Barack Obama was on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" today, and he answered a question, inspired by the Bernie Madoff case, about his administration's policy in dealing with a serious fraud case like this. Here's what he said:
"We're still evaluating how we're going to approach the whole issue of Ponzi schemes and so forth. And obviously we're going to be looking at past practices and I don't believe that anybody is above the law. On the other hand I also have a belief that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards. And part of my job is to make sure that for example on Wall Street, you've got extraordinarily talented people who are working very hard to keep the American economy moving. I don't want them to suddenly feel like they've got to spend all their time looking over their shoulders and lawyering."
Pretty shocking, huh?
OK, I lied.
Obama didn't say "Ponzi schemes," he said "interrogations, detentions." He didn't say "Wall Street," he said "the CIA," and instead of "keep the American economy moving," he said "Keep Americans safe." But other than those three changes, that is exactly what Obama said. Why does it sound so outrageous if he's saying we wouldn't investigate fraud. but it's OK to suggest we should just move on from torture, the banning of which used to be one of the things that made America special and a role model for other nations?
Seriously. Madoff's fraud is in the past and it won't happen again, just like the Bush torture policies. He seems like a docile elderly man. What's the point of putting him behind bars? Wouldn't our time be better spent making sure that fraud doesn't happen in the future, rather than dredging up the past. So a few people were hurt by Madoff -- they'll get over it.
Just like torture, right? Just keep moving. Nothing to see here.
Dahlia Lithwick had a good op-ed on this subject in the Times this weekend.
Posted by Will Bunch @ 7:18 PM
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21 comments
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So like 4 guys got "waterboarded". The equivalent of being hit with a rather large water balloon. So what? Let it go Bunch.
will...I think you're drunk......drunk with the realization that the EAGLES beat the Giants. Otherwise you are a nut job. Jimbo, you do detract from the "fun posts" by will, but I think will can't handle the fact that his hero is keeping Gitmo open and has hired every ex Clinton employee for his cabinet. Change (not likely) Hope (a dream).........
I'm not sure I get the point, Will. As long as Obama makes it clear that, as most interrogation experts will agree, torture is counterproductive, ineffective, and immoral (check previous thread if you need verification), what would the point be in going after the Bush administration? Fix the problem and work on undoing the damage.
Most Americans either fall into the camp of those who care deeply that our nation has violated International Law as well as the Constitution and good sense or the camp that says anything is okay as long as it protects me personally from harm. While the former camp is probably the smaller, we (I'm among them) do feel the injustice needs to be brought into the open at least, and some of us think it should be punished. Just doing right from now on is not quite satisfactory. As for the latter camp, who cares what those self-centered ill-informed folks think.
""issue of Ponzi schemes""
must be talking about social security ////// as to the means of protecting america .. as we will be attacked again by the religion of peace.. we shall see what the people say as they bury and burn their dead.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that everyone here thinks torture is wrong. We dont want to be tortured; and, we dont want our captured soldiers tortured. So, really, given the empirical evidence that it doesnt work, why would you support a government that tortures its captives? And, why shouldnt those that sanctioned and/or committed these international crimes not be held to the same accountability as anyone else? As an American, I would rather lose my life than lose the values that makes it great to be an American. We are better than those that seek to destroy us, at least I like to think so; and, treating our enemies with decency is one of the reasons we are better than them.
Hey libz - this story appeared on page A-12 of Friday's Washington Post: "A New Year's Day CIA strike in northern Pakistan killed two top al-Qaeda members long sought by the United States, including the man believed to be behind September's deadly suicide bombing at a Marriott hotel in the Pakistani capital, U.S. counterterrorism officials confirmed yesterday." Byron York asks the following: "Where are the protests? If the U.S. had arrested these guys, and made them stand up for long periods of time while being questioned, or turned the air-conditioning way down in the interrogation room, there would be an outcry about their treatment. And yet when the U.S. blows them to bits, out of the blue, with a Hellfire missile fired from an un-manned drone controlled by Americans thousands of miles away, there's not much complaint. Now I'm sure the CIA took great care to make sure it had the right target in the crosshairs, but you can't get a much better definition of "no due process" than a Hellfire missile. Where's the outrage?"
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There really is no use arguing if you cannot see the difference in dying in the field of battle and being taken prisoner and tortured. And Bohica, show me proof where not torturing a helpless prisoner has caused our country to suffer defeat in any way. Otherwise, you are just a blowhard spewing propaganda. Your own words, "needlessly torturing", prove my point, why torture them at all? The information gained, by your own words, is not needed; and, more importantly, it unreliable. When your own military experts tell you that torture is useless, you are going to believe the draft dodger Bush that it is needed? No thanks, I will defer to Petraeus and Powell on this one.
Live French Live! ....and get a life! If torture was advocated by officials of the US government deserve to be prosecuted and punished. Torture is immoral and doesn't provide viable information.
If turning the temperature down below 68 degrees (torture) didn't produce enhanced interrogation results, why do interrogators use it?.... are you suggesting that the interrogators are sociopathic sadists? Why would professional interrogators want that technique of exposing terrorists to loud music (torture) or to making them sit in uncomfortable cells (torture) prior to questioning?.... Here's my take on it: I don't feel morally upset about having dogs bark at detainees (torture) prior to them being questioned, if professional interrogators believe that it will enhance their ability to get information. If there's no point, and interrogators are just inflicting pain to be cruel, then I'm opposed to it. I don't think they do it to be cruel, for fun. Do you?
Knowing that it doesnt work, as reported many many times, and based on your logic, yeah, according to your premises, they must be doing it for fun. Now, why do I think they do it? Frustration. Looking for a quick and easy fix. The question I ask you is how do the police and other agencies get confessions without torture? So, obviously torture is not needed to get information. Then you need to tell me why do they use methods of torture? If the information is unreliable and the practice is inhumane, why do it? Why would one lower themself in such a way? I believe in an America that is better than that, Obviously, you dont.
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About Will Bunch
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Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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