Obama and the End of Torture

Karen, I'm having a hard time finding that CBO report that you guys in the media are talking about, could you post the relevant parts regarding when that stimulus money hits the economy? Or post a link? This is the report I'm referencing, as reported by Time magazine:
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"Not helping matters is a report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that came out Tuesday, which shows that only 38% of the $350 billion in appropriated funds — which includes $274 billion for infrastructure investments — would make their way into the economy within two years of enactment."

Oops..linky:
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1873192,00.html

"torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough."

What part of that doesn't seem to be a glove fit for Bush, Cheney and the neo con horde?

Good for Obama. Now, let's hope that all of the Bush plants in the CIA, DoJ, DoD, etc. actually change their way of doing "business."

Torture is easy. It's what to do with the truly bad apples in Gitmo - and doing it within a year - that will be pure hell for the military and White House.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Wait for it. Further knee-JERK criticism from the Right Fringe due in five… four…
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Somebody, btw, should ask how a couple hundred Gitmo transferees are a greater threat on US soil than, say, the 3,000+ currently on U.S. Death Rows. If we're safe from the latter, how exactly would the former threaten us?

Not to go OT yet again in this post, but hit the link and go to the very bottom to read seven lovely words: "This is William Kristol's last column."

And you said there was no God.

"Bill Kristol finishes his N.Y. Times run, will move to WashPost once a month "
http://www.politico.com/playbook/0109/playbook567.html
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Now Karen, how about that CBO report....

in cincy's continued point, I have a suggestion here:
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Monday, January 26, 2009 at 11:36 am Political Animal: IT STILL DOESN'T EXIST.... In an apparent effort to appear even more foolish, the Wall Street Journal editorial board rails against a proposed economic stimulus package today, relying on support from the Congressional Budget Office. ... The Washington Times' Donald Lambro does the same, pointing to the CBO report as proof that the stimulus plan won't improve the economy. The problem, for those who were away from their computers over the weekend, is that the CBO report conservatives are relying on doesn't exist. . KT, youse guyse really need to pick up on this story. Please.

As for torture, I have rarely felt more hope for a return of our country than when Obama said, last Tuesday: “We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man — a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.”

Am I being overly simplistic here when I say that every day in this country we release violent criminals from our prisons and I'm confident that the recidivism rate for violent offenders outpaces that of the 2 of 61 terror suspects released from Gitmo. Now I recognize that the danger these individuals represent appears worse because we look at everything through the lens of 9/11. But as individuals they can not initiate that kind of carnage. And supposedly, since 9/11 the Bush administration put intelligence assets in place so these groups can't just enter our country and operate undetected right?
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I just don't understand why our laws are so inadequate in the case of the detainees. No matter how many drive by shootings occur we don't lock up every member of the gang indefinitely and without charges for life even though we know that their loyalty to the violent gang is for life. A violent death is a violent death to the dead person and their loved ones it doesn't really matter if it was at the hand of a terrorist, gang banger, rapist, or pedophile etc.

Thanks for the Kristol link, Cincy!
(...he said, somehow finding that sentence particularly difficult to utter.)

“torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough."

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Is it any coincidence that he described almost every conservative pundit in the world today?

sgw - No. That is another simple answer to a simple question.

Cincy:
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Email response from a WaPo article about the CBO "report"
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I guess you can't believe everything you read in the huffington post.
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The report does exist and i have a copy of it. And i've discussed it with senior cbo officials, who confirmed the facts in my story, regardless of what an anonymous "cbo aide" might have to say about the matter.
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I'll refrain from the obvious invective or sarcasm, but do hope you'll consider acquiring some firsthand knowledge of what you're talking about before making unfounded accusations.
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Thanks for writing

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The crack about invective and sarcasm is in response to a crack of my own.

There were reports that the CBO report was used to beat prisoners on the feet...Karen, any truth to that?

Here is a request for any conservative.
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If torture works, please provide an example in the last 10 years where it worked and actionable intelligence was obtained. It you are unable to do this than STFU.

I'd believe HuffPo before the WaPo any ole day of the week. They just hired Bill Kristol.

As for Mayer, read the book. It's really clear, really damning.

They just hired Bill Kristol.

Scott Horton: Has the Post made itself into the remainder bin for neocons?

SG -- great minds think alike see post 11:22

SOURCE INFO/CLARIFICATION ON THE CBO REPORT: The supposed CBO report on the stimulus looks to be based upon a actual recent CBO report issued Jan. 7th or 8th. The "fake" report is actually the real report recalculated using the stimulus numbers so as to show the difference that the stimulus package would have on the economy (i.e., a with or without scenario).

You can find the report at the link below. See page 3 for the key stats.

Merde! the link did not work. Hopefully, I get it right this time. If not, go to cbo dot gov and you'll see it listed on the page.

CBOreport

Who was doing the 'recalulating' of the 'actual' CBO report? And where did you get this information?

And which report is this, and of what?. Does not have a firm date on it, only January 2009.
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OMB Director Peter Orszag made these points on the "report" that GOPers were touting:
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The Congressional Budget Office recently released an analysis of a component of the economic recovery proposal; that analysis, however, did not assess the overall package. Our analysis indicates that at least 75 percent of overall package (including its tax component and the other spending provisions that were not analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office) will be spent over the next year and a half (the rest of fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010).
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We are committed to maintaining at least a 75 percent spend-out rate for the package as a while as the legislation moves through the Senate and House and into conference. In addition to jumpstarting the economy in a timely manner, we remain committed to providing unprecedented levels of transparency to the American people and the highest standards of accountability to the taxpayer about how the funds are spent.