HRW: Obama broke law not prosecuting Bush & Cheney

[joebananatube]

It's been done. Malaysia held a war crimes tribunal, and found Bush et al. guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes against children, human rights violations, civil rights violations, international law violations. There's a world-wide arrest warrant for his ass. The US government is harboring a war criminal. That's a crime also. We have a conflict of interest here.

[MrThetruthsucks]

Thank GOD HELL doesn't work that way.

[TheMattd546]

ohhh come on put someone in jail for just trying to serv this country, forget torture wtf, look at what they did to us for once instead of trying to protect those terrorist, terrorist shouldnt have any legel help wtf, people are crazy

[GildyGury]

Fuk obama hypocrite selout similar2palen bitch!Shame.blago wanted but didnt do shit n goes to hoosgow4nothin while these warmongooses enjoy freedom,write shity boox n r not arested.talk about justice n freedom in usa.lol!I wonder how could 'lovin God' alow such scum to reach 70 with kilers like bush,rumy write milion dolars boox?only purpose of these boox is to use em as evidence to put em in jail n when u out of toilet paper to wipe asses! Thats not waste!

[Caligirlvanessa]

George W Bush and His Administration----------------­---

should be brought to justice and prosecuted for their inhumane treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo. Obama should be tried for not doing so!

[Elin48]

Meanwhile the guy who robs a bank and is caught goes to prison, or the low level drug dealer goes to prison for life. What a nation, what have we become?

[joebananatube]

Obozo is a conspirator. And what this guy's saying is what we have doesn't work, and it never has worked, why? Lets fix it. Lets treat the "elite" like everybody else, equal protection under the law my ass.

[ThisIsNotPictureTube]

torture is still going on under obama; we just haven't heard about it. on a side-note, i suddenly want to buy a book called "Hell No" xD

[anonymoose711]

If the Bush administration didn't think they were torturing prisonsers, then why did they insist immunities for torture be included in the 2006 Military Commissions Act?

[chi8cago]

Get obama out now...we need real progress.....!!!

[seseljsrs]

HRW is a scam still struggling to find credibility by pulling PR stunts like this one from time to time exactly like Amnesty International. Pathetic.

In reality, however, both organisations are well known by their gentle prodding of NATO to "internally monitor" the "collateral damage" of civilians, while continuing on in their main capacity as NATO spies and NATO propagandists in whatever countries are targeted by the Bilderberg group.

[tangent272]

I once told Prime Minister John Howard of Australia (albeit with a bullhorn over the heads of about 200 cops) that he was going to end up in the Haig. I'd like for that to be true.

[kruat43]

Who are the HRW? Who ELECTED them to be the big sheriff of the world? Bunch of piss ants is what they are.

[renejreeves]

Wow, I'm ashamed our first African American president is afraid of the bullet, just as many africans were afraid of the whip.

I know it's eazy for me to say that today... maybe I would have been afraid of the whip too.

[edicccc]

everybody knows they (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rubin, Silverstein, Pearl, Wolfowitz, Ashcroft and many more trillionaires in the background) are involved with 911, torture, war mongering, stealing of billions of dollars. No matter how many weapons the USA has these people will be put behind bars and this USA war mongering will be investigated before we can even think of the current turmoil to settle. This is just the start.

[rjnovac]

They are above the law .......... for now.

[hanksnow82]

They should just call this the Pinko Show

[duezeri1968]

Excellent topic. There should be no sacred cows in a modern society based principles from "The Enlightenment". Not only that, I'm afraid we don't have 30 years, or even 10 years to wait for prosecution of Cheney in particular. His heart will likely give out before then, but at least he'll face the Ultimate Judgment (as will the others) once he's past.

[Sundrumify]

Started out commenting, please see next page, and the latest one, No. 7, please see above. Lisa

[r240j]

some body need to clean the house soon

[HappyLuckyPig]

I vote for a no fly zone over USA and then The Nord American Terror Organisation NATO can make a Humanitarian act in the same style like in Libya. My the US ARMY Monster's cut help as well

[choobie12]

They should just kill people instead of torturing them, why should people live to only continually suffer?

[TiMalice2009]

Great piece. I agree, but nada will come of it.

[T3kozRockz]

Punish the Dick and his Bush!

[jiminiflix]

Does anyone have the balls to fight for justice anymore. Bush and Cheney and Obama and Clinton and so many others behind the scenes have broken laws. Obama is a dictator, and has hundreds of impeachable events documented. Lets get him while we can. AT LEAST- make sure it is ILLEGAL for him to run for presidency again. THE MAN HAS LOST TRACK OF REALITY!!!

