I don't know, I wish they would prosecute. I think Obama wants to steer clear of that, because Cheney would use the media coverage to press his agenda. I don't think Obama wants that, especially not right now.
So, he turns a blind eye, and we move on like nothing happened. I fear that those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it, though. Which makes prosecuting war crimes worth the effort, in order to stop crimes from recurring in the future.
During World War II both Japanese troops, especially the Kempeitai, and the officers of the Gestapo, the German secret police, used waterboarding as a method of torture. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore the Double Tenth Incident occurred. This included waterboarding, by the method of binding or holding down the victim on his back, placing a cloth over his mouth and nose, and pouring water onto the cloth. In this version, interrogation continued during the torture, with the interrogators beating the victim if he did not reply and the victim swallowing water if he opened his mouth to answer or breathe. When the victim could ingest no more water, the interrogators would beat or jump on his distended stomach.en.wikipedia.org...
Although, prosecution could also backfire. Cheney could win, and waterboards could become so common you'll see one set up at your local police station. Chilling thought. (I know I know, we only torture the terrorists. But apparently you haven't looked into what the state is calling "terrorists" these days.)
My question to you, is why didn't Cheney release these memos when he was in office??? This torture scandal isn't new -- they had all the resources of the highest office in the country to make their case for waterboarding, and failed. Now that they're out of office, suddenly there's a bunch of proof that vindicates Cheney, and it's up to Obama to find this proof and release it to the public. Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
[edit on 17-6-2009 by Kaytagg]
