I was driving home yesterday and I heard a very strange “sound bite” from John Boehner.  In essence Boehner was saying that the House of Representatives would not likely be voting on immigration reform because they “didn’t trust President Obama to enforce the law.”  OK, if you’re a practically thinking person who has any idea of how our government works, the statement was absurd on its face.  However, once I’ve explained why it’s absurd, I have to include my own reasoning to support Mr. Boehner.

Of course, anyone who’s been paying a “lick” of attention to American politics for the past 5 years knows that if President Obama is for it, the republicans (in unison) are AGAINST it!  I still remember when Arlen Specter, the republican senator from Pennsylvania, voted for the watered down stimulus package in Obama’s first year and Specter was “run out” of the republican party.  (republicans were supposed to make sure our Black president FAILS)  So, we wouldn’t expect any republicans to vote for immigration reform (even though they’ve been pushing for it ostensibly for years) if it would give any credit to President Obama.  Remember, the republican agenda isn’t for America – it’s all about making President Obama a “one term president” – er (it’s too late for that) making him FAIL!  The interesting part of Boehner’s argument is that during the Bush/Cheney reign the immigration problem hit its “peak.”  Much to the chagrin of many of President Obama’s “base” our president is doing a much better (and more efficient) job of enforcing the existing immigration laws than any republican in my memory has done with the result being a HUGE increase in the number of illegal aliens deported.  Does that give you “pause” as you ponder Boehner’s logic? (seems there must be a different reason, doesn’t there?)

We could discuss jobs, unemployment insurance, health insurance, food stamps, help for the needy in general – but, the reality is that republicans will NOT support any legislation which might move America forward because someone might interpret that as a success for our president.  I recently finished Bill Press’s book “The Obama Hate Machine” which does a thorough accounting of how President Obama has endured more scurrilous attacks than any other president (in a country famous for scurrilous attacks on presidents).  Therefore, it comes as no surprise that, along with every other needed legislation facing our nation, expecting republicans to agree to any worthwhile immigration reform qualifies as MAJOR wishful thinking.

By now you might be asking yourself, “How, then, could David be claiming to support John Boehner’s contention?”  Well, Boehner said, “I don’t trust President Obama to enforce the law.”  Well, (aside from the absurdity of that – as hopefully the above supports) I have a very real issue with President Obama’s enforcement of the laws.  Once I finished Press’s book, I started reading (for the third time – I seem to be re-reading many books lately) Seymour Hersh’s great book, “Chain of Command.”  If you haven’t read this book (I believe you should) it follows the Bush administration from their onset (actually, with tidbits from before Bush was “elected”) through much of 2004 with a focus on the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Bush/Cheney administration left a trail of illegal behavior “a mile wide” that, for some unexplainable reason, President Obama chose to make sure NEVER will be investigated with NO accountability for serious CRIMES!  That is why I don’t trust President Obama to enforce the law – I’m sure you can see that my reasoning differs from Mr. Boehner – and, I’ll try to explain to the extent that you can see that my point has validity where I’ve tried to show you Boehner’s claim does not.

Take for example TORTURE! (Yah, let’s start right at the top)  TORTURE is a WAR CRIME.  It’s not only a crime by virtue of international law it’s a crime by our own laws and, in addition, it’s a violation of the Geneva Conventions which the United States was instrumental in getting established over the years.  George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and their “legal counsel’ went to great lengths to establish their “right” to bypass the Geneva protocols and ignore American and international law as they instituted their “enhanced interrogation” during the American invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq.  Hersh is apparently one of the last of the “breed” of “investigative reporter” left in the United States, but he does a great job of laying out the reality that America’s troops (and “intelligence” officers) were routinely committing torture (by accepted standards) and, only the totally naive would fail to realize the authorization came from the Bush White House.

That George W Bush and Dick Cheney are guilty of WAR CRIMES is indisputable because BOTH admitted to authorizing WATERBOARDING on national TV.  (and, they both claimed, falsely, that it led to “actionable intelligence”)  Allowing this grievous violation of law to go unpunished is not only a blight on President Obama (and his legacy) but, it has been instrumental in America’s reduced moral standing in the world.  Here’s the point of view of Manfred Nowak, the “United Nations Rapporteur responsible for torture:”   on 20 January 2009, (Nowak) remarked on German television that, following the inauguration of Barack Obama as new President, George W. Bush has lost his head of state immunity and under international law the U.S. is now mandated to start criminal proceeding against all those involved in violations of the UN Convention Against Torture.  Law professor Dietmar Herz added to Novak’s comments by saying that under U.S. and international law former President Bush is criminally responsible for adopting torture as an interrogation tool.

“The evidence is sitting on the table,” Nowak stated. “There is no avoiding the fact that this was torture.” He pointed to the U.S. undertakings under the Convention Against Torture in which the country committed that it would criminally prosecute anyone who tortured, or extradite the person to a state that would prosecute him. “The government of the United States is required to take all necessary steps to bring George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld before a court,” Nowak said. (These statements are parts of THIS article)

Attorney Wolfgang Kaleck, who brought charges against Rumsfeld before German prosecutors stated that the Obama administration was “off to a good beginning” with its explicit renunciation of torture, but it has not shown how it will hold Bush, Rumsfeld, and others to account for their crimes, nor has it demonstrated its legally obligated duty to provide compensation to torture victims.  In fact, the only thing the Obama administration has demonstrated is that – as per Richard Nixon – “if the President does it, it MUST be legal!”  If you’ve been on this site much, you know that I’ve been lamenting that decision since the day Obama was inaugurated.  (Well, it took a few weeks before I realized that he was going to “look forward instead of back”)

Personally, I would never have voted for President Obama in 2008 had I any indication he was going to violate his oath of office and allow these egregious violations of our laws and international laws to go – not only unpunished – but, not even investigated!  And, look where it’s gotten our president.  Honestly, I don’t think Boehner would have a leg to stand on – in fact, I don’t think he would ever have been Speaker of the House had Obama done his duty.  You could feel a collective upheaval of “liberal” support for the president as he allowed Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld “off the hook.” (hence, the 2010 liberal abandonment of the polls – not saying it’s right, just saying…)

The “Change (most of us) could believe in” was holding those at the top accountable for their misbehavior.  The “pardoning’ of Bush/Cheney was followed by the continuation of the Wall Street Bailouts with nary a financial “wiz kid” prosecuted for gambling away the retirement accounts of countless Americans.  Obama’s refusal to “look back” was like pouring gas onto a fire as far as the right wing in America was concerned – and, the push-back on the president, as stated above, has no parallel in American history.

There’s also the lying our nation into a war, there’s an outing of a CIA agent, there’s the bludgeoning of one government agency after another, there’s the total politicizing of the Justice Department along with “loyalty oaths” (to the republican party) for new hires as Justice (That’s grossly illegal) and on and on.  So, I do agree with John Boehner about my lack of trust that President Obama will follow the law.  It’s just that he’s following the immigration laws to a tee!  I wonder if Boehner wants President Obama to “follow the law” regarding Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld and TORTURE?  I would suggest to the president that it’s not too late and maybe allowing the investigations of Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld would get Mr. Boehner’s attention!  (I’d love to hear him complain the Obama WAS following the law!)