Cheating justice : how Bush and Cheney attacked the rule of law and plotted to avoid prosecution-- and what we can do about it /

Cheating justice : how Bush and Cheney attacked the rule of law and plotted to avoid prosecution-- and what we can do about it /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Holtzman, Elizabeth.
Imprint:	Boston, Mass. : Beacon Press, c2012.
Description:	xv, 208 p. ; 24 cm.
Language:	English
Subject:	War on Terrorism (2001-2009) Terrorism -- Prevention -- Law and legislation -- United States. Administrative responsibility -- United States. Misconduct in office -- United States. War on Terrorism, 2001-2009. Administrative responsibility. Misconduct in office. Politics and government Terrorism -- Prevention -- Law and legislation. United States -- Politics and government -- 2001-2009. United States.
Format:	E-Resource Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8691753

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:	Cooper, Cynthia L., 1950-
ISBN:	9780807003213 (hardback) 0807003212 (hardback)
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-192) and index.
Summary:	"The Bush-Cheney Administration transgressed the law in ways that trampled the Constitution, crushed the concept of lawful conduct and harmed the image of the U.S. around the world. The 2009 release of secret torture documents, in particular, ripped apart the notion that "'we' do not torture," as President Bush liked to say. Torture is against the law, plain and simple. The documents paint a bleak picture of the involvement of President Bush, Vice-President Cheney and top Administration officials in unleashing, sanctioning and conspiring in the infliction of torture. Without indictments, prosecution or accountability, their activities make a mockery of the United States law and especially of the unwavering standard that "no person is above the law." The failure to indict, prosecute or hold officials at the highest level accountable sets frightening precedents. Cheating Justice identifies in clear language why the nation needs to address the Bush-Cheney Administration's willing plunge into torture, and, more specifically, how to do it. With Watergate-era reforms as a model, the book will describe the plain steps to undoing the damage that the Bush-Cheney Administration inflicted and to putting into place new protections that will block future presidents from similarly abusing the law. Few topics can be more important for our times: these actions are vital to our freedom and to the nation's future. Following upon their book, The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens, (Nation Books, September 2006) (http://www.channonart.com/impeachBush/index.html) co-authors Elizabeth Holtzman and Cynthia L. Cooper discuss clearly and plainly how and why Bush, Cheney and others can and must be held accountable. "--

Description
Summary:	While the debate continues about impeaching President Trump, whether we're in a full blown Constitutional crisit, and which Trump administration officials should be prosecuted for illegal actions, Cheating Justice serves as useful background for how we got here by examining how the Bush-Cheney administration broke the law-and how the people can bring them to justice. <br> <br> Despite the many misdeeds of and abuses of criminal law by the Bush administration, there has been no accountability. Former U.S. representative Elizabeth Holtzman pairs with lawyer and journalist Cynthia L. Cooper to explain why we can't "just move on." They lay bare how the Bush-Cheney administration broke a multitude of laws and betrayed American values, and exactly why and precisely how we, the people, must bring them to justice for their crimes, their cover-ups, and their deceit.<br> <br> Backed by strong evidence gleaned from "astounding"* research, Holtzman and Cooper argue that the Bush administration not only violated various U.S. laws but also changed many laws to escape prosecution for their crimes later. The authors demonstrate how a failure to hold George W. Bush and Dick Cheney accountable would set a dangerous precedent for the future leadership of America.<br> <br> Bush and Cheney deceived Congress and the people to drive us into a war in Iraq; they claimed the right to wiretap illegally and to eavesdrop on citizens; and they authorized torture, upending laws and breaching international treaty obligations. Yet, both Bush and Cheney are boldly unabashed about their offenses. In his memoir, President Bush makes no apologies for his decision to start a war in Iraq, though no weapons of mass destruction, the ostensible reason for the war, were found there. And once out of office, Bush proudly said, "Damn right," about his approval of waterboarding, a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and U.S. law. Recent revelations about the extent and depth of their crimes, catalogued in detail here, make the need for accountability imperative.<br> <br> As a member of Congress and part of the committee that investigated and held hearings on the conduct of President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal, Elizabeth Holtzman condemns Bush's adoption of Nixon's claim that he acted in the interest of national security. Using Watergate-era reforms as a model, Holtzman details the steps necessary to undo the damage that the Bush-Cheney administration inflicted and explains how we can establish new protections to block future presidents from similarly abusing the law. Cheating Justice is not only a call to empower the American people, and a firm insistence that the nation's leaders are not above the law; it is also a blueprint by one of America's top legal minds for bringing Bush to justice and protecting the future of our democracy.<br> <br> * Publishers Weekly
Physical Description:	xv, 208 p. ; 24 cm.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-192) and index.
ISBN:	9780807003213 0807003212