Torture like Jack Bauer's would be OK, Bill Clinton says

New York Daily News ^ | Monday, October 1st 2007 | MICHAEL McAULIFF

[presidio9]

What the nation needs is some good Jack Bauer agents, says Bill Clinton.

Bill and Hillary Clinton apparently no longer think torture has a place in U.S. policy, but Bubba sure hopes a "24"-style cowboy steps up if someone ever nabs a terrorist who knows a bomb is about to blow.

"If you're the Jack Bauer person, you'll do whatever you do and you should be prepared to take the consequences," Bill Clinton said yesterday.

In Fox's hit show "24," actor Kiefer Sutherland's character Jack Bauer is regularly confronted with the ticking-time bomb scenario - and makes his own rules about how to save the country.

Pointing to the show, Clinton argued on NBC's "Meet the Press" it was better that way because any law that approved torture could be abused.

"If you have any kind of a formal exception, people just drive a truck through it, and they'll say, 'Well, I thought it was covered by the exception,'" Clinton said.

"When Bauer goes out there on his own and is prepared to live with the consequences, it always seems to work better," he said.

In the past, the Clintons had been in favor of some sort of legal authority to torture in just those rare cases, but Hillary announced in last week's Democratic debate that she changed her mind.

In addition to discussing torture, the former President also expanded on the role he might play in a second Clinton administration, beyond being ambassador to the world.

"I should be available to help her with specific foreign problems, like she said, and maybe to help promote the domestic agenda - go around the country and help promote it," he said.

[presidio9]

BTW, X42 is directly contradicting the answer that the little woman gave to this question last week. He'd better watch his back, I guess.

[elizabetty]

Was Bill thinking, “As long as Hillary is the one being ‘questioned?’”

[From The Deer Stand]

Hmmm.. Bill says torture is OK? Any comments Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Murtha, John Kerry, and the rest?

[PGalt]

What the nation needs is some good Jack Bauer agents, says Bill Clinton.

What the nation needs is removal of a rapist and bride of rapist from the body politic.

[Slapshot68]

I know one thing..Jack Bauer would’ve taken OBL from the Sudan.

[Sgt_Schultze]

"If you're the Jack Bauer person, you'll do whatever you do and you should be prepared to take the consequences," Bill Clinton said yesterday.

What a riot...hearing the impeached former president speak about being willing to take the consequences for one's actions. This from the only president to have been accused of rape and groping several women. He dared the press to ask about it and they buckled and went silent. So he blamed his critics and the press championed his message.

[Guenevere]

Maybe a couple seasons ago....
..but I think he's been 'flipped' ....

..too bad.

[Psycho_Bunny]

So.....a former President of the United States is discussing an issue of American policy on a national political program in the context of a fictional TV show character....

Seriously.

[gunservative]

Would Hillary being elected Commander In Chief constitute torture? I think so.

[mazza]

What the nation needs is some good Jack Bauer agents, says Bill Clinton.

The nation already has agents like Jack Bauer Bill.

[Rummyfan]

What is the disgraced, disbarred, impeached X42 doing on MTP? Unprecedented! I don’t expect to see President Bush making the talk-show rounds in 2015. This man cannot live outside the spotlight - if everyone stopped paying attention to him he’d shrivel up and die within three months.

[MrB]

This was a complete setup.

Wanna know how I know?

Hillary didn’t give her “HOW DARE YOU!” substitution cackle when the “gotcha” was delivered.

Therefore, she wasn’t surprised, and it was a setup to show how “different” she is from Bill.

[maine-iac7]

If you're the Jack Bauer person, you'll do whatever you do and you should be prepared to take the consequences," Bill Clinton said yesterday.

And yet, when he was offered Osama on a silver platter, he couldn't be bothered. What was it that was reported? Once, when the word came through from Sudan that they could give him Osama, he was playing golf, and brushed it off. He was 'busy." And the next time, he allegedly took the call in the oval office while at the same time being 'served' - too busy.

Now he wants to paint himself as a Jack Bauer type of guy. (I'm going to be sick)

OH, and he can help Hillary with foreign affairs? - God help us. (I wonder. Does he mean like in keeping those hundreds of thousands of dollars coming from the Chinese gov't?)

[presidio9]

Actually, I can understand why Bill has no difficulty relating to Jack Bauer.

[ichabod1]

That’s disgusting. He’s saying brave American agents must suffer the consequences of the pusillanimous congress inability to nad up and do the right thing.

[libs_kma]

I’m not watching the new season of 24 until Garafolo gets smoked. Hope its in the first week, but if not, Oh well. I guess I gain another hour every week.

[libs_kma]

The Toon has the nads of a flea. In other words, “I wouldn’t have the policy, but I want to reserve the right to hang or praise the person who does the work”. It just depends on how the daily poll comes back and which action makes me look better.

[hgro]

Who the Hell cares what Bill Clinton thinks. The guy is a liar a a whole lot of levels and his whining wife is also adept at lying.

[Lost Highway]

What he’s really saying is that he wants someone with the balls to do what is right to step up and do it because he wouldn’t and won’t.

[ghost of nixon]

I know one thing..Jack Bauer would’ve taken OBL from the Sudan.

...Exactly! The POTUS needs to have a little Bauer in him also. Bauer also wouldn't have notified the Pakistanis that we were going to bomb OBL's hideout - ala Madeline Albright.