Cheney Indicted

This DA is a nutcase.

(CNN) — A grand jury in south Texas indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on separate charges related to alleged prisoner abuse in federal detention centers, Willacy County District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra told CNN Tuesday.

[...]

The Associated Press reported that the indictment stems from Cheney’s investment in the Vanguard Group — an investment management company that reportedly has interests in the prison companies in charge of the detention centers. It also charges Gonzales halted an investigation into abuse at the detention centers while he was attorney general.

1. Actually, he’s a duly elected law enforcement officer of a county in Texas. 

   He’s managed to convince a legally seated grand jury that there is probable cause to indict 6 individuals.

   I’m not sure why you hate America and its law enforcement system so much.

   Just as an aside, the case is thin and should never have seen the light of day.  It just goes to show you how much people believe in holding lawbreakers accountable that a grand jury was willing to reach this far.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 19, 2008 at 0913 hrs




2. Just makes the case for Bush to provide a blanket pardon for everyone who ever served in his administration.

   Of course then Congress would actually have to do something instead of wasting time on meaningless inquiries.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 19, 2008 at 0958 hrs




3. Ham sandwich.

   Posted by Jed on November 19, 2008 at 1020 hrs




4. Not quite a nutcase, but he was in fact routed in last spring’s Democratic primary. Here’s a more in-depth look at the story:

   http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6119459.html

   The thing is, this isn’t going to be the only case brought up against this crew on similar charges. Nearly the entire rest of the world doesn’t take kindly to torture and rendition as official government policy, and will seek to hold those responsible for it accountable for their actions. Just because the right wing and the Democrats in Congress were willing to let them get away with it doesn’t mean everyone else will.

   If I were George Bush, Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzalez, Donald Rumsfeld, et. al., I’d think really hard about travelling outside the United States for the rest of my life.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 19, 2008 at 1024 hrs




5. Anyone care to change their bets on what President Bush will do with pardons prior to leaving office?  I do not think there is any way Bush will not have blanket pardons for a number of those who served in ‘Bush and Company’.  And with news like this today,I am more certain of it than ever.  I think it important that justice be served to those who misused their offices and misled the nation through unconstitutional measures.

   Posted by Gregory on November 19, 2008 at 2142 hrs




6. Bush’s gang is in a real pickle here - they need to be indicted in order to be pardoned - I don’t think Bush can pardon Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al for their signing off on torture orders at Guantanamo and elsewhere after he leaves office.

   However, it could be that this is the solution to their problem - to be able to pardon “For any prisoner abuse that may have happened anywhere” without explicitly acknowledging the really serious stuff.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on November 20, 2008 at 0111 hrs