Selokhu athatha izintambo, uMengameli u-Obama usefake izinguquko eziningi eziphambana nemigomo yokuphatha kukaBush. Umongameli omusha uyalele ukuthi akukho sikhungo sikahulumeni esizovunyelwa ukuhlukumeza, nokuthi ijele lase-US eGuantรกnamo lizovalwa, nokuthi izingosi eziyimfihlo ze-CIA zizovalwa. Kodwa u-Obama akazibophezeli lapho ebuzwa ukuthi uzofuna yini uphenyo futhi ashushise izikhulu zikaBush ezephule umthetho. "Umbono wami futhi owokuthi akekho ongaphezu komthetho futhi, uma kunezimo ezicacile zokona, abantu kufanele bashushiswe njenganoma yisiphi isakhamuzi esijwayelekile," kusho u-Obama. โKodwa,โ wengeza, โngokuvamile, ngithanda kakhulu ukubheka phambili kunokuba ngibheke emuva.โ U-Obama wesaba ukuthi ukubamba iTeam Bush liziphendulele kuzobeka engcupheni yokuhlukanisa amaRepublican asafuna ukuwanqoba.
Kungenzeka ukuthi u-Obama akasekho odongeni, okungenani mayelana nokuphenya abameli abeluleka i-White House ngendlela yokuhlukumeza futhi babaleke nakho. I-Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) ibhale umbiko osalungiswa ngokusobala ojabulisa abameli bangaphambili boMnyango Wezobulungiswa uJohn Yoo kanye noJay Bybee, ababhali bamamemo okuhlushwa adume kabi, ngokusho kukaMichael Isikoff weNewsweek. I-OPR ingabika laba bameli ezinhlanganweni zabo zabameli bombuso ukuze bathole izigwegwe, noma ibathumele ukuthi bayophenywa ngobugebengu. U-Obama akudingeki ukuthi aqale uphenyo; i-OPR isivele izethulile, ewashini likaBush.
Isibhamu sikagwayi esingase sibeke uGeorge W. Bush, u-Dick Cheney, et al., umgwaqo we-imeyili owadlula phakathi kwabameli kanye ne-White House. U-Isikoff udalule ukuba khona kwala ma-imeyili ku-Rachel Maddow Show. Abanye bathi izikhulu zikaBush zimsulwa ngoba zithembele ngokweluleko zabameli bazo. Kodwa uma umongameli kanye nesekela likamongameli betshela abameli ukuthi basebenzise umthetho ukuze babavumele ukuthi bahlukumeze, lokho kuzivikela ngeke kundiza.
Umbiko ohlangene weSenate Armed Services Committee uthole ukuthi "izikhulu eziphezulu kuhulumeni wase-United States zacela ulwazi mayelana nendlela yokusebenzisa amasu anonya, zachaza kabusha umthetho ukuze zenze ukubonakala kokuba semthethweni kwazo, futhi zagunyaza ukusetshenziswa kwazo ngokumelene neziboshwa."
U-Cheney usanda kuvuma ukugunyaza ukuhamba emanzini, osekuyisikhathi eside kubhekwa njengokuhlukumeza ngaphansi komthetho wase-U.S. UDonald Rumsfeld, u-Condoleezza Rice, uGeorge Tenet, u-Colin Powell, no-John Ashcroft bahlangane no-Cheney egumbini elingaphansi kwe-White House futhi bagunyaza amasu okuphenya anzima, okuhlanganisa nokufaka amanzi emanzini, ngokombiko we-ABC News. Lapho ebuzwa, uBush uthe uyayazi futhi wagunyaza. UJohn Yoo wabhala ku-Wall Street Journal waveza ukuthi uBush "angagunyaza ngisho nokungena emanzini, okuyinto ayenza izikhathi ezintathu eminyakeni eyalandela i-9/11."