[daddyoca69]

way to late for that... They can't touch him... its called a pardon... 

[jogayot]

heartily upvoted for the news of bush being forced to cancel visit in switzerland. swiss seem to be very innovative people: everything from euthanasia tourism to jailing famous people with pending "frivolous" cases - i suppose the media scandal profit outweights possible political fallout..

[TrickyEmu]

Government employees will never prosecute each other. That's why we have police brutality.

That's why soldiers and spies get away with so many human rights violations.

The last people prosecuting each other are the Presidents because one hand washes another and nobody wants to break the cycle because EVERYONE of them is guilty!

[chapaev36]

@TrickyEmu Or maybe it's because politicians operate in the real world, unlike progressivist idealists. Look, Bush may have been a closed-minded prick, but he is far from a war criminal. The man deemed waterboarding to be an essential and life-saving interrogation tactic. Even if he was wrong (and that's up for debate), the issue ultimately comes down to the ethics of the practice, which is not objectively immoral. Bush's reasons to waterboard were sound, in my opinion.

[TrickyEmu]

@chapaev36 Fuck off already! You and your slippery slope bullshit. If it was for the right we would be in a nuclear war. Thank God, a Democrat like Kennedy stayed cool.

[chapaev36]

Fuck this convention and fuck this ugly prick. There's nothing wrong with torturing terrorists when lives are on the line. I don't expect progressivist extremists to understand this.

[PokerOnTour]

Ok bypass the torture...just kill the terrorist, what about the rights of all the families

that the terrorist killed..... this channel makes me sick. If the real news office got attacked and bombed out by terrorist

they wouldn't be airing this shit

[moestietabarnak]

@PokerOnTour you are part of the problem, where do you think the terrorist came from ?

ever heard of blowback ?

You treat them as barabarian, but yet YOU are.

[chapaev36]

@PokerOnTour That's exactly it. Liberal progressives don't care about little technicalities like this. What they want to do is apply moral standards absolutely, with no room for subtletly. For them, torture = bad; waterboarding = bad; regardless of the circumstances. They seem to care more about the pain of terrorist detainees than about Americans whose lives are stake and families of dead Americans who suffered at the hands of terrorists. I don't understand these people's priorities.

[owatajrkiam]

So far,..181 LIKES and 1 DISLIKE. I didn't know Cheney was a subscriber to The Real News?

[pickles7640]

That is totally B.S..... The system should be set up to where each group is investigated. If the President can get a way with whatever than we r in big trouble. No one man is as strong as many men!

[Tokyorosebiz]

CHECK OUT THE PARTY OF SLEAZE BY TOKYO ROSE

[freemanpatriot]

Please sign the petition!End The sistem once and for all!

thepetitionsite com­/1/The-future-that-Humanit­­y-De­serves/

[1111norton]

When are people going to understand? Politicians are the Fox's guarding the Hen house!

No one will be held accountable, if good people are in politics, they get run out via the Media with false accusations.

[GetMeThere1]

Notwithstanding the irony of Don Quixote in the frame....I'm glad to hear of this being done.

How depressing is it that fooling around with an intern is a certainty for impeachment, but kidnapping and torture is severely UNLIKELY to be addressed by impeachment?

[chewycandy666]

This is the entire problem with our government. No one ever has to face atrosities and high crimes they were responsible for. All politicians should be prosecuted as they are the ones that hold the power to do anything about it. We the people are dooped at every turn. What we desire doesn't matter.Above the law, not even, laws don't exist that any politician must answer to, unless the powerful want you out of congress then they will use what amounts to a petty crime to remove you.Peace.

[AceHoale]

A Mandate is when two male people go on a date...

Or so it seems.

And black is white, and dumb is chic and fear cuts deep.

Have no fear!

The end is near, so rejoice and let's all start over tomorrow.

Peas.

[almostcapecod]

The Bush empire (money) was made in part by Prescott Bush Greore's grand daddy's involvement with Hitler during WWII.Prescott made millions back then helping the Germans.The whole Bush family should be put it gitmo and let everyone else out

[uninoculated]

Obama campaigned on "He was going to investigate" this stuff.

[VeracityMedia]

I don't appreciate how we continue to pretend the law has relevance to our political owners.

We're in a situation of complete government dysfunction as well as what Mr. Warren E Pollock (youtube.com/user/wepollock) has called a "trajectory of maximum public denial".

