had Clinton investigated and prosecuted George H.W. Bush over Iran-Contra, his son and Dick Cheney never would have gotten into the White House.  Jeb Bush and Liz Cheney would never have the political futures like the ones they're about to have because Obama decided to "look forward, not back".  

With investigations and transparency, the CIA (and the latest revelations about the NSA) would have been dismantled, the buildings burned to ashes and the ground upon which it stood salted.  Instead, this is our future (The Lily-Pad Strategy: How the Pentagon Is Quietly Transforming Its Overseas Base Empire and Creating a Dangerous New Way of War) and it's making us more loathed and unsafe than any time in our history.
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Liz Cheney To Challenge Mike Enzi In 2014

The Democrats' refusal to enforce the rule of law (an extraordinary admission by Pelosi a couple of weeks ago, particularly as she admitted it as the reason that Republicans shouldn't uphold rule of law by holding Holder in contempt - "Nancy Pelosi Slams Contempt Vote: 'I Could Have Arrested Karl Rove ... But We Didn't') is now a bipartisan agreement that we're no longer a nation of laws.

At the very root of our problems are Constituti­onal crises created by, first, Republican presidents and now under a Democratic president.  Republican­s' utter contempt for the Constituti­on and callous disregard for creating them caused by Democrats' cowering response is what underpins all of our problems and what's destroying the country. 

As president, you've got to really want the US to work, to exist, to not exploit the loopholes in the Constituti­on that keep our three-bran­ches of government precarious­ly balancing the democracy.  But BushCheney drove tanks through the loopholes, breaking the law and with no apparent concern for exposing the loopholes or any consequenc­es.

Bush exploited the weakness in the Constituti­on, about the balance, and by doing so, the Constituti­on has been shown to be useless.  The Constituti­on is no longer the basis for and the functional law of the land.  The Constituti­on is no longer much respected in Congress, the Executive Branch, the SupremeCou­rt, nor in law or business.

Bush wasn't the first to create Constituti­onal crises, but he created more of them, eviscerati­ng the Constituti­on for all time. How do you go forward with it when its Achilles' heel has been laid bare for any BushCheney wannabe waiting in the weeds to exploit?  What's now happened in the aftermath of BushCheney is that what Nixon did has been made legal.  Once BushCheney happened, once they exploited those loopholes for everyone to see, you can't just go on as if it never happened.  You can't "look forward, not back".  

KEEP READING
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Liz Cheney To Challenge Mike Enzi In 2014

The democrats thought when Obama was elected to let the past lie and move forward together as a country. Unfortunately, republicans from day one have decided to move backward.

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That's a sweet and naive notion, about Democrats and about how professional politicians operate.  Talk of Democratic politicians having no spines are greatly exaggerated, just like Obama's timidity is myth:  He's plenty tough when it comes to standing up to the Democratic base.   Democratic voters have mistakenly believed that Obama and Democrats want what they want. The DLC-controlled DemocraticParty gives lip service to all populist issues (like jobs, civil rights protections, restoring habeas corpus, ending the wars, public healthcare, WallStreet reform, environmental and energy issues, etc.). 

If the Bush years taught us anything, it's that anyone can sell anything to Americans, if you're stolid and relentless in your sales pitch and tactics. It's not that Bush and Rove were geniuses and knew something that nobody else knew; Bush and Rove were just more ruthless in doing what politicians and the parties had gone to great lengths to hide from Americans -- If you keep at it, escalate your attacks,  don't take 'no' for an answer, never back away, you'll wear the opposition down.

Obama didn't get to be the first black president, vanquish Clinton's machine (to get the nomination) and the oldest, most experienced politicians in US history (including the RoveMachine) by not having mastered these skills. Nor do Democratic politicians (more incumbents than ever, in office longer) not know how to do it. How do you think Democrats managed to keep impeaching BushCheney off the table, have us still reelecting them, not marching on Washington with torches and pitchforks?

Obama and Democrats know how to do it -- They don't want to do it. 

The trick for them has been to keep the many different populist groups believing that they really do support our issues, but they're merely inept. And to get us to keep voting for them despite their failure to achieve our alleged shared objectives.

Getting Democratic voters (and Obama's 'most ardent supporters') to understand that Democratic politicians have been taking us all for suckers and patsies is the most immediate problem and the challenge.

KEEP READING
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The End of "Rule of Law" in America

The Democrats' refusal to enforce the rule of law (an extraordinary admission by Pelosi a couple of weeks ago, particularly as she admitted it as the reason that Republicans shouldn't uphold rule of law by holding Holder in contempt - "Nancy Pelosi Slams Contempt Vote: 'I Could Have Arrested Karl Rove ... But We Didn't') is now a bipartisan agreement that we're no longer a nation of laws.

