“NOOO!!! Now that Obama has let those torture memos out of the bag, the terrorists will WIN! The CIA will have a harder time defeating those evil terrorists and PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN!!”
They are party to the convention and the convention is very, very clear. The fact that you carried out an order doesn’t relieve you of your responsibility.
Manfred Nowak • The UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture, on whether, by not prosecuting CIA operatives accused of torture under the Bush administration, Obama is violating an international agreement to do just that. Oh boy. • source
54,295Saturday’s sales ranking on Amazon for the paperback edition of “Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent.” source
Eight years ago with this same hand I greeted Bush. I want to be your friend.
Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez • Speaking to President Barack Obama during the Summit of the Americas. Chavez, one of Bush’s harshest critics (and Bush, conversely, one of his), seems to actually like Obama and his approach to diplomacy. We expect in a couple of weeks Chavez and Obama will be having slumber parties in the capitals of their respective countries, playing Wii, watching South Park, playing fetch with the dog and eating cold pizza. • source
We cannot let ourselves be prisoners of past disagreements.
Barack Obama • Speaking at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. This quote somehow manages to ease relations between Cuba and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez all in one fell swoop. Nice job, dude. If you were Bo, we’d totally give you a dog treat. • source
Lower restrictions Earlier this week, as promised, the Obama administration loosened travel restrictions for people with family in the communist nation. It’s a baby step to much looser restrictions, by the way. source
Lower restrictions Earlier this week, as promised, the Obama administration loosened travel restrictions for people with family in the communist nation. It’s a baby step to much looser restrictions, by the way.
Raul wants to talk Raul Castro, brother of Fidel and Cuba’s current leader, has taken this overture as a chance to thaw things. Castro said “that we are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything.” source
Lower restrictions Earlier this week, as promised, the Obama administration loosened travel restrictions for people with family in the communist nation. It’s a baby step to much looser restrictions, by the way.
Raul wants to talk Raul Castro, brother of Fidel and Cuba’s current leader, has taken this overture as a chance to thaw things. Castro said “that we are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything.”
The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind. source
The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods. source
The decision The Obama administration chose not to prosecute CIA officials who admitted to harsh interrogation tactics against terror suspects during the Bush administration, a controversial decision but one the Obama administration is standing behind.
The gory details The tactics used – and more importantly, signed off on – during the Bush administration include slamming detainees against walls, waterboarding (which is not as fun as the name suggests) and leaving suspects naked in cold rooms for long periods.
Critics rebuffed Obama, while understanding the concerns of human rights organizations and critical of the interrogation methods, nevertheless defended the decision. “Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past,” he said. source
Bo’s thoughts on the novel? “Woof.” It must run in the family; Bo won’t be the first Obama with its own book, but “America’s Commander in Leash,” as indie publisher Mascot Books titled said book, will have a kid’s book by the end of the month. Quick advice to Mascot Books: It’s April 16 already. You’re shipping by April 30. You might want to proofread really well. source
