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If Team Obama fails to keep us safe and our citizens are attacked at home or abroad, shall we then prosecute those who dismantled our safeguards and gutted our intelligence effort? The left has nothing against torture, they just want to choose its victims. As countless leftists learned in the course of the 20th century, todays witness for the prosecution is tomorrows enemy of the people. By lefties indulging desire to criminalize policy advise, Team Obama has unleashed furier that will haunt his presidency.

No one anywhere should ever tolerate bringing any bush officials back into office. Not under any circumstances. Certainly not any high-ranking CIA from his administration. They are lucky they are not all in jail. The illegal torture that was conducted in disregard of international law and alll geneva conventions, the illegal wiretapping on US citizens here at home...you would think that it was pretty innocuous but in fact it was anything but, the enron economics are all hallmarks of bush failed policy. He took the best economy in Americas history, with record surpluses and broke the bank and left in financial turmoil and not mentioning record deficits. Most americans believe bush should be in jail,... so, why isn't he?

Rendition is back, you pro-torturing, posturing, hypocritical leftist fools Team Obama determined that the rendition program was one component of Team Bush on terrorism that it could not afford to discard. Obama preserves, under EXECUTIVE ORDER, that the CIA STILL HAS AUTHORITY to carry out secret abductions and transfer prisoners to countries that cooperate with America. Lefties howled when Bush did this and called it an unlawful detainee designations. And here we have Obama flying detainees to secret prisons off the map from Human Rights groups and Red Cross. Obama sure did ban torture in America but he wants other countries to do the torturing for him. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO VOTED FOR OBAMA ARE NOW OFFICIALLY PRO-TORTURE!

He did the right thing......Leave Speaker Pelosi the h to the e to the double l alone.....

How about pelosi was she aware and is lying or is the CIA lying – the white house should get their house in order.

@ Randy....... God willing we will see Bush & Co., brought up on war crime charges. They swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and abide by the laws of the United States, waterboarding has been illegal in our Nation....... since the 1800's.

It's good this guy pulled his name out of the hat. He'd be a voice of reason and common sense in an administration that is WAY more concerned with saying the right things than doing the right things.

Why doesn't Pelosi step down, considering we all know she knew what was going on and chose to look the other way?

Pardon the pun, but his name is MUDD.

Typical.

Republicans complain that Obama isn't "reaching across the aisle" and is excluding them. Then, when the President offers a place in his cabinet, or other high-ranking positions to Republicans, they turn them down. THEN they complain to any media outlet that will listen Obama is being partisan and excluding their viewpoint.

I can't decide; are the Republicans insane, or just plain stupid? Maybe both.

Just so it is repeated again and again: Torture is un-American. It is in violation of the Geneva Convention (which the US helped draft). It is unworthy of a great country like ours. Period. Those who want to practice it should move to Burma or other countries.

Something smells funny - if they think they can avoid prosecution by laying low, they'd better think again.

It's coming out slowly but surely -- it will ALL come out.

Change is on the way – it may not be the change the crooks want, and that's your tuff luck.

Wouldn't it make sense to nominate someone from the ranks of the CIA...why go through training someone new...get someone who has first hand knowledge, has good judgement, is slow to anger, and very patient.

I've never represented my country as a politician or in the security forces. But I know and I think most of us on here have an idea what diddicult decisions these folks have to make. Even though he may have known about the torture, in my opinion I don't think that means he won't do a good job now. (1) Hind sight is 20 / 20 vision, (2) Sometimes under difficult circumstances we may vote no at the table,and register our disapproval, but allow the majority to go ahead with the plan.

"June 5th, 2009 5:34 pm ET

Just wait until the next Republican administration, whether in 4 years or 40, and they try all the "Socialists" and throw them in jail. You can't go back and prosecute a difference of opinion on how to treat the three of the worst people in the world."

That depends on whether one of the "opinions" is illegal doesn't it Ted?

Serves him right!
The problem is that the Bush administration had succeeded in cowing just about every one. Nobody dared stand up to them, or question them. Even the news media feared the administration and let them get away with their fear tactics.

He should never have been nominated in the first place! We are supposed to get the change we VOTED for. Remember, elections are supposed to have consequences and the criminals that have perverted and pervaded our country and constitution for the last eight years should never have access to the change in government that we DEMANDED - and again, voted for!

He did not drop out. He was fired because of his involvement in waterboarding.

Jon Jay
He didn't want to speak about the torture the Bush administration carried out..........Get a clue..........buy a vowel.

What about Charles Freeman? When are you going tell his story and reveal how treacherous and treasonous the Israeli lobby is?

Weird how some folks bring Nancy Pelosi's comments into everything. She said what she said. Has nothing to do with other news stories.

