I'm torn about this.

The whole "I was just following orders" stuff just reeks of Nazi Germany.

On the other hand, I agree that we need to move forward and spend our energy on the future instead of the past.

For me, this isn't just about breaking the law but about being viciously evil toward another human being. I don't care whether or not they were told to do so. If you put authority over treating another person like a human being then I don't even see why prosecution is being questioned in the first place. Get on with it ASAP.
And just to be clear, those who gave the orders need to justify their actions in court too, of course.

Come on now, don't judge until you've been in their shoes.
Doesn't anyone remember the Milgram experiment? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_Experiment

Good, No prosecution for them, and onward to getting rid of the witch hunt altogether.

you cannot legally convict someone who was doing something that was not illegal at time. if they were following order and not purposefuly breaking any laws, there is not a lot that can be done. laws can be made that no one should use torture anymore, but i think obama wants to keep that door open sadly.

Torture is wrong. We were even torturing teenage kids who were suspected of terrorism. As far as that goes, many people there are probably not terrorists at all, and for the people who really are, we are no different than they are. No different at all.

I wish obama would charge them...because we need to show that this can NEVER happen again, and it was NOT okay to any extend of the imagination.

michichan you beat me to it. i was also going to mention the Milgram experiment.

I don't think this is the same as Nazi Germany but the whole, I was just following orders thing does not work for me either. Nazi soldiers were entirely wrong but faced possible prison and death if they didn't follow orders. CIA torturers faced a pay cut and career change if they chose not to do it. I really think something is wrong with anyone willing to strap someone down and force them to experience the effects of drowning. I would love to see the people who made that decision answer for what they did. I doubt it will happen.

The Milgram experiment is very interesting!

I don't think it's right for people who were following orders to be punished.

I find it mildly ironic that our own boys in the Navy Seals, Delta Force, etc. have to go through FAR worse in their training alone. Sleep deprivation, water boarding to the extreme, tear gas without any gas mask, the list goes on and on.

And yes, Obambi made a good call here.

I could go either way on the prosecution, but I think Obama made the right decision, and said it best with "nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past."

I think that after the Nuremberg trials, "just following orders" is no longer a legal excuse for committing crimes.

I agree, just move on.

I agree with moving on

Milgram's experiment! Thanks for bringing that up michichan. Learned that one in college, one of the most intriguing things I've learned

I agree with Obama on this one.

We're not going to prosecute any one regarding this matter because as they say it's not good for the nation.

If it were up to me I would look at each individuals involvement and judge it on a case by case basis. I can tell you though if it's a matter of a subordinate doing his/her job with the understanding that it's an order and the U.S. signed off on it they will not be held to blame. The only persons that would have to worry if I were in charge are those in the Justice department who said this was o.k. Not even old Georgie would have to worry about my claws because he sought council and council advised unfortunately they put the United States name on the line and gave horrible advise and they are the ones I would hold to blame Gonzales and his posy.

Being brought up in a military household, 'following orders" is simply what you do. You listen to whatever your superior officer tells you to do and you dont ask questions. My dad wasn't quite that strict, and usually encouraged us to question what we knew, but not what we were told. So, i dont blame those men personally, i blame their superiors.

They need to be punished, being ordered to is not an excuse for torture. I put maybe only because I think the people who told them too should also be punished.

No way should they be punished. They were following orders - orders that were given to help protect our country. I for one am very grateful to them.

"Just following orders" isn't a good excuse, since they are commissioned to not follow any orders that they feel is against the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Having said that, this is the correct decision.

I think the people who ordered the torture are the ones that should be prosecuted, however, there should be something done about the people who actually carried it out, but not too sever, since humans are somewhat "programed" to follow orders, as Milgram showed with his famous experiment involving "shocking" a person being tested, as ordered by an authority figure, and as was showed in the Stanford Prison Study (where students role played as guards and inmates, though the experiment had to be cut short due to safety concerns).

Point being: the CIA officers aren't wholly responsible for their actions, however, the people who ordered the torture are.

I absolutely disagree with this decision. Our soldiers were sentenced for their following orders, why should these guys receive a get out of jail free card? Nothing good comes out of giving these men a free pass. But, hey, why bother to learn from your history and mistakes. Let's just continue the same behavior, that way we have no moral leg to stand on. Oh-well, if we refuse to punish these people, perhaps the UN, or another nation will be willing to stand up.

The ones that said such torture was legal: those are the ones who should be charged.

I like what Sayid said in an episode (i think it was him), "Torture doesn't work, but the threat of being tortured does."