DoJ Official Experienced Waterboarding, Told WH It Is Illegal, Was ‘Forced Out’

[ProSense]

DoJ Official Experienced Waterboarding, Told WH It Is Illegal, Was ‘Forced Out’

Last night, ABC World News reported that in 2004 then-acting assistant attorney general Daniel Levin was so concerned about the administration’s use of waterboarding that he went to a military base near Washington and underwent the procedure himself.

Levin took over former Office of Legal Counsel Jack Goldsmith’s job when he resigned and immediately began reassessing the administration’s interrogation techniques. Levin released a http://abcnews.go.com/images/TheLaw/DAG_MEMO_1.pdf">new memo in Dec. 2004 that replaced the 2002 Bybee memo. Levin’s memo declared that “Torture is abhorrent” but also cautioned in a footnote that his memo was not declaring the administration’s previous opinions illegal. “The White House, with Alberto Gonzales as the White House counsel, insisted that this footnote be included in the memo.”

ABC reported that after Levin personally experienced waterboarding, he told the White House that it could be considered torture:

After the experience, Levin told White House officials that even though he knew he wouldn’t die, he found the experience terrifying and thought that it clearly simulated drowning.

Levin, who refused to comment for this story, concluded waterboarding could be illegal torture unless performed in a highly limited way and with close supervision. And, sources told ABC News, he believed the Bush Administration had failed to offer clear guidelines for its use.

Levin was working on a second memo that would have imposed tighter controls on the use of interrogation techniques such as waterboarding. While working on that memo, ABC reported “Levin was forced out of the Justice Department when Alberto Gonzales became Attorney General.” Watch it:

[williesgirl]

1. But DiFi and Schumer know best...NOT. rec'd

[NC_Nurse]

2. I so laothe this admin.

x(

[bbgrunt]

3. and their enablers.

[City Lights]

4. Along with those who still support/defend it.

:mad:

[rodeodance]

5. Sen. Whitehouse said we have opportunity to fix the wrongs with a no vote (Lehrer

news hr----Wed eve._

[Peace Patriot]

6. How can dunking a helpless prisoner's head in water, even without murderous

intent, be considered anything but torture? In fact, how can subjecting a helpless person--in chains, in prison, unable to defend himself--to any kind of threat of death, or to bodily pain, or to acute psychological pain, be considered anything but barbaric and absolutely illegal (under several codes of law, not to mention ethical principles)?

While Levin's dissent was no doubt courageous--and innovative (imagine undergoing torture yourself to make your point!)--it sounds to me like he was trying to fudge the matter, legally, perhaps to protect his job (and his life?), so that he could remain as a thorn in the side of these fascist criminals. I'm not questioning his motives, but want to make a broader point--something that has been on my mind. And it has to do with the criminal liability of major Bushite players (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, and a few others), and how that might be influencing the actions of Congress and the behavior of some our Democratic Party leaders (including candidates for president). Levin's actions--opposing torture, but not quite saying it's illegal--may provide a metaphor for the bigger picture.

I think it's possible that criminal liability, and impeachment, are the main things on the major Bushite minds, these days. That is, I think it's possible that they may be much more on the run than we know. What will an aroused American people do to them? Not that Congress is in any way 'aroused' on our behalf, but they COULD be, if we were to restore transparent vote counting--and we COULD, conceivably, elect a president who believes in the Constitution and the rule of law, maybe not this time, but eventually. And there are also the elements of vast public discontent, potential civil unrest, and even revolution--but, certainly, great activism and pressure for reform, and for a return to the rule of law. These criminals have looted us blind. Where is our money? They have destroyed our reputation in the world--and have totally sullied our own political establishment, with the American people (who scornfully give this 'Democratic' Congress an 11% approval rating. Talk about discontent!) What "sacrificial lambs" might be needed by the political establishment, and its corporate puppetmasters, to maintain corporate rule?