Omele uMnyango Wezobulungiswa uthembise ukuthi umbiko we-OPR uzokhishwa ngoNovemba odlule. Kepha ummeli Jikelele kaBush uMichael Mukasey ukuphikile lokhu okusalungiswa. Inguqulo yokugcina izokwethulwa kuMmeli Jikelele u-Eric Holder. Abaphathi kuzomele bathathe isinqumo sokuthi bakwenze, kanye nama-imeyili, kube sesidlangalaleni bese kuthi baqhubeke kanjani.
Lapho i-United States iqinisekisa i-Convention Against Torture, sathembisa ukuthi sizokhipha noma sishushise labo abenza, noma abahlanganyela kukhomishini yokuhlukumeza. Sinezimiso ezimbili zobugebengu zikahulumeni zokushushisa ngokuhlukumeza - iSitatimende Sokuhlushwa kanye Nomthetho Wamacala Empi (ukuhlukunyezwa kuthathwa njengobugebengu bempi ngaphansi komthetho wase-U.S.). I-Torture Convention ayinakungabaza: akukho lutho, okuhlanganisa isimo sempi, okungase kusetshenziswe njengesizathu sokuhlushwa.
U-Yoo wachaza kabusha ukuhlukunyezwa kancane kakhulu kunalokho okuhlinzekwa ngumthetho wase-US, futhi weluleka i-White House ukuthi ingabalekela ukushushiswa ngaphansi koMthetho Wamacala Empi ngokufuna ukuzivikela noma isidingo. U-Yoo wayazi noma bekufanele azi ngokuvinjelwa ngokuphelele kokuhlukunyezwa kweNgqungquthela Yokuhlushwa.
Kunesandulela sokuthwesa abameli icala lobugebengu ngokunikeza iseluleko esinephutha ngokomthetho esibangele ukulimala okukhulu ngokomzimba noma kwengqondo noma ukufa. E-U.S. v. Altstoetter, abameli bamaNazi balahlwa ngamacala empi kanye nobugebengu obubhekiswe esintwini ngokweluleka uHitler ngokuthi "anyamalale kanjani ngokomthetho" abasolwa bezombangazwe emakamu okuvalelwa akhethekile.
Cishe izingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu zabaphendula i-USA Today/Gallup Poll bavuna uphenyo lwethimba likaBush ngokuhlushwa nokuthinta okungenasisekelo. Cishe abane kwabayi-10 bavuna uphenyo lobugebengu. I-Cong. UJohn Conyers wethule umthetho wokusungula Ikhomishana Kazwelonke Yamandla Empi KaMongameli kanye Nenkululeko Yomphakathi. USenenja uPatrick Leahy ulwela Ikhomishini Yeqiniso Nokubuyisana; kodwa lokhu akwanele. Ama-TRC asetshenziselwa imibuso yentando yeningi esanda kushintsha. Ngokunikeza ukungavikeleki kulabo abafakaza phambi kwabo, kuzoqinisekisa ukuthi labo abanecala lokuhlukumeza, ukuhlukunyezwa kanye nobunhloli obungekho emthethweni abasoze bagwetshwa.
Ummeli Jikelele u-Eric Holder kufanele aqoke uMshushisi Okhethekile ozophenya futhi ashushise izikhulu zaseBush eziphakeme kuhlanganise nabameli abafana noJohn Yoo owabanika ikhava "esemthethweni". Uqinisile u-Obama uma ethi akekho ongaphezu komthetho. Ukuziphendulela kubalulekile ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi abaholi bethu abaphindi bahlukumeze futhi bahlukumeze abantu.
UMarjorie Cohn unguprofesa eThomas Jefferson School of Law kanye nomongameli weNational Lawyers Guild. Ungumbhali we-Cowboy Republic: Izindlela Eziyisithupha iBush Gang Has Defied the Law. Incwadi yakhe entsha, Imithetho Yokungahlanganyeli: Ipolitiki Nokuhlonipha Ukungavumelani Kwezempi (no-Kathleen Gilberd), izoshicilelwa ngo-Ephreli. Izindatshana zakhe zigcinwa kungobo yomlando www.marjoriecohn.com.