Posted on 04/13/2008 11:31:53 AM PDT by Jay777
In a stunning admission to ABC news Friday night, President Bush declared that he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details of the CIA’s use of torture. Bush reportedly told ABC, “I’m aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.” Bush also defended the use of waterboarding.
Recent reports indicate that high-level advisers including Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and George Tenet were part of the National Security Council’s “Principals Committee” that met regularly and approved the CIA’s use of “combined” “enhanced” interrogation techniques, even pushing the limits of the now infamous 2002 Justice Department “torture memo.” These top advisers reportedly signed off on how the CIA would interrogate suspects – whether they would be slapped, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated drowning.
“We have always known that the CIA’s use of torture was approved from the very top levels of the U.S. government, yet the latest revelations about knowledge from the president himself and authorization from his top advisers only confirms our worst fears,” said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. “It is a very sad day when the president of the United States subverts the Constitution, the rule of law, and American values of justice.”
Romero added, “It is more important than ever that the U.S. government, when seeking justice against those it suspects of harming us, adhere to our commitment to due process and the rule of law. That’s why the ACLU has taken the extraordinary step to offer our assistance to those being prosecuted under the unconstitutional military commissions process.
(Excerpt) Read more at aclu.org ...
ACLU can go screw itself.
I was hoping to get some discussion on this to take a temperature of conservatives to help form some thoughts for a post at my blog.
98.6 here
Absurd, the Constitution doesn’t address treatment of enemy combatants, only criminal defendents and suspects.
Its perfectly legal to summarily courtmartial and shoot spy and saboteur enemy combatants acting out of uniform. I don’t see where less severe treatment can even be questioned on a legal basis.
Please.
If it’s the ACLU, CAIR, the UN, the EU, Soviets, Islam, anti-2A, my temperature is over 102F.
Huge question here for the American sheeple.
Who would you rather have protecting your ass; Dick Cheney or the ACLU?
Confusing question? You’re dismissed. Either brainwashed already or too stupid to answer.
Undecided? Both A & B above.
FM 5-25
Where did you see that on Pelosi?
The article stated that the Congress, including Pelosi, had been briefed in 2003. She asked if it was "harsh" enough to get rusults.
Sorry, I can't find a link.
The US government does NOT torture.
Here’s the meat of the story: Sorry no link.
Pelosi declined to comment directly on her reaction to the classified briefings. But a congressional source familiar with Pelosi’s position on the matter said the California lawmaker did recall discussions about enhanced interrogation. The source said Pelosi recalls that techniques described by the CIA were still in the planning stage — they had been designed and cleared with agency lawyers but not yet put in practice — and acknowledged that Pelosi did not raise objections at the time.
The US government does NOT torture.
____________________
That’s true of course. The methods we do use are already effective, there is no need for torture and the possible psychological effects that administering torture could cause to our people.
But, torture, although it seems usually unwise and inappropriate, is certainly constitutional and legal and is not a civil rights issue when we’re talking about unlawful combatants and terrorists.
Does this mean the American Taxpayer will be footing the bill the aclu investigators will be running up to invesitage the adminstrations TORTURE (panties on the head) and ABUSE (making these arabs take a bath and wear clean clothes)? Seems we pay everytime one of America’s privileges is taken away and NOW asking a terrorist a question is called TORTURE AND ABUSE. I think we should STOP paying the aclu. They’re grubby little hands do us NO favor.
Bite me,
and I see a rope and tree in your future.when we have a Belsen or nuclear 9/11 in this country
Bring me some ACLU people and I will SHOW THEM TORTURE AND ABUSE!
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