Rice may have admitted to conspiracy, Nixon’s John Dean says

From Raw Story, May 1, 2009:

In little-noticed comments Thursday, former White House counsel for President Richard Nixon John Dean said Thursday that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have unwittingly admitted to a criminal conspiracy when questioned about torture by a group of student videographers at Stanford.

Dean said he found Rice’s comments “surprising” and put her in a legal mire of possible conspiracy.“She tried to say she didn’t authorize anything, then proceeded to say she did pass orders along to the CIA to engage in torture if it was legal by the standard of the Department of Justice,” Dean said. “This really puts her right in the middle of a common plan, as it’s known in international law, or a conspiracy, as it’s known in American law, and this indeed is a crime. If it indeed happened the way we think it did happen.”

Asked if the comparison between her comments and Nixon’s were fair, Dean said it was “fuzzy.”“She was obviously trying to extricate herself and keep herself in a safe distance, that she was only operating under some general guidance of the president making things legal,” he said. “So it’s not clear whether this is a full-throated Nixonian-type defense or whether it’s a lot of confusion of the facts and throwing things up there to try to protect herself.”

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Rice may have admitted to conspiracy, Nixon’s John Dean says

From Raw Story, May 1, 2009:

In little-noticed comments Thursday, former White House counsel for President Richard Nixon John Dean said Thursday that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have unwittingly admitted to a criminal conspiracy when questioned about torture by a group of student videographers at Stanford.

Dean said he found Rice’s comments “surprising” and put her in a legal mire of possible conspiracy.“She tried to say she didn’t authorize anything, then proceeded to say she did pass orders along to the CIA to engage in torture if it was legal by the standard of the Department of Justice,” Dean said. “This really puts her right in the middle of a common plan, as it’s known in international law, or a conspiracy, as it’s known in American law, and this indeed is a crime. If it indeed happened the way we think it did happen.”

Asked if the comparison between her comments and Nixon’s were fair, Dean said it was “fuzzy.”“She was obviously trying to extricate herself and keep herself in a safe distance, that she was only operating under some general guidance of the president making things legal,” he said. “So it’s not clear whether this is a full-throated Nixonian-type defense or whether it’s a lot of confusion of the facts and throwing things up there to try to protect herself.”

read more | digg story

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Rice Faces Stanford Students’ Questions on Torture

When is torture illegal? There’s a great representation of divergent views in this video of Former U.S. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice speaking with Stanford students in an informal setting.

Thanks for your continued subscription. If you have an insight or piece of news that seems to fit our blog, please feel free to contact us.

Rice Faces Stanford Students’ Questions on Torture

When is torture illegal? There’s a great representation of divergent views in this video of Former U.S. Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice speaking with Stanford students in an informal setting.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

Greenwald Discusses Potential of Bush Prosecution for Crimes with Scott Horton

Glenn Greenwald interviews writer Scott Horton who recently released an article in Harper’s Magazine entitled “Justice After Bush: Prosecuting an Outlaw Administration” in this podcast.

Naysayers to the prosecution of Bush and others from the executive branch argue that it is not uncommon for Presidents to break the law and that prosecuting the President fuels a vindictive partisan retaliation unbeneficial to the progress of the next administration. However, Horton argues that the collective attitude of disregard by the Bush Administration of criminal law requires investigation.

While President Bush might be able to issue a pardon to himself and others, it does not free him from prosecution as the nature of war crimes is international. Horton suggests that the Department of Justice is too entangled with these crimes and the Attorney General must appoint an independent commission of inquiry with authority to claim the withheld documents and subpoena testimony from the witnesses. In this way, the new administration may avoid the semblance and deed of a politically motivated prosecution. A strategic sequencing of investigation and exposure of evidence must be made to build public support.

Thanks for your continued subscription. If you have an insight or piece of news that seems to fit our blog, please feel free to contact us.

Greenwald Discusses Potential of Bush Prosecution for Crimes with Scott Horton

Glenn Greenwald interviews writer Scott Horton who recently released an article in Harper’s Magazine entitled “Justice After Bush: Prosecuting an Outlaw Administration” in this podcast.

Naysayers to the prosecution of Bush and others from the executive branch argue that it is not uncommon for Presidents to break the law and that prosecuting the President fuels a vindictive partisan retaliation unbeneficial to the progress of the next administration. However, Horton argues that the collective attitude of disregard by the Bush Administration of criminal law requires investigation.

While President Bush might be able to issue a pardon to himself and others, it does not free him from prosecution as the nature of war crimes is international. Horton suggests that the Department of Justice is too entangled with these crimes and the Attorney General must appoint an independent commission of inquiry with authority to claim the withheld documents and subpoena testimony from the witnesses. In this way, the new administration may avoid the semblance and deed of a politically motivated prosecution. A strategic sequencing of investigation and exposure of evidence must be made to build public support.

Greenwald Discusses Potential of Bush Prosecution for Crimes with Scott Horton

Glenn Greenwald interviews writer Scott Horton who recently released an article in Harper’s Magazine entitled “Justice After Bush: Prosecuting an Outlaw Administration” in this podcast.

Naysayers to the prosecution of Bush and others from the executive branch argue that it is not uncommon for Presidents to break the law and that prosecuting the President fuels a vindictive partisan retaliation unbeneficial to the progress of the next administration. However, Horton argues that the collective attitude of disregard by the Bush Administration of criminal law requires investigation.

While President Bush might be able to issue a pardon to himself and others, it does not free him from prosecution as the nature of war crimes is international. Horton suggests that the Department of Justice is too entangled with these crimes and the Attorney General must appoint an independent commission of inquiry with authority to claim the withheld documents and subpoena testimony from the witnesses. In this way, the new administration may avoid the semblance and deed of a politically motivated prosecution. A strategic sequencing of investigation and exposure of evidence must be made to build public support.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.