The truth of her comments will eventually come out, or... it won't. No one has confirmed either way. If everything was marked top secret, it may take awhile to find out "what's what," especially if "classified" was a cover. We shall see. I am sure folks are working on it.

Obama is a hopeless phony.

Here he is choosing another Bush Admin. graduate, only to be turned down by REAL Democrats. And the business of allowing families in bankruptcies to save their own home instead only being able to save their vacation home? The Big O Administration never got behind it after promising to help people who are struggling to keep their modest homes instead of helping the rich with their second homes. "Change we can believe in?" Hardly.

Is he charming? Yes. Engaging? Yes. A good speech-giver? Yes.
A man who keeps his promises? No.

Just wait until the next Republican administration, whether in 4 years or 40, and they try all the "Socialists" and throw them in jail. You can't go back and prosecute a difference of opinion on how to treat the three of the worst people in the world.

Cmon lets get on with the future instead of all this leftover stuff. Lets move on the medical plan. Lets move on the economy.Term Limits for congress are a must have for this country to move forward.

I think the Titanic (called we the people) are seeing the tip of the iceberg on just what has been going on in DC for years.

It will be so much better when it is ALL brought out and the rotten ones thrown away. NO MATTER WHICH PARTY OR OFFICE. Nothing can survive in this poison.

To Butch Dillon – you should be ashamed of yourself! Unfortunately, I don't think you have the brains or conscience to know what that means. Why would you be delighted in someone else committing suicide? You really should seek mental help.

Good. He needs to be held accountable for his actions.

HE DIDN'T LIKE OBAMA'S AGENDA -- SOCIALISM

@ Hopeful Optimist,

Be Careful! With sensible views and intellectual honesty you display civil discourse could break out on CNN's ticker!

Ive been reading the past few stories on here, and I can say that for the most part, it sounds like the world is full of haters.

If you do not like you life or the country, move to another country. Do us supporters a favor and leave.

Obama’s approach to Make Peace not War is the most sensible approach.

Criminals Bush and Cheney should be in Jail.

Prosecute them for War Crimes.

Prosecute Bush and Cheney for Deaths of 4300 US Troops and 100,000 Iraqi Civilians.

Go Obama Go.

Jail Bush.

Too bad prior knowledge of interrogation policy is not disqualifying the idiots in Congress from their jobs. They'd rather demagogue against what they all knew was happening. Most members of Congress of hypocrits and some are outright criminal liars.

Nancy isn't saying they lied anymore, when it got too hot for her she refused to talk about the alleged lies.

Maybe Mudd's next move, to my delight, could be suicide.

J.Crobuzon, I am a conservative loyal to the constitution. Are you? Obama is not.

Again, I will say it. I am a Liberal Democrat, and I think that using torture as a means to an end is morally wrong. BUT, I realize that not everyone agrees with me on that , and I don't think that it should be a litmus test to determine if someone is/is not qualified for certain jobs. I will put it another way. Bill Clinton was a womanizer and cheated on his wife at the drop of a hat. But I thought he was a hell of a good president.

Its called Common Sense, folks. You need for certain people who man certain jobs to sometimes have a bit of a rough edge to them. I know I was that way when I served in the military, and I still adhere to that belief.

Torture is a war crime. Prosecute them, don't nominate them!

Stay and fight man. I don't trust the CIA any more than I trust Bush and Cheney.

So a republican senator torpedos a fellow republican's nomination just because he was Obama's pick. Congratulations for stupidity.

OMG! I'm so impressed, maybe there is one person in our Administration in D.C. that actually has integrity!? Or there's even more skeletons in that closet?

It's interesting that on one side of the coin, the former Bush VP and also his daughter are speaking publicly about these policies claiming that they were good, solid, valuable tools while at the same time others who actually carried out the procedures lost their jobs or spent time in jail or are being drummed out of jobs in the new administration because of their knowledge about these policies during the Bush administration. This is hypocrisy. Why is Cheney being given so much positive media attention for his "enhanced interrogation" tour and being applauded in some circles while others are dropping like flies.

Rob, he was a 'publican then. They had no need to lie to him, whether or not they lied to Pelosi.

So Mudd is a washout? Cool. Seriously, good for him; I know Obama is trying to bring these dirty-handed crooks back into the mainstream of American politics, but I can't trust any Republican after the past eight years. They aren't loyal – just look at their comments!

Mudd is probably guility of something

He shouldn't have done it. Nancy's telling everyone that the CIA lied to her, I'm sure they lied to him as well

So even though he might have had knowlege of the torture, Obama still ""believes that Phil Mudd would have been an excellent Undersecretary"

I lose track – is Obama for or against the whole torture thing?

knew about it – OK / not OK
photos release – OK / not OK
etc.

Politics as Usual – Question Authority!

Another one bites the dust....

I think it's great that he dropped out. Wish Nancy Pelosi would follow his example.