Jay Bybee issued a statement Tuesday via The New York Times
and defended the conclusions of legal memorandums he had signed as a Bush administration lawyer that allowed use of several coercive interrogation practices on suspected terrorists.
Judge Bybee said he was issuing a statement following reports that he had regrets over his role in the memorandums
Given the widespread criticism of the memorandums, he said he would have done some things differently, like clarifying and sharpening the analysis of some of his answers to help the public better understand the basis for his conclusions.
“The legal question was and is difficult,” he said. “And the stakes for the country were significant no matter what our opinion. In that context, we gave our best, honest advice, based on our good-faith analysis of the law.”
Pretty much what you would expect from this souless ghoul – although there are comments from former friends:
He has too much respect for authority and will avoid a confrontation no matter what,” the professor continued.
yeah, I know knock me over with a . . .
. . . and current colleagues:
Judge Betty Fletcher, a member of the court for 30 years, said in a statement: “He is a moderate conservative, very bright and always attentive to the record and the applicable law. I have not talked to other judges about his memo on torture, but to me it seems completely out of character and inexplicable that he would have signed such a document.”



15 Comments







found this late, buried in the Specter avalanche, probably lots more about this tomorrow
wow, thanks and recommended
Seconded.
And more than anything else, he’s sorry for himself because he has been exposed. Just like Yoo, he also only regretted not making clearer memos.
Bybee speaks—but did Addington’s lips move?
rofl
yes – he’s been in a secret location since jan 20th, also said to contain a man sized safe
.”
What timing, huh? Nice that Bybee speaks after Obama gave them this escape hatch. And how did Obama come up with that “good faith” idea to excuse these crooks? Did Holder or his minion meet with the Addington Group spokesman and they lawyered-up this Yoo-like twist??
I think we’re going to become thoroughly sick of the phrase “good faith” before this is finished with….if it ever is.
spent some time in the Nuremberg archives after I posted this – he is all but quoting the defendants in the Justice Case verbatim
cb12, What was the outcome in the Justice Case?
Defendants / Sentences
from my limited reading it appears this series of trials went further than other trials in giving us The Nuremberg Principles
loosehead prop had a fabulous archival link in one of her Alstoetter posts, where you can read transcripts – I’ll see if I can find it for y’all
Thanks so much, cb12, for that Defendants/Sentences link you gave at #13. In reading the Commentaries there I found so much that, IMO, parallels the Bush OLC/DOJ. For instance, as to “good faith”:
[emphasis mine]
” One thing could change that dynamic, however. The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility has been investigating the work of lawyers who signed off on the interrogation policy, and is believed to have obtained archived e-mail messages from the time when the memorandums were being drafted.
If it turned out that the lawyers initially concluded that aspects of the proposed program would be illegal, then reversed that conclusion at the request of policy makers, then prosecutors could make a case that the officials knowingly broke the law. “
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/…..ure-memos/
Bybee is a liar.
The legal question (What is torture?) is not difficult.
Americans should rise up and throw this piece of garbage into the dump.
Now I really want to throw up. His repeated use of the word ‘we’ means he’s definitely not capable of a soundly reasoned and independent view.
Which of course is why, with typical Republican pack dog mentality, he was nominated.
recommended. bye bye bybee speaks. i’m overjoyed. wouldn’t it be nice if he also had a heart and morals to go with his voice? won’t it be nice to replace him with a judge who does? impeach bybee!