Accountability

Having browsed through a number of blogs and articles, I've become more interested on the issue of the government's torture policy toward detainees. Recently, Bush traveled to China for the Olympics and cried foul about the nation's human rights failures. I do agree with his statement, but what right does he have to say anything when he participates in the same dubious activity? While I--and many in the international community I'm sure--tried to stop laughing at Bush's remarks, I began to think about accountability. When is the last time an American leader has been held accountable on an international stage? Will it ever happen? Why? What makes our leaders immune from criminal inquiry?

Since WWII, our country has been, for the most part, the place that the rest of the world looks to for what is presumably good. Although the US has had its share of misdeeds and foul-ups in that period, one of the most blatant might be happening right now. Never before has our government widely accepted the use of torture as an instrument for information during a conflict. Further, the practice has been proven to be useless since most of the information is either unprovable or a fabrication all together. The only information gained over the past seven years has been tenable at best, and it came from a cab driver. Further, most of the captives--the administration admitted--were not even threats or terrorists to begin with. Testimoney of the conditions and practices at Guantanamo Bay shows the ghastly nature of what is being done. And some wonder why we get laughed at by the international community.
So why can't these members of the Bush junta be put on trial? Some would argue that it would not be good for the country to go through another impeachment process following that of President Clinton's because it would only politicize the country further. I call bullshit on this. This administration has done nothing BUT politicize the country and its institutions. Secondly, what do you call the entire Clinton impeachment charade? That was a political witch hunt. Why can't we have two impeachments in a row? If one president is impeached, does that automatically make his/her successor immune? NO! If a president can be impeached for lying in his testimony, how can a president NOT be impeached for allowing torture?
We have become an arrogant lot if we believe our leaders should not be held accountable internationally as well. If we can't do it at home, then a foreign body should be able to. We could not prevent an international tribunal, consisting of many of the world's most powerful nations, from investigating and trying our leaders. In fact, I think it's time it does happen: starting with our idiot king and his court. These cowards that call themselves leaders will be brought to justice in this life or the next.