Will Obama Allow US Citizens To Be Tried At The Hague?

Just when you thought things couldn't get much worse. From the WSJ h/t Jennifer.

Does Obama really want to go down as the most vilified potus in American history? One wouldn't think so. Unfortunately, as we're already observing with so many of his decision, he does seem to allow his progressive ideology to overrule everything else. If he does this, his administration may start coming apart at the seams more quickly than the slow unwinding we've observed during his first year.  

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed "great regret" in August that the U.S. is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC). This has fueled speculation that the Obama administration may reverse another Bush policy and sign up for what could lead to the trial of Americans for war crimes in The Hague.

The ICC's chief prosecutor, though, has no intention of waiting for Washington to submit to the court's authority. Luis Moreno Ocampo says he already has jurisdiction—at least with respect to Afghanistan.

Because Kabul in 2003 ratified the Rome Statute—the ICC's founding treaty—all soldiers on Afghan territory, even those from nontreaty countries, fall under the ICC's oversight, Mr. Ocampo told me. And the chief prosecutor says he is already conducting a "preliminary examination" into whether NATO troops, including American soldiers, fighting the Taliban may have to be put in the dock.

Comments

[gary gulrud]

I agree, it is getting worse, faster than I believed possible.

Fortunately, it's getting worse for you-know-who, but is that fast enough?

[Bob]

"One wouldn't think so. Unfortunately, as we're already observing with so many of his decision, he does seem to allow his progressive ideology to overrule everything else."

What a silly argument. Was it "progressive" of Obama to continue to suppress torture tapes and not investigate human rights abuses of the Bush administration? How about NOT reining-in the Bush administration domestic surveillance program? How about NOT closing the prison at Bagram AFB? How about allowing the medical-insurance lobby to have so much input into the healthcare reform legislation rather than going for a single-payer plan like so many progressives wanted? How about not taking over some of the largest taxpayer-bailout institutions like AIG or Bank of America? Probably some of the most frustrated people of any right now are REAL progressives who wanted the Obama administration to drive a harder PROGRESSIVE agenda. Obama has taken a decisively MODERATE course in his presidency so far, to the disappointment of many of his supporters.

It's silly and dishonest to accuse Obama of being an extremist progressive. The people making these kinds of accusations are themselves the real extremists, demanding that the entire nation be forced to buy into their teabagging hysteria. Generally speaking, the ones buying the ammunition, gravely threatening that their 2nd amendment rights are somehow germane to any conversation about the state of the nation and/or fantasizing about seceding from the union . . . THOSE kind of folks are generally considered to be the extremists.

[Lala]

21 CIA agents convicted in Italy

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4554074-why-the-trial-of-cia-operatives-in-italy-went-ahead

[Paul A'Barge]

Does Obama really want to go down as the most vilified potus in American history?

Sir,
He already is the most vilified POTUS in history.

[Darth Venomous]

"It's silly and dishonest to accuse Obama of being an extremist progressive. The people making these kinds of accusations are themselves the real extremists, demanding that the entire nation be forced to buy into their teabagging hysteria."

And you're still nothing but a pussified extremist coward, Roberta. Come say that to some of our faces and see what happens to you.

You're still nothing but a pathetic little socialist assclown, chumpette.

[jon-paul]

Hiya Bob:

With the greatest of respect to you I am unaware that anyone is accusing Obama of being an 'extremist progressive.' For the record, his progressive ideology was mentioned yet that hardly qualifies as 'extremist.'

Again with respect: Were you a witness to 'human rights abuses' wherever they allegedly occurred? Everyone is going to have their own definition of 'torture' and if you're talking about waterboarding or Gitmo...puleez!

Have you ever thought that maybe Obama enjoys the notion of domestic surveillance? Better still, somewhere in that mind of his he thinks it's necessary? A-humm.

To this day my biggest biotch vis-a-vie the bailout is that the taxpayer has nothing whatsoever to show their own ownership in various entities where our money was used. If I buy shares in GM I expect to receive either a 'conformation advice' or a stock certificate showing my ownership. This administration has done nothing to support that.

Now Bob...relax and settle down a bit -- it's really YOU who is acting extremist. Cheers mate!

jps

[MarkJ]

Dear Bob,

When a car bomb goes off on your street, I'm sure you'll be the first one to stumble out of the rubble of your abode, brush yourself off, and screech, "What the f*** happened?"

Take your meds, dear, you'll be glad you did.

[x11b1p]

Roberta - do you or do you not have a blog? Why can't you answer the question? I will own you on this until you either lie or tell the truth? Its okay, you are owned by many: Obama, Darth, me, ND30, Nancy P, Harry R. How does it feel being a geetcha - meaning "geetcha ass" back in your mom's basement biznitch.

[North Dallas Thirty]

The funny part about watching the paid whore Bob whine is that all of the things he's claiming Obama did are things that he shrieked were "war crimes" and over which impeachment was required when Bush did them.

So that means one of two things:

1. Bob is lying about Obama's Marxist record and trying to make him look better than he is

2. Bob is a complete and total hypocrite.

Strike that. It likely means both.

[smitty]

He is OediPOTUS Wrecks.

[WBestPresidentEver]

Just when you thought it could not get any worse than it already is. Please...This makes me want to vomit my Thanksgiving dinner up. This excuse for a human is despicable
He makes me sick everytime I hear his voice or see his face. He is the worst president in the history of this country. I do not know if we will last another 3 years. It want be long now before we will be under the rule of th UN and the New World Order with a new currency to boot. God, please come down here and help us all.

[gary gulrud]

Bub, tossing out a dozen begged questions is not an argument. Ace O' Spades is more you're style, or LGF. Be a stranger, Ok?

