I don’t normally write two posts in one day – but I’m a school teacher and I’m on spring break, so I’ve got a bit of extra time (before I start correcting papers, etc.).  And, based on information I saw today, it calls for a little “patting on the back,” if I do say so myself!  Actually, I do say so myself – I guess I get to do this because it’s my blog :o)  Also, it’s time for the “alarm” to go up a bit as far as the direction of this nation, at least, in my opinion.  If you’ve been reading any of my posts (and based on my service provider some people have) you know that I’ve been calling for investigation of the Bush administration from day one.  Actually, in the beginning of this blog, I was challenging the Democratic Congress to find the courage to impeach the most corrupt administration in our history – the administration of George W Bush.  The main target for me was none other than Dick Cheney, Bush’s Vice President – in the view of many, the man behind many of the most blatant violations of American law during their eight years in office.

 On several occasions I have pointed out that the authorization of torture – admitted publicly by both Bush and Cheney during their final days in office – violated international law, more specifically the Geneva Conventions which were essentially put in place by the United States after World War II and the torturing of American troops by the Japanese.  In fact, I believe one of the “techniques” specifically outlawed at that time was what Cheney calls “enhanced interrogation” and what civilized people call “waterboarding.”  Cheney has openly claimed that the use of waterboarding has been instrumental in “keeping us safe” since 9/11 because of all the attacks that have been “thwarted” with the information gained.  Notwithstanding the fact that his claims have been debunked numerous times by people involved in the actual running down of the “leads,” the use of this technique led to the trial and execution of members of the Japanese Army post WW II.  Everyone who knows even a little about American law and International law understands that by authorizing this torture Bush and Cheney became war criminals (as did the CIA agents who carried out the orders – they’ve destroyed 92 tapes in an attempt to protect their agents).

Where I believe I deserve the “pat on the back” is that, also on several occasions, I have warned President Obama of the consequences of not only not allowing investigations and prosecutions where warranted, but of not encouraging these investigations – and making a firm stand in front of the rest of the world that we will police our own when they commit International crimes.  I pointed out that it would look very bad for the Untited States in its attempt to reclaim the “moral authority” it squandered during the “Bush years” if another country took up the “gauntlett” and did the prosecuting for us.  Well, it looks as if my warning is coming to fruition.  It was announced today by more than one source that the Spaniards are preparing to indict six former Bush administration officials for the war crime of torture.  Based on the reports I saw, David Addington, John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, and three others (including a sitting federal judge – appointed, of course, by former President Bush) are soon to be indicted.  According to the report I saw, they will not be arrested unless they leave this country.  I’m not sure how that will play out, but I think this could get even stickier.  Neither Bush nor Cheney was one of the six members of the administration listed in the reports that I saw – one report listed all six and the other listed four – with the caveat that the unnamed two were not Bush and Cheney.

Well, since both Bush and Cheney have admitted to authorizing this, President Obama is left with an interesting dilemma.  Should he encourage prosecutions from our own Justice department or wait for another foreign country to lose patience with our government and indict both Bush and Cheney.  EVERYONE KNOWS THEY AUTHORIZED THIS – and some of the reports I’ve seen imply that the torture went way beyond waterboarding.  When he testified before Congress John Yoo wasn’t even decisive in saying that burying someone alive and then digging them up before they suffocated wasn’t torture – he seemed to imply that as long as they were not killed – it was not torture – THIS GUY IS STILL TEACHING CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELY – OUCHEEEEE!

In my opinion, WE NEED LEADERSHIP HERE!  Sure the economy is in a disastrous state – but how we resolve the lawbreaking of the Bush administration will have far greater long term effects on our nation than this recession – even if it takes five or ten years to get out of this economic mess.  The misdeeds of Dick Cheney are HUGE!  I believe he was the catalyst behind the warrantless wiretapping (which will have to be dealt with sooner or later – whether Obama wants to deal with this or not), the outing of Valerie Plame Wilson (Treason), many of the no-bid contracts in Iraq which resulted in an as yet undetermined amount of fraud against the taxpayers, and this torture policy.  On top of that it has been reported that Cheney was running a Death Squad right out of the Vice President’s office and as many as 10 foreign leaders may have been assasinated as the result, and today it was reported that he was busy undermining Obama’s authority with Israel as his term in office was winding down and they were occupying the Gaza Strip.  I mean, how much does everyone in this nation need to know about Dick Cheney before President Obama decides it’s time to uphold the laws of this great land?  Are we going to leave it up to Spain to prosecute Dick Cheney for all his lawbreaking?