Legal Commentary

Does Cheney Want To Be Prosecuted For Sanctioning Torture?

By Big Tent Democrat

Scott Horton writes:

What prosecutor can look away when a perpetrator mocks the law itself and revels in his role in violating it? Such cases cry out for prosecution. Dick Cheney wants to be prosecuted. And prosecutors should give him what he wants.

No he doesn't. Glenn Greenwald gets it right:

In general, people who commit felonies avoid publicly confessing to having done so, and they especially avoid mocking the authorities who fail to act.[But Cheney has] gradually escalated his boasting about having done so throughout the year. Why? Because he knows that [. . .] he will never be prosecuted no matter how blatantly he admits to these serious crimes. [. . .] Does anyone doubt that Cheney's assessment is right? And isn't that, rather obviously, a monumental indictment of most everything?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 16, 2010 (boomark / email).