Bush defends harsh interrogation