A series of Justice Department memorandums written in late 2001 and the first few months of 2002 were crucial in building a legal framework for United States officials to avoid complying with international laws and treaties on handling prisoners, lawyers and former officials say.
...One former government official who was involved in drafting some of the memorandums said that the lawyers did not make recommendations but only provided a range of all the options available to the White House.
On Jan. 25, 2002, Alberto R. Gonzales, the White House counsel, in a memorandum to President Bush, said that the Justice Department's advice was sound and that Mr. Bush should declare the Taliban as well as Al Qaeda outside the coverage of the Geneva Conventions. That would keep American officials from being exposed to the federal War Crimes Act, a 1996 law, which, as Mr. Gonzales noted, carries the death penalty.
New York Times article
...One former government official who was involved in drafting some of the memorandums said that the lawyers did not make recommendations but only provided a range of all the options available to the White House.
On Jan. 25, 2002, Alberto R. Gonzales, the White House counsel, in a memorandum to President Bush, said that the Justice Department's advice was sound and that Mr. Bush should declare the Taliban as well as Al Qaeda outside the coverage of the Geneva Conventions. That would keep American officials from being exposed to the federal War Crimes Act, a 1996 law, which, as Mr. Gonzales noted, carries the death penalty.
Somebody in the WH requested that information - "all the options available to the White House". The administration is going to an awful lot of trouble to either exempt itself from any law on war crimes or find a loophole around it. And why would you do that unless you intended to commit war crimes? I believe we have committed war crimes in every other war we've been involved in, at least in my lifetime. But now that there is such a thing as an International Criminal Tribunal, BushCo is working overtime to avoid being subject to the laws, including blackmailing other countries into signing documents that give the U.S. a waiver on prosecution for war crimes.
Bringing honor back to the White House, because fellatio in the Oval Office should be a crime.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