At the very root of our problems are Constituti­onal crises created by, first, Republican presidents and now under a Democratic president.  Republican­s' utter contempt for the Constituti­on and callous disregard for creating them caused by Democrats' cowering response is what underpins all of our problems and what's destroying the country.

As President, you've got to really want the U.S. to work, to exist, to not exploit the loopholes in the Constituti­on that keep our three-bran­ches of government precarious­ly balancing the democracy.  But Bush-Cheney drove tanks through the loopholes, breaking the law and with no apparent concern for exposing the loopholes nor any consequenc­es.

Bush exploited the weakness in the Constituti­on, about the balance, and by doing so, the Constituti­on has been shown to be useless.  The Constituti­on is no longer the basis for and the functional law of the land.  The Constitution is no longer much respected in Congress, the Executive branch, the Supreme Cou­rt, nor in law or business.

 Bush wasn't the first to create Constituti­onal crises, but he created more of them, eviscerati­ng the Constituti­on for all time. How do you go forward with it when its Achilles' heel has been laid bare for any Bush-Cheney wannabe waiting in the weeds to exploit?  What's now happened in the aftermath of Bush-Cheney is that what Nixon did has been made legal. Once Bush-Cheney happened, once they exploited those loopholes for everyone to see, you can't just go on as if it never happened.  You can't "look forward, not back".

The situation might have been remedied had Democrats and Obama come into office investigat­ing and prosecutin­g the Bush administra­tion and restoring the 'rule of law'.  BushCheney exploited the inherent weaknesses in the Constituti­on:  A precarious balance of power between the three branches of government­.  But Obama refused, and has continued the Bush-Cheney disregard of the Constituti­on, even going beyond Bush-Cheney abuses.

 We got off on a wrong turn in this country, not just once but at many important junctions throughout our 200 plus years, but never always with the possibility of enough lead time to rectify and change course.  When it comes to a Supreme Court decision, some say, "Oh it's not a big deal, it's just one decision, unlikely to affect much." That one decision, Bush v. Gore, has set the course for the demise of human civilization on the planet within my children's lifetime.  By giving the election to Bush and Cheney with all the power that went with it, a set of actions have been put into place which spell the end game for ecosystems around the world as well as political systems.

If it sounds like I'm speaking in extremes, apocalyptic, yes, I am.  The extremes were are facing include monetary (another worldwide Great Depression, beyond the last one because the planet doesn't have the raw materials to build on like the last one), energy that is too dangerous to handle (nuclear and gasoline, destroying the environment and making it impossible for humans to survive), extreme weather, food and water shortages, pandemic diseases, anarchy in the streets.

When you don't right the wrongs in history, they have a funny way of coming back to cause mayhem all over again.

The Bushes, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, et al, all happened because Nixon was pardoned, not tried.  Had Clinton investigated and prosecuted George H.W. Bush over Iran-Contra, his son and Dick Cheney never would have gotten into the White House.  Jeb Bush and Liz Cheney would never have the political futures like the ones they're about to have because Obama decided to "look forward, not back".

With investigations and transparency, the CIA (and the latest revelations about the NSA) would have been dismantled, the buildings burned to ashes and the ground upon which it stood salted.  Instead, this is our future - “The Lily-Pad Strategy: How the Pentagon is Quietly Transforming Its Overseas Base Empire and Creating a Dangerous New Way of War” and it's making us more loathed and unsafe than any time in our history. 

Read more...

Joe Biden Asks Ecuador To Turn Down Edward Snowden Asylum Request

Look, you sound like the typical rightwinger who are trying to create their scandal theories. thanks for your opinions, but they are totally irrelevent. i don't believe a word of it. So, you can tell it to the rest of your teapub pals....

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I'm an old, OLD liberal Democrat.  I've never voted for a Republican, never will, but I can honestly say that I can't imagine ever voting for a Democrat again.  There is NOTHING that Republicans have managed to do in the last forty years that wasn't done with Democrats coming on board.  When Democratic politicians' and Obama's 'most ardent fans' talk about voting for him/them because he and they are "the lesser evil", I ask "On what issue?"

When women can no longer get an abortion in 92% of the counties in the US, what difference does it make which party is in power?  Those who are past menopause or can afford to send our daughters and granddaughters to Paris for an abortion.    

When Obama and Democrats practice Republican foreign policy (expanding wars and codifying neverending war in which to justify removing Americans' Constitutional rights, etc.), what difference does it make which party is in power?

When Tim Geithner/Henry Paulson or some other Wall Streeter would be the Treasury Secretary under either a Republican or Democratic president, what difference does it make which party is in power?

When neither party has on its agenda getting money out of politics, eliminating corporate personhood, publicly funding elections, etc., then both parties are protecting the status quo.

When both parties kick "hot potato" issues that are wrecking the lives or ordinary people down the road or to the states or to the courts yet always manage to meet corporate lobbyists' demands, it really doesn't matter which party gets into power.
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