America For Purchase

For eight years, Americans have been forced to sit by helplessly as President George W Bush and top members of his administration eviscerated the US Constitution, broke federal laws and defied the will of Congress.   Now President Bush is poised to give each and every one of his accomplices, from Dick Cheney to Karl Rove to Alberto Gonzales, a full pardon ensuring they will never receive the punishments they deserve for their activities.Worse, Bush may issue a preemptive ‘blanket’ pardon, covering all officials within his administration without disclosing either the names of the officials involved or the crimes for which they are being absolved. 

Most Americans oppose the issuance of preemptive blanket pardons for administration officials who sanctioned torture, rendition, warrantless wiretapping and more. 

Americans should speak out against preemptive pardons and help restore the American values of justice and due process. Send a message to President Bush telling him you oppose preemptive pardons for these people and any others who may have been involved in torture.  Bush Torture Team listed below.  See the Bush Administration Torture Scandal.  Also Think Progress has Latest on Bush Torture Scandal.

Some Republicans have been pushing for President Bush to grant the pardons before he leaves office. But White House officials point to opinions put out by the Justice Department that supported the administration’s methods, and say that pardons — which would no doubt draw fire from congressional Democrats and other administration critics — are unnecessary.

It’s unclear whether the incoming Obama administration intends to prosecute officials from the CIA, DOJ, and other government agencies who approved the harsh methods. A spokesperson for the Obama transition team told the Journal: “No decisions about interrogation issues will be made before the full national security and legal teams are in place.”

But some congressional Democrats, as well as liberal legal scholars, have called for such prosecutions, over activities including water-boarding and the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping.

Dick Cheney:
Vice president who orchestrated the use of torture, secret prisons and detention without charge.

 

John Yoo:
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel authored memos that tried to provide a legal basis for the torture and abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody.

 

Alberto Gonzales:
Former White House Counsel chaired discussions about the authorization of specific forms of torture and abuse, and urged the president not to apply the Geneva Conventions to many of the detainees.

 

Condoleeza Rice:
Chaired the National Security Council meetings reportedly authorizing specific forms of abuse on specific prisoners.

 

David Addington:
Former counsel to Cheney had central role in developing the torture, abuse, and detention without charge policies.

 

Donald Rumsfeld:
Former Secretary of Defense authorized the use of abusive interrogation methods at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.

 

Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller:
Oversaw Guantánamo Bay Naval Base when prisoners were abused and tortured there, and traveled to Iraq to oversee the “Gitmoization” of Abu Ghraib.

 

John Ashcroft: Reportedly participated in National Security Council meetings authorizing specific forms of abuse on specific prisoners and approved Office of Legal Counsel torture memoranda.

 

George Tenet:
Director of the CIA oversaw the extraordinary rendition program as well as the abusive interrogation methods, including waterboarding, by CIA officials.

 

William Haynes:
General Counsel at the Defense Department, signed off on the use of abusive interrogation methods by DoD personnel.

 

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