A Gentleman’s view.

The torture memos support everything believed about a renegade government.

There appears a lack of opportunity for the good ‘ole phrase; ‘why can’t we all just get along’ and let bygones be bygones, please don’t hold grudges. The American soul is a forgiving one known for accepting the view of life being about new chances and opportunities. Looking back and dredging up proof of illegal activities such as listening to American citizens here, unlawful acts such as making detainees stand nude in one spot for over twenty four hours or no food for the same amount of time, violations of the rule of law, namely; our Constitution of one, international treaties for another, the fate of any of our captured Americans anywhere in the world as a basic principle, or the chance we, as a country could be guilty in any way should not be something we should waste our time on. Our country’s reputation and honor damaged to the point that it could take a generation to recover is nothing the average citizen should concern themselves about. If we just forge ahead, charting a new course with a new rapport with our allies and others around the world, we can start anew.

This is what our President is trying to ask of us with the lack of motivation or conviction to pursue an investigation or indictment against the former administration’s officials responsible for now more than ever before with the release of the torture memos by his administration of the Bush’s administrations legal wrangling over this subject, whether for legal recourse or not, is a glaringly clear statement of knowledge of potential criminal activity involved. The essence of those memos in their vivid detail from the legal analysis displayed demands investigations and so much more. This was we the people of these United States failing to rectify the activities of the leader of this less than perfect union of ours who approved holding a man down covered with cloth while pouring water over his face making him think he was drowning. Obama feels it would not be conducive to our country’s future if we spend a lot of time seeking to point the finger of guilt for all the wrongs of the war with Iraq.

Former President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached for having an affair and then lying about it and it turned out they had not the stomach to actually force him out of office. The main point was that they thought those actions of a sitting President warranted such a use of the people’s time, money and effort on their (the Congress) part to pursue to an end. Former President George Bush is responsible for presenting false documents, cherry picked intelligence material, and outright lying to the nation and the world thru the United Nations Security Council to have us as a nation bogged down in two wars with no support from any other country in the world to include a majority of our most dedicated allies. Once he (Bush) achieved this thus engaging our entire military apparatus to two wars on top of being world cop already, he sent the military into ‘harm’s way’ without the proper equipment or mission to be successful in the accomplishment of it. Then, he proceeds to use illegal surveillance techniques, wiretapping U.S. citizens without the proper cause or authority. That was not enough for this decider of men, he decides thru the use of extraordinary rendition who the bad guys are, and what we do with them when we say who they are, then where we send them once we decide who they are and what we are going to do with them because we have made that decision. All the time, it was he, who was the final authority to make said decision about anyone anywhere around the world to include American citizens. Added to that resume, the lost treasury of both wars, the upper crust tax cut during such trying times for any nation, the downfall of four major American institutions to with; Wall Street, Banking, Automotive Manufacturing, and housing all on his watch. His question was “Are we safer?”

For these activities, as outrageous as minor as they may seem depending on who reads this column and whatever the persuasion, we must remember that American Service Women and Men, who swore the oath to defend our Constitution of our United States wearing our nations’ uniforms, have died doing so and are still out there doing so. If we take lightly the reason we sent them out there just based on that alone, then they would have died in vain and still are dying so. We need to find out the reason that a President responsible for all that wasn’t impeachable, while Slick Willie, who just couldn’t keep his pants up, was.

© 2009, agentleman.