To even suggest that a possibility of prosecution exists against our modern political kings and queens is to underscore a serious misunderstanding as to how power operates, and the means and mechanisms it has at it's disposal.

[lordblazer]

@VeracityMedia

Well not many people in the Bush Administration can step foot in certain countries because they do enforce international law. Spain being one of those countries.

[lordblazer]

@VeracityMedia

Anyway I agree with you on this. It isn't denial. It is more of not even in our thought process. well because of denial. They do not think power can do this in our current time period, but history doesn't stop, and so this shit is bound to happen. Anyway we're a third world country anyway. So let's get use to this BS.

[wingedlightning]

@VeracityMedia Then it is high time to do something to effectively change that ... perhaps a list and men to match treachery with 1000x more treachery......

[topthickproducer]

@VeracityMedia Very well put. Both Dems and Repubs answer to the same financial and powerful bosses.

There will never be any prosecutions, unless the people actually revolt. And Americans are too busy being damaged by financial issues to care about these crimes.

[Sundrumify]

The Presidency of Pres Obama has shown so far, that the arc of history can bend only so far before it breaks. It looks like we might be close to witness that. If the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Values set forth therein seems to be farce and not lived by those so-called World Leaders, who address the Values of their Constitutions, over and over again, where do we start and what can we expect from the Hague? i wonder!

[Sundrumify]

3. When Dr. King spoke of the great arc bending toward justice, he did not mean that we should wait for it to bend. He preached the gospel of nonviolence, thus he was aware the only way to face injustice is to address it. When I told my husband, American, beginning of 2009, that given the fact that Pres Obama did not address and brought to justice, the crimes of the Bush Administration, Wall Street gamblers, Pres Obama was already set up for failure, we argued.

[Sundrumify]

2. … and how it was going to end and brought to justice. Pres Obama loves referring to “the arc of history,” paraphrasing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr`s famous statement that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Pres Obamas`s deep-seated aversion to conflict, unability to confront what he has to, and his profound failure to understand power dynamics or even who is pulling his strings?! In which conciliation is always the wrong course of action.

[Sundrumify]

1. Excellent interview. Thank YOU, to both of YOU, as always, and no day without the “RealNews”. When I saw Mr. Obama visiting the White House in November 2008 walking around, “chumbing up” with Pres Bush I had a feeling of uneasiness. More so when Pres Obama delivered his inaugural address. Americans needed their President to tell them what would have made sense from my point of view and experience (former CEO of J.V.) what they had been through, what caused it, “who caused it”, ... continued

[alivera3]

@Sundrumify

Absolutely Brilliant !!! You have hit the nail right on the head

Masses are being fed grasses, Publics of Republics have been fooled. Bush sold the horse's Tush and Obama

continues the same Drama. Directed and produced by corrupt regime of good old United State of Bankers.

[Sundrumify]

@alivera3

Indeed. Reference is made to "Seeds of Destruction : Full Spectrum Dominance : William Engdahl, who addresses those, f.e Blood and Oil, Feudals, Military Industrial Complex, Banking Syndicates, Drug Business and Food Control?! and not to forget, the CIA, the government within, see the Economic Hitmen by John Perkins. New World Order?! No. That Order is reigning for tool long now.  We need an independent worldwide Institution supporting basic Human Rights. The U.N. has failed so far.

[Sundrumify]

@alivera3

Am deeply thankful and know so are YOU and other friends in our network, to Paul addressing the challenges of the time here on the "Real News" with excellent interviews. Salute YOU Paul, for ALL YOU do, Lisa

[mackraceing]

The whole justice system is manipulated and corrupt from the supreme court down.We are on the HWY TO HELL.

[BrennanAndrewWittig]

REALLY fucking tacky setting the book up in the background.

[stewspin]

It's not inconceivable that the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld gang actually had legal staff dig out the bit where torture is illegal within the nation, but not so much outside of it. Wasn't that the rationale for Guantanimo in the first place? They knew they were going to violate international treaties so anything they could do to muddy the legal water would have been to their advantage. Obama can't be trusted to do very much, hell, he's continuing the predator drone attacks on civilians.

[sheltercrow]

Obama, in the effort to get re-elected, seems to be capable of almost anything. He is the slickest politician that corporate and financial interests just can't get enough of. Torture? No problem - we're looking forward! Financial fraud? No problem. I have always wondered how presidents can look at themselves in the mirror after all they've done.

[Foggen]

What's up, conspicuous product placement?