[NoMinarets]

Obama means to DESTROY us ... BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!! Get that into your heads, people. He will shame us, demean us, castigate us, deride us, bankrupt us, not defend us, do everything he possibly can because after all ... G-D AMERIKKKA! IT'S IN THE BYBLE!!! G-D AMERIKKKA!!!! That's what his "pastor" preached. That's what Obama believes. Our destruction can't come quickly enough for Barack Obama. So, let's change the Congress and impeach him!

[Erica]

Who would like to see Obama legally ousted before 2012? Yes, it can be done, and these graphics illustrate the process. If you know anyone who qualifies as an “interested” or “third” person as described in the graphics, please share this information.

3 Graphics: Quo Warranto Process to Remove Obama
http://jeffersonsrebels.blogspot.com/2009/11/quo-warranto-to-remove-obama.html

[Bob]

"With the greatest of respect to you I am unaware that anyone is accusing Obama of being an 'extremist progressive.' For the record, his progressive ideology was mentioned yet that hardly qualifies as 'extremist.'"

With every decision he's made so far as president, there were "more extreme" and "less extreme" choices he could have made (and I mean "extreme" only in a relative sense, not to indicate that even the "more extreme" choice would have been in any way beyond the pale). Obama has chosen "less extreme" every single time. For example, he COULD (and in my opinion SHOULD) have gone for a single-payer healthcare reform plan, but instead, chose a plan that kept the role of private insurers intact and, you could argue, set up a system that will make those businesses even more profitable by expanding their customer base. He could have immediately begun to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, but has chosen to steer a moderate course that even puts in more resources than the Bushies were willing to do. So it's just silly hyperbole to accuse him, as Riehl does, of being some kind of knee-jerk extremist. It's one more demonstration of the disingenuousness of right-wing rhetoric.

[Bob]

"Roberta - do you or do you not have a blog? Why can't you answer the question?"

What, x1ax, are you a spoiled child or something that you keep making the same demand over and over? I already answered you in another thread. But to spare you the agony of finding that post yourself, I'll repeat: No I don't have a f#*@ing blog. Why the hell would you even care?

[Bob]

These are the kinds of things REAL extremists say just because their party lost a free and fair election as part of a completely normal democratic process:

"This makes me want to vomit my Thanksgiving dinner up. This excuse for a human is despicable"

"Our destruction can't come quickly enough for Barack Obama. So, let's change the Congress and impeach him!"

"Who would like to see Obama legally ousted before 2012?"

Even wing nuts like yourselves can't pretend that Obama has committed any "high crimes and misdemeanors," yet you rave on as though it's somehow your constitutional right to overthrow any election result that's not to your liking. YOU are the extremists, and your hateful and disloyal rhetoric proves it.

[Darth Venomous]

"These are the kinds of things REAL extremists say just because their party lost a free and fair election as part of a completely normal democratic process"

Sorta like what _you_ libtards have been bleating about since - oh, say - 2000 or so.

_Dance_, Roberta, _dance!!!_

[Rich K]

Well thats gonna be a REAL vote getter for the Dems next year if any of our boys get tossed on the docket of the ICC. Can you say 200 million super pissed off people ( I figure about 100 mill are trolls or pay no attention anyway) going to the polls with that kind of goings on going on. HEHEHEHEHEHEH,BWAHAHAHAHA.

[southdakotaboy]

If this happens I say we march on Washington and start Hanging the Democrat leadership. The Army will just stand by and watch.

[Bob]

"If this happens I say we march on Washington and start Hanging the Democrat leadership. The Army will just stand by and watch."

Add another extremist right-winger statement to the list. And Obama gets vilified over universal health care. One side wants a better health care system and the other side is openly advocating the execution of elected officials. And who's supposed to be the extremist?

[Darth Venomous]

"Add another extremist right-winger statement to the list."

Add another cowardly sniveling of a reaction to Roberta's list.

C'mon, bee-yotch, _dance!_ (guffaw)

[southdakotaboy]

Treason is punishable by death Bob that is written right in the Constitution. We are not going to sit by while these idiots deliberately destroy our nation.

[Bob]

"Treason is punishable by death Bob that is written right in the Constitution. We are not going to sit by while these idiots deliberately destroy our nation."

But you actually have no evidence for any of your accusations, do you? Treason is things like "high crimes and misdemeanors." Give us some specific names and the associated crimes they committed that qualify as treason. How can you prove that anyone is destroying the country, let alone doing so deliberately? Face it: you're a political extremist who has to make up false accusations to justify your own disloyal statements.

[xerocky]

"It's silly and dishonest to accuse Obama of being an extremist progressive. "

So Bob, why do you like Obama?

[xerocky]

"Mr. Ocampo—who has a photo of himself with the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, on his windowsill—could have pointed out to his Arab interlocutors that the real double standard was their own complaining about alleged Western aggression against Muslims while they protect Sudan's Bashir, the greatest butcher of Muslims in modern history. The fact that Mr. Ocampo mentioned the Sudanese perpetrator of genocide in the same breath with alleged crimes of NATO soldiers shed light on what the International Criminal Court may have in store for the U.S. in the future."

It's funny how the political left always seems to think that the right are a bunch of rubes, and that they themselves are so nuanced as to be unassailable. Yet, it's so easy to see where their loyalties are and how their agenda is so transparent. When such barbarism exists to such a degree, why go after some small infraction?
The answer is clear, they want to confuse the mission. They want the forces on the ground to fail for lack of clearly knowing what to do in each situation, and every conflict that we get into is just a series of murky situations. Over time this will weaken NATO and it will weaken the United States. This is what they want. It's fairly obvious. It seems funny to me that they seem to think we can't tell.