US: Investigate GW Bush for Torture

US Should Investigate Bush for Torture
Solid Evidence Shows That Bush, Other Officials, Ordered Waterboarding
The evidence is overwhelming that former US President George W. Bush and senior members of his administration ordered torture, a war crime, during the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. President Barack Obama’s failure to investigate these allegations undermines US credibility in pressing other countries to address human rights abuses and to bring alleged international war criminals to justice.
There are solid grounds for investigating Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and CIA Director George Tenet, a new Human Rights Watch report says. They ordered practices such as “waterboarding,” the use of secret CIA prisons, and the transfer of detainees to countries where they were tortured.
Although the Obama administration would like to shut the book on this topic, it’s important to keep it in the spotlight. This week, we did just that, in media interviews from South African radio to Colombia-based TV and an opinion piece in the Washington Post.
The United States is right to call for justice for serious crimes that violate international law in places like Syria and Darfur. But the United States would be a stronger advocate for justice if it prosecuted someone other than low-ranking soldiers for crimes such as torture.

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