George W. Bush's diabolical game plan included the 2003 revelation of complete details for his method of questioning terrorism suspects and after those questioning methods were made public there were very few voices raised in opposition. Thus if (trolls please note the use of the subjunctive mood here) Bush committed any war crimes by using waterboarding and other harsh measures, the citizens of the United States would have to be considered as possible accessories during and after the fact.
Hitler wasn't included in the list of defendants at Nuremburg. He was not even listed as a defendant being tried in absentia. His team did stand in the prisoners docket and it became obvious during the Nuremburg trials that most of the German citizens were just as shocked and surprised by the offences as was the rest of the world.
Bush's use of waterboarding may have helped enliven some barroom debates, but it never spurred any serious denunciations from the country's mass media, the country's clergy, nor even much of the citizenry.
By enlisting the country as accessories to his methodology, George W. Bush insured himself against any serious threat that he would ever face any legal consequences in his own country's judicial system. His defense would have to be: "Sorry, we goofed!" Any guilty verdict would have to be tantamount to saying: "We sure did!" and that's not a bloody well likely scenario in a country that portrays itself as "the Goodguys" (and we don't mean hippies who scored the famous WMCA T-shirt in the Sixties).
Statistically Germany is a Catholic country and maybe der Fuhrur knew that he couldn't intimidate the Pope (Pius XII) into giving his imprimatur to the torture, so he kept it hidden, but future dictators (and Presidents) have learned from Bush; if a country is going to sin it is best they do so openly without any hint of an admission of guilt or shame.
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