[GoDrex]

I'm starting to think that the rest of the world needs to invade the USA.

[GoDrex]

I like that the book next to his head is Don Quijote. Seems fitting in a discussion of prosecuting Bush and Cheney.

[strongfoot2009]

Hahahaha.....Obama broke the laws by not prosecuting himself for crimes caused to Libyans, Afghans, Iraqis, Yemenis, Pakistanis......etc . Obama = G. W. Bush = Terrorist .

[saintearth]

@quinnmcguee It would have been funny if Hannity replied, "Because they get paid leave if they just kill the purp".

[Kitswain59]

Bush and Obama = Same puppet masters.

[purplescorpion223]

its amazing how theyre allowed to police themselves

[YahwehNow3168]

one of about a million laws he's broken, the dickhead.

Look up Obama's Skull & Bones name: the Undertaker.

Ring any alarm bells?

[ScoundrelzNTwK]

There is no way a US president or vice president will ever be prosecuted in the US, ever.

What foreign country is gonna try to prosecute a former US president?

[jak1428]

the don quijote cover in the background made me laugh. lol.

[wotan20]

@jak1428 Yeah right, now that you mentioned it, it clicked in me too. The rickety old knight from La Mancha who's filled with anachronistic idealism, and whose most famous action was his fierce windmill fight, which has been the symbol of utter futility ever since. No wonder, that to the outside world, this gallant warrior was a just crazy old man, acting out his own turbulent imagination.

[Kan2209]

Doesn't the U.S have a seperate entity for justice from government?

[efectomariposa93]

RaalNews were fervent Obama supporters. Not much alternative media there. hrmm.

[nilbud]

@efectomariposa93 The grunting noises you make when speaking aren't real words.

[freshhug]

I guess there is only one way to make theese criminals accountable, to make a real revolution.

[lictor313]

@freshhug yes a revolution where we send all left wing irreconcilables, nut case egalitarians, crazed multiculturalists, liberal "intellectuals" and all of the residual detritus of cultural marxism- and pack them on transport ships outward bound from our shores.

A great culling of the herd of lemmings that in a scant 50 years- have transformed America, into a howling cesspit of unproductive rainbow colored diversity. Its time to clean house.

[johnpotter26]

@lictor313 lol get rid of your intellectual capacity too bud - 3rd Reich style. Isn't that why America won WWII with the Nuclear bomb, after the purge of "Jewish Science" occurred in Germany? Oh wait you don't read...

[freshhug]

@lictor313

You lack all logic and common sense. Bye.

[wotan20]

Interesting interview. This Mr. Ratner appear to be a nice and knowledgeable fellow, who's filled with good intention, even if he is somewhat naive. Still, his frankness when he admits the various limitations on his organization's judicial militancy is refreshing to hear. Of course the prosecution of Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney would only be a start, but nevertheless, it would be a move in the right direction.

[nowaynohow26]

Bush and Cheney are family, you can't expect him to prosecute his own kin.

[Haasenpad]

301 views... 78 likes

[HuxleyWasRight]

@quinnmcguee good quote. Obviously Hannity is ok with water boarding so long as it's done over seas on dirt poor brown people in 3rd world countries.

[kittykatdancing]

good reason to start protesting, america!!

[TheDenker64]

@kittykatdancing protesting??? Most of the Americans rather go to Mc.Donnalds.

[captcrais101]

Obama is supporting torture too by keeping Gitmo and the rest of our torture prisions open.

[captcrais101]

@quinnmcguee No police beat people to death with nghtsticks or tase them to death instead.

[blackyblackblack505]

I'm tired of European elite thinking they can do whatever they want in American government. It's time we send these asswipes back to Europe where they belong.

[bluwaterzzz]

@zweezey

That would be because you are an IDIOT. Try reading a BOOK. How's that sound???

[sflorries]

Mr Ratner - thank you so much for doing this! Great, balanced interview - kudos also to Real News, so much great material - rock on!

[BogusDichotomy]

Thanks for explaining, as I've been wondering if there's anything Americans can do about this.

Seems there's an awful lot of hatred from Russia. Don't they realize the cold war is over? v v

[Valdris1987]

whats with the Hell No book? Subtle advertising much?

[MoscowMaestro]

You act like you're surprised? ALL AMERICANS ARE WARMONGERING NAZIS. Obama gave the Gitmo torturers an amnesty. Obama failed to close the Gitmo Gulag, despite his firm promise. Obama converted the Iraq War to war with a private Blackwater Army. Obama ramped-up the Afghan War. Obama is a SCUM PIECE OF SHIT. No surprise he took no action against his fellow neonazis Bush, Cheney and DUMBsfeld. Yankee Doodledom is a CUNT COUNTRY.

