In 2002 and 2003, Dick Cheney ordered the torture of key prisoners captured in Afghanistan and Iraq, especially al-Libi, Abu Zubaydah, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Cheney says he ordered torture to stop another terrorist attack, but the evidence is now clear:Cheney wanted false "confessions" to justify the unprovoked U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Those "confessions" were featured in key pre-war speeches by Cheney, George Bush, and Colin Powell that betrayed Congress, the American people, and the world.
Thus the "Torture" scandal and the "Iraq" scandal are not two separate scandals, but one massive and historically disastrous scandal: the Iraq-Torture Scandal.
Cheney claims his torture "saved hundreds of thousands of lives." In reality, it cost hundreds of thousands of lives - innocent Iraqi lives. It also killed over 4,300 U.S. soldiers, maimed hundreds of thousands more, cost U.S. taxpayers $3 trillion dollars, and profoundly damaged U.S. credibility and security.
Dick Cheney understands the enormity of his crimes and launched a public relations war to protect himself, including carefully-chosen TV interviews and speeches. His daughter (and chief defender) Liz Cheney admitted her father's greatest fear is prosecution.
It's time for Congress to investigate the massive Iraq-Torture Scandal - and for the Department of Justice to prosecute Dick Cheney for creating it.
Without Congressional follow-through, both the administrations of Busha and Obama, as well as Congress, remains fully culpable as their legacy.
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