Also, Bushites project their sins onto others. What would THEY do in the current circumstance, if Democratic and Republican fortunes were reversed? They would get out the guillotine. They would be savage in their retaliation.

So that may well be what they fear--the ax falling on them. And what would, say, Dick Cheney, do, if he were driven by such fear? Plausible scenario: He would threaten to attack Iran (and start WW III), and use it as a bargaining chip, to prevent impeachment and indictment.

What I'm suggesting is that a lot of this dancing around the issue of torture (and other incredible Bushite crimes) on the part of the Democratic leadership MAY not be reflective of what their real views are on these issues, but rather a strategy to immunize Bush/Cheney et al, from criminal liability, to insure, a) that they WILL relinquish power, come January 2009, and b) will not do something horrible during this lameduck period, to justify martial law, and remaining in power (or for some other purpose--such as long term war profiteer planning; i.e., keeping the U.S. military in the Middle East, in force, indefinitely, which an attack on Iran would likely do).

We tend to regard issues--and discuss issues--as if we were living in the Old Republic. We are not. We have, in fact, suffered a fascist coup already. I date it to October 2002, but not to the Iraq War Resolution; rather to the "Help America Vote Act," which simultaneously provided a $3.9 billion electronic voting boondoggle, to spread highly insecure and insider riggable voting machines all over the country, run on 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations. The IWR guaranteed unjust war; HAVA provided the means to shove the unjust war down the throats of the American people.

I'm not sure all of the Democrats who went along with this fascist coup fully realized what they were unleashing. But now they are stuck with it--not only a White House that has gone totally out of control, but also they themselves are now beholden to Diebold/ES&S, and are no doubt being subjected to spying and blackmail (if not death threats) by Bush, Cheney & Co. I also think it's possible that some of our Corporate Rulers are having second thoughts. Bush/Cheney are so obsessive about gaining control of Mideast oil for their oil giant pals, that they have, in essence, "lost" South America as a looting ground for U.S. corporations, and as a military/police state boondoggle (the phony "war on drugs.") Country after country in South America has elected leftist leaders who are rejecting these U.S. policies, and are banding together to achieve South American self-determination and independence. This will mean losses of billions and billions and billions of dollars in global corporate predator profit. Democracy in South America is appalling, from a corporate predator point of view. And, indeed, the whole world has been rearranged, contrary to U.S. global corporate interests, while Baghdad burns.

And, IF a bargain has been made, to immunize the major Bushite players from their crimes, in order to get them out and install more competent corporate shills (Hillary? Dodd?), this is what it would look like: It would look like Levin trying to keep his job, by fudging the matter of the illegality of torture. Don't threaten the criminals with their fingers on the red button, with jail time, while they are still in power.

I think that this may be the origin of Nancy Pelosi's otherwise inexplicable statement, a day after the '06 elections, "impeachment is off the table." She made a deal--and it was probably Iran that was "on the table." The Democrats have since proceeded to immunize Bush/Cheney on torture, and on every other crime they have committed. In normal circumstances, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Gonzales would have been in the dock, on January 2, 2007. They were somewhat protected by "Blue Dog" Democrats getting Diebolded into Congress. But their crimes are so great that that should not matter as much as it does. Even "Blue Dogs" (who want to cut everything in the budget except war spending) swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. This is the most lawless regime in our history--and the most thieving regime in the history of the world. Why are they not behind bars? Why are DEMOCRATS protecting them?

Same reason Levin did. As long as Bush/Cheney are in power, retaliation could be swift, and deadly, and could involve the whole world.

I don't excuse our Democratic leaders. But I do want to understand them. It is our duty, as citizens of a country with a lawless and extremely dangerous government, to know what is going on, and to strategize and act as well as we can, to restore democracy, and sanity. The above is just a guess--that Levin's actions mirror the bigger picture. But, as the victims of this fascist coup, that's all we can really do, is guess. Read the entrails. Try to figure out what our lords and masters are doing. And work toward a better day--with practical, and strategically smart, action, such as restoring transparent vote counting in our counties and states.