The ACLU reports:
The Justice Department has finished sweeping the crimes of the Bush administration under the rug. Senior officials developed and implemented an interrogation program that subjected prisoners to abuse that clearly violated the law by any measure. But today, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department will close its investigation into the CIA’s torture and abuse of detainees without bringing charges.
http://www.aclu.org/blog/human-rights-national-security/doj-closes-cia-t...
Hence, creating a precedent for any American administration to torture, knowing full well that such an administration can get away with it.
Let's all just ignore this one small fact:
We have ratified three treaties that all outlaw torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. When the United States ratifies a treaty, it becomes part of the Supreme Law of the Land under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.
http://www.counterpunch.org/...
In other words, the rule of law exists in words but not in deeds.
Comments
"Looking forward" and spitting on the Nuremberg precedent
What have we become? People delude themselves into thinking this president is their best friend. Everything we stood for now goes away in the end.
Now it's up to foreign governments
This is one of the triggers for foreign investigation. If a country fails to investigate its own war crimes, the obligation then shifts abroad. There has already been a similar trigger along these lines from the legislative branch when they passed a law exempting CIA personnel from prosecution for just following orders (the law is settled on that). So, if Congress is exempting people from prosecution and Justice is discontinuing its investigation, both George W. Bush and Barack Obama are subject to investigation for war crimes by foreign governments. Think about that, please.
There is a question whether any entity outside the USG has enforcement power.
The answer is no
No entity outside USG has enforcement power.
Meaning literal raw power
The judicial power exists under international and domestic law, along with the duty to investigate and enforce. But no one can challenge the overt and clandestine power of the USG, whoever that is.
Yeah, I agree
Whoever has the power makes or breaks the rules with impunity.
While our congressional representatives
hide in their offices. The problem with torture is it goes to the very top. That's always been the problem. If they start the dominos falling, who knows who it would get.