As if we didn’t have enough on our minds just trying to survive, the news of the last few days has been particularly annoying.
Dick Cheney, one of the most unpopular political figures in the U.S., was among the first to react. He is apparently sharing with Rush Limbaugh the dubious honor of being the voice of what’s left of the Republican Party. Between off-the-wall criticisms of Obama, one of the most popular political figures in the U.S., Cheney called for the release of all those memos that showed the tremendous benefits derived from the enhanced interrogation techniques, i.e. torture. This was followed up by the unveiling of what was intended to be the most shining example that torture works. It was announced that torture was, in fact, responsible for the arrest of those plotting to blow up the L.A. Library some years ago. However, this also turned out to be annoying, since it was soon revealed that those perpetrators were apprehended before the enhanced techniques were even employed. Philip Zelikow, an attorney from the Bush State Department, then appeared on MSNBC to discuss his earlier memo opposing the enhanced techniques. At first, it looked like he was a legitimate whistle blower. It soon became annoyingly clear, however, that he was far from it, that he never went outside official channels to make his feelings known, and that his sole purpose for being on TV was to throw a protective cloak over his ex-boss, Condoleezza Rice. He said his memo opposing the administration’s interrogation policy was written by himself as “an agent” for Rice. He also said the Bush administration subsequently tried to destroy all evidence of the memo but that copies still existed in the State Department. However, when reporters later asked State to produce the memo, they were told it couldn’t be located and that the requesters should channel their efforts through the process outlined by the Freedom of Information Act. If, as it now appears, the machinery is moving towards the penalty phase – a decision that will actually be made by the Justice Department – there are several individuals who would seem to be well up on the most wanted list. One might of course be Yoo, currently a visiting law professor at Chapman University School of Law in Orange County, California. Another future defendant might be Cheney’s right-hand man, David Addington, described as “the man behind the torture,” by writer David Cole. Addington was Cheney’s counsel from 2001 to 2005 and his chief of staff thereafter. He’s also been described as “Cheney’s Cheney.”
And then there’s Cheney himself. Few think it will reach that high, but the Nixon years proved that no one is above the law.