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NEWS ABOUT: Bush administration

Stories 161 - 180 | << Prev   Next >>

Obama Must Oppose Spain's Bush Lawyer Probe: Bolton

Only our Constitution should judge policy decisions

(Newser) - President Obama’s "John Ehrlichman approach" to Spain’s investigation of Bush officials may be “smart politics,” but it’s dangerous for the country, writes John Bolton in the Washington Post. If the administration doesn’t speak out against the probe, it allows an “unaccountable... More »

Torture Convictions Would Be a Long Shot

Prosecution possible, but nailing Cheney a legal headache

(Newser) - Those calling for Bush administration prosecutions on torture-related grounds may have their way—but whether those in question can actually be convicted is a whole other kettle of fish, Jeffrey Rosen writes in New York. Much of the case would likely hinge on whether authorities believed their own claims in... More »

4th Grader Grills Condi on Torture

We were terrified by 9/11 but did nothing illegal, Rice says

(Newser) - A fourth grader took Condoleezza Rice to task on torture yesterday, asking her about President Obama's criticism of "methods" used by the Bush administration. The question— drafted with the help of teachers—was toned down from what the student originally planned to say, the Washington Post notes. The child... More »

Dowd: GOP Has Short Memory

'Quaint' calls for balance follow reign of 'Boy Emperor'

(Newser) - As their party contracts with the defection of Arlen Specter, the GOP is complaining about a disappearing balance of power: “How quaint,” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times—this from the party whose “arrogant” previous administration “did its best to undermine checks and balances.... More »

Fleischer: Subpoena Me —I Dare You

Ex-Bush spokesman would 'be proud to testify' about torture

(Newser) - Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer doesn’t think there should be an investigation of his boss’s torture program. But “I’ll be proud to testify if I get a subpoena,” he said during a panel discussion yesterday. “I’m proud of what we did to protect... More »

For Bush Veterans, DC Jobs Are Scarce

Former administration officials find bad economy, overwhelmed job market

(Newser) - Former Bush administration staffers are feeling the economic pinch as acutely as other victims of the sagging economy, Politico reports. GOP job-seekers in Washington face a triple whammy of economic chaos, minority status on Capitol Hill, and an excess of qualified Republicans. “The Washington side is a bit of... More »

Spanish Judge to Investigate Torture at Gitmo

Declassified memos show there were abuses, Garzon says

(Newser) - A Spanish judge has launched a probe into allegations of torture at the American prison at Guantanamo Bay, AFP reports. Baltasar Garzon initiated the investigation after reading statements by Spanish citizen Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed and three other prisoners about their treatment there. Garzon also said that the memos recently declassified... More »

Court Approves Ex-Inmates' Suit Against CIA

Torture allegations trump state secrets argument, panel rules

(Newser) - Five men who allege they were kidnapped and tortured on the orders of CIA agents may bring suit in federal court, an appeals panel ruled yesterday. Presidents Bush and Obama both contended that the case should be dismissed to protect classified evidence. But a federal appeals court panel ruled presidential... More »

After 100 Days, Does Obama Beat Bush?

A look at approval ratings, community-by-community

(Newser) - After 100 days, President Obama is more divisive, more popular with moderates, and bigger with his base than George W. Bush was at this point—depending on where you look, the Christian Science Monitor finds in a look at 11 community types. Overall, Obama’s 63% Pew approval rating beats... More »

Ex-CIA Chief: Congress' Sudden 'Amnesia' a Joke

(Newser) - The outrage on Capitol Hill against Bush-era interrogation policies is nothing more than a disingenuous “circus,” former CIA chief Porter Goss writes in the Washington Post. Goss, also a former congressman, says he and other senior lawmakers were briefed more than once about CIA tactics. “I do... More »

Bybee Rues Signature on Torture Memos

Friends say he regrets way the legal opinions were used

(Newser) - Jay Bybee has told friends and colleagues that he regrets his role as one of the authors of the so-called torture memos, the Washington Post reports. Most notably, Bybee, who's now a federal judge, signed off on the 2002 memo that authorized waterboarding. "I've heard him express regret at... More »

Leave Torture to Historians: Noonan

(Newser) - On foreign policy, it’s “so far, so good” for President Obama’s first 100 days, writes Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal. (Domestically, “there are only so many ways to say ‘Oy.’”) But the torture debate appeared to catch the White House... More »

Photos of Bush-Era Prisoner Abuse to Be Released

ACLU request for release of Iraq, Afghanistan photos granted

(Newser) - The Obama administration is releasing dozens of photographs depicting prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq being abused by Americans, the Los Angeles Times reports. The photos are not believed to be as extreme as the images from the Abu Ghraib probe, but defense officials warn they may provoke an angry backlash... More »

Did Brutal Questioning Pay Off? The Battle Heats Up

(Newser) - President Obama says the harsh interrogation methods used by the CIA both compromised American values and provided unreliable information. “Those are a convenient pair of opinions,” notes Scott Shane of the New York Times. But it's not going to be that easy for the new administration to defend... More »

Condi Was First to OK Waterboarding

Condi gave go-ahead before Rumsfeld, Powell even knew about it: Senate

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice played a greater role than she has acknowledged in the CIA's harsh interrogation program, and approved the use of waterboarding, according to a newly released report from the Senate Intelligence Committee. The report finds that Rice, as national security adviser, verbally approved the CIA's request to waterboard a... More »

Obama Rejected Idea of Interrogation Inquiry

(Newser) - More details are emerging from the Obama camp's debate on how to handle the Bush interrogation memos. In the Washington Post, Dan Balz writes that President Obama rejected the idea of setting up an investigation panel along the lines of the 9/11 Commission. Obama wanted to move on rather than... More »

FDA Will Let 17-Year-Olds Get 'Morning After' Pill

(AP) - The Food and Drug Administration will allow 17-year-olds to get the "morning-after" birth control pill without a doctor's prescription. The agency said today it would not appeal a federal judge's recent order overturning restrictions imposed during the Bush administration. The judge had ruled that Bush appointees let politics, not... More »

US Readied Waterboarding as Early as 2001

Harsh tactics were readied even before suspects captured

(Newser) - The Bush administration prepared to use waterboarding and other harsh tactics widely considered to be torture 8 months before the Justice Department approved them, and even before capturing a high-level terrorist suspect, the Washington Post reports. A Senate investigation reveals these brutal interrogation methods were approved despite warnings that they... More »

Obama Open to Interrogations Probe

(Newser) - President Obama today said he’d be open to the idea of creating a panel to investigate the Bush administration’s interrogation methods in the war on terror. Obama and his aides have been dismissing the idea for weeks, but today in a press conference with King Abdullah of Jordan,... More »

Condi Commands Same Speaking Fee as Ex-Boss

$150,000 price tag shows Bush may not be biggest star of his own administration

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice isn't playing second fiddle to George W. Bush any longer: The former secretary of state charges a $150,000 speaking fee—the same as her old boss, The Hill reports. Rice will even get a jump on the former president later this month when she addresses the Economic... More »

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