Yglesias joins the war crimes debate:
I think it’s important to draw a distinction between simply declining to engage in war crimes prosecutions as a matter of prosecutorial discretion, and actually taking prosecution off the table. The latter should be done, if at all, only in exchange for confessions, expressions of remorse, and cooperation with investigations. The former is probably the better part of wisdom for now, but many of the perpetrators can be expected to live for decades and absent something like a real Truth and Reconciliation Commission the door should be left open to doing something down the road if circumstances change. I don’t think it’s even remotely acceptable to just give a full retrospective stamp of approval on everything that was done during the Bush years merely because that might be the most convenient way to build legislative support for Obama’s domestic agenda.
This is a critical decision on the part of the Obama camp before they take office. It will tell us a lot. A middle way, if prosecuting the criminals would tear the country apart in the near future, is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission option – which is Obama’s style.
(Photo: John Yoo, architect of torture and defender of the legality of torturing children under order of the president, by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty.)
The Dish 