In an event sponsored by the political science department, political scientist Dr. Michael Hass and former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi will address ‘The Crimes of the Bush Administration and Obama’s Dilemma’ today at 6:30 p.m. in Johnson Auditorium 100 in Jacaranda Hall.

‘The two guest speakers will be exploring the violation of international and domestic law by the Bush Administration,’ said Keiko Hirata, assistant professor of political science. ‘This topic is very timely [as] President Obama is reconsidering U.S. policy on Guantanamo.’

Both guests have written a number of books, the latest of which examine the faults of the Bush Administration.

Bugliosi,’ who served as prosecutor in the well-known Charles Manson case and later co-authored ‘Helter Skelter,’ a true-crime book about the Manson killings, has also written a book about George W. Bush.’

In an online excerpt from his most recent book, ‘The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder,’ Buglosi calls for’ Bush’s prosecution for war crimes and recommends seeking the death penalty.

The New York Times best-selling author, details on his Web site why he feels Bush should be prosecuted. His main reason isthat Bush deliberately misled U.S. into war.
Buglosi argues, ‘Anything less than the death penalty for someone responsible for over 100,000 deaths would, on its face, seem ludicrous.’

Hass, a Yale and Stanford graduate, is a human rights advocate and a member of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union, among other organizations.’

In ‘George W. Bush, War Criminal: The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes,’ Haas lists violations most committed by the Bush Administration.’ Some of the violations include conspiracy to wage war, inhumane treatment of war prisoners and secrecy in judicial proceedings.

While working on his earlier book, ‘International Human Rights: A Comprehensive Introduction,’ Hass was inspired to write ‘George W. Bush, War Criminal: The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes,’ when he noticed a pattern in reported daily events from Iraq, Guantanamo and Afghanistan.

‘[They] matched the description of prohibited conduct in the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions, the United Nations Charter and many related international treaties which form the basis for civilized international behavior that has been promoted for 150 years by most American presidents’, Hass said on his Web site.

The Bush administration’s violations of international and domestic pose numerous challenges for the current Obama administration, said Hirata.

‘I hope many students and members of the community can come to explore and discuss what options the Obama administration has,’ said Hirata.

For more information about Michael Hass or Vincent Bugliosi visit their Web sites:
http://www.uswarcrimes.com/
http://www.prosecutionofbush.com/