[dangerouslytalented]

Bush left Obama a clusterfuck. The Bush administration set the whole war up in such a way as to prevent prosecution for war crimes, by fucking it up so badly that if you do NOT continue committing war crimes (like if you do not keep Gitmo open) you make things worse.Whether it was a deliberate plan, or just a byproduct of Bush's ineptitude, that is a different question.

[MoscowMaestro]

@dangerouslytalented Stop making excuses for your niggerboy Nazi. Obama is three times worse than even Bush.  How come your buttboy hero hasn't closed Gitmo, despite his promises?? All yankees are SCUM.

[dangerouslytalented]

@MoscowMaestro Obama has his own faults.

[bluwaterzzz]

@MoscowMaestro

Use of a black racial slur in combination with a Nazi reference.... A Black Nazi? LOL! You're a special kind of stupid... I would guess MINIMAL mild retardation resulting from INBREEDING (i.e. your moms cousin is your DAD) or something of that nature.

Oh, and don't blow your brains out when your President is re-elected next year. LOL

[MoscowMaestro]

@bluwaterzzz When a CUNT like Obama ramps up wars and torture camps, then I'll call your CUNT whatever I like. You live in a CUNT country, so having a CUNT president seems entirely appropriate. I cheered when your helicopter was shot down yesterday, and I hope they all burn in hell.

[jdocks777]

You cant hold administrations accountable, they will find a way around it, or deny what fun filled illegal activities they partake in, such as water boarding, or phonebook beatings. so many fun games to play when they want to make a person talk.

cut a suspect up and roll them around in chyenne sauce, I bet that will burn like hell.

[dangerouslytalented]

@jdocks777 Pinochet was held accountable... It can be done, but it will not be easy.

[jdocks777]

"just answer the question"

"i want the truth"

"you cant handle the truth"

[Licmycat]

DEATH to Bush Family !!!!

[dankbot420]

so if it doesn't happen on US soil, then its not torture? .....crazy

[mexcurmudgeon]

@dankbot420 Military bases are considered part of the sovereign state, so Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and other places under military control are under US soil.

They should go to jail. Obama and Holder should resign for criminal negligence. They could be granted leniency for cooperation, but they are continuing the criminal activities.

[xardas411]

Al Qaida should hit Switzerland, so they realize that there is a real threat that only the US military has the balls to deal with

[bagodoughnuts73]

@xardas411 come on man! seriously?

[xardas411]

Is there a reason for "Hell No" in the background??

[xardas411]

I think every subsequent president of the US should prosecute the previous administration for whatever crimes they committed. That way once you are elected, you will automatically go to jail.

That would be progressive

[grandmachristine42]

@xardas411 Might improve prison conditions too.

[Licmycat]

When are you guys gonna kill them? We have no law as they destroyed that too. If you don't, ur news is gonna bite the dust as well. Do u not know that?

[D3m0nsLuvP13]

I love the plug in.

[Eraser7622]

So glad there are people fighting for justice... we all must do our part.. I am doing my part the best I can. If you ask yourself the question "am I doing something, anything to restore the Republic?" and you cannot say that you are.. you're helping the wrong team.

[xardas411]

realnews is criticizing obama because it is a racist news organization

[fallenempireoverdrve]

@xardas411 sarcasm ?

[xaotiko]

@xardas411 yeah .. too bad you didn't see how it was actually showing news that are affecting the black people in Baltimore .. So much for your racist comment .. OPEN YOUR EYES .. The same companies that paid for Prez Bush's campaign is paying Obama as well ..

[xardas411]

@xaotiko

how can u even say that president obama is the same as bush?!

[xaotiko]

@xardas411 How can you close your eyes to the funding Obama is getting from those companies ? How can you close your eyes to the banksters who demand the debt the govt owes them immediately and going to the extent of downgrading the credit rating when at the same time the federal reserve is giving them free loans at a nearly 0% interest rate ? WAKE UP .. OPEN YOUR EYES .. CHECK THE FACTS ..

[Kropotkin2000]

@xardas411 Awful trolling, but I'm sure someone will bite.

[slhines7]

All that you have to do is look into the CFR!, unless you and your Channel wants to be just like the MSM! If not, then you are no different from them!

[Jeanisimo]

Obama has the same policy as Bush