4 ms·

He's also a war criminal.

by paganel 6y ago

xupybd 6y ago
Unless convicted isn't he at most an alleged war criminal?
- planckscnst 6y ago
  No - he may or may not be a war criminal, depending on whether he committed war crimes. You don't need to be a convicted criminal to be a criminal.
  - Daho0n 6y ago
    If you can be a criminal before you are convicted, aren't you de factor guilty until proven innocent? I'd say that "being a criminal" doesn't have a lot of meaning if it isn't meant as in the eyes of the law and hence you should be innocent until proven guilty.. or do I misunderstand?
  - goldcd 6y ago
    That might be your opinion, but I think you'd be excused sitting on the jury for sharing it.
jeffrallen 6y ago
Right, but Prof Hennessy wants you to understand that he was brilliant at understanding the facts and carrying out the analysis for deciding that he should be a war criminal. Eye roll. George Bush, brilliant or not, earned his tainted legacy. If he was really so smart, perhaps he could have found a way to avoid that we are having this discussion about him now. He's just lucky that President Trump came along to steal the title of "greatest criminal in the White House in the last 50 years" from him.
- Err_Eek 6y ago
  > He's just lucky that President Trump came along to steal the title of "greatest criminal in the White House in the last 50 years" from him. Pretty hard to make the argument than in terms of kill count Bush doesn't win this one
  - nix23 6y ago
    >kill count Bush doesn't win this one True, Trump was probably the most peaceful president since the 2. WW for the rest of the World. But he definitely stole the "greatest Fire-starter and stupidity talker" from Bush. BTW: If he could make the thing with N. Korea, he would probably be reminded as someone like Nixon (not directly good but for sure not a abomination)
knuthsat 6y ago
Well, so is, in varying degrees every US president. I'd say Obama outperforms Bush in that regard.
- collyw 6y ago
  You think the war machine will fire back up now that Trump is out?
  - nix23 6y ago
    Just with Drones, everything else i unpopular ATM.
  - paganel 6y ago
    I was thinking recently about the same thing (I'm not American, if it matters), for better or worse Trump was the first US president in many decades who had managed to actually help in the opening of diplomatic relations between Israel and some other Arab States (UAE and there was some other one which name escapes me right now). Is there any recent non-inflammatory/non-partisan analysis that discusses about Biden's possible future strategy outside the US borders?
nix23 6y ago
If he was one, Obama was one too and trump too. Targeted official killing was a big NOGO before 9/11. War on Terrorism too, which means nothing else then the US can kill peoples or groups in every country without having to declare war on that country or even to ask, and for the peoples of the US...you can always say your in a War and guarantee enough spending for your Military and Intel-Services.
Blikkentrekker 6y ago
Agreed — and you would do best to not compulsively classify properties into “good” and “bad” and reason from the assumption that a “bad one” can be used to offset or argue against a “good one”.
calpaterson 6y ago
That could be true but doesn't seem unusual for an American president - most of them have broken "the laws of war" in one way or another.

He's also a war criminal.

xupybd 6y ago

Unless convicted isn't he at most an alleged war criminal?

planckscnst 6y ago
No - he may or may not be a war criminal, depending on whether he committed war crimes. You don't need to be a convicted criminal to be a criminal.
- Daho0n 6y ago
  If you can be a criminal before you are convicted, aren't you de factor guilty until proven innocent? I'd say that "being a criminal" doesn't have a lot of meaning if it isn't meant as in the eyes of the law and hence you should be innocent until proven guilty.. or do I misunderstand?
- goldcd 6y ago
  That might be your opinion, but I think you'd be excused sitting on the jury for sharing it.

jeffrallen 6y ago

Right, but Prof Hennessy wants you to understand that he was brilliant at understanding the facts and carrying out the analysis for deciding that he should be a war criminal. Eye roll. George Bush, brilliant or not, earned his tainted legacy. If he was really so smart, perhaps he could have found a way to avoid that we are having this discussion about him now. He's just lucky that President Trump came along to steal the title of "greatest criminal in the White House in the last 50 years" from him.

Err_Eek 6y ago
> He's just lucky that President Trump came along to steal the title of "greatest criminal in the White House in the last 50 years" from him. Pretty hard to make the argument than in terms of kill count Bush doesn't win this one
- nix23 6y ago
  >kill count Bush doesn't win this one True, Trump was probably the most peaceful president since the 2. WW for the rest of the World. But he definitely stole the "greatest Fire-starter and stupidity talker" from Bush. BTW: If he could make the thing with N. Korea, he would probably be reminded as someone like Nixon (not directly good but for sure not a abomination)

knuthsat 6y ago

Well, so is, in varying degrees every US president. I'd say Obama outperforms Bush in that regard.

collyw 6y ago
You think the war machine will fire back up now that Trump is out?
- nix23 6y ago
  Just with Drones, everything else i unpopular ATM.
- paganel 6y ago
  I was thinking recently about the same thing (I'm not American, if it matters), for better or worse Trump was the first US president in many decades who had managed to actually help in the opening of diplomatic relations between Israel and some other Arab States (UAE and there was some other one which name escapes me right now). Is there any recent non-inflammatory/non-partisan analysis that discusses about Biden's possible future strategy outside the US borders?

nix23 6y ago

If he was one, Obama was one too and trump too. Targeted official killing was a big NOGO before 9/11. War on Terrorism too, which means nothing else then the US can kill peoples or groups in every country without having to declare war on that country or even to ask, and for the peoples of the US...you can always say your in a War and guarantee enough spending for your Military and Intel-Services.

Blikkentrekker 6y ago

Agreed — and you would do best to not compulsively classify properties into “good” and “bad” and reason from the assumption that a “bad one” can be used to offset or argue against a “good one”.

calpaterson 6y ago

That could be true but doesn't seem unusual for an American president - most of them have broken "the laws of war" in one way or another.