Just a few rogue MPs... yeah, that's the ticket

This post is a must read, as are the referenced memoranda from the Air Force, Navy, Army and Marine JAGs:

The Senate debate nevertheless was extremely valuable, because Senator Lindsey Graham submitted into the Congressional Record six remarkable memos written by Judge Advocate Generals of the Armed Forces during February and March of 2003. [In addition to that pdf file, I’ve republished the memos as a separate post, below.] The Senate Armed Services Committee requested these memos in October of last year, but DoD just recently declassified them. (An aside: As anyone who reads the memos can plainly see, there was no justification for classifying these memos, and from all that appears they were classified merely to prevent public debate about an important Administration policy. The improper classification of numerous Administration documents in this affair—including even the Church Report and its accompanying documents—is a scandal onto itself, but is not the topic of this post.)

Note that this is Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican from South Carolina and former JAG himself, not some pussy-whipped pansy Librul from Massatushits.

The JAGs made it pretty damned clear that what the administration wanted to do amounted to war crimes (as if there was any question as to whether they are war criminals).

This part is really precious:

Unfortunately, however, the notion that this was all simply a problem during an unfortunate 12- to 14-month period two years ago is belied by the fact that the Administration—the Vice President, in particular—is pulling out all the stops in trying to prevent Congress from requiring the military to adhere to the Field Manual and from prohibiting cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees. If the Yoo analysis were truly a repudiated thing of the past, an unfortunate historical anomaly, why would the Administration hold up—and threaten to veto—the vitally important defense authorization bill, for fear of being saddled with extremely modest requirements that, as the JAGs explain, had served us very well for many decades?

Yep, that's our favorite war criminal, Dick Cheney.

What sickens me the most, though, is that they feigned innocence and vociferously denied that there was a policy that endorsed torture when the Abu Ghraib photos hit the Internets. Just a few rogue MPs disobeying orders and the UMCJ. The MPs, who were clearly "just following orders" have been punished, their lives ruined. Yes, "just following orders" is not a valid defense, but the administration hacks *cough*Rumsfeld*cough* *cough*Gonzales*cough* and the sickos like Gen Miller, who spread this cancer from Gitmo to Afghanistan and Iraq, and Gen Sanchez who condoned the abusive treatment have all been promoted (or in Rumsfeld's case, retained their post despite their complete and utter incompetence) while the grunts take all the blame.

This administration is a worse pack of mendacious, amoral, treasonous, war criminal, hypocritical, pond scum to have taken up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. than the Nixon crowd. Even that doesn't do justice for the contempt I have for them.

The only saving grace is that the SCOTUS nomination hasn't pushed RoveLeakGate off the front pages, the WH press corps has finally found its spine (they smell blood now that Dubya's lost his mojo), and the American people are finally catching on that they have been repeatedly lied to and crapped on for 4.5 years. Poor Dubya, approval ratings at 41% and falling like a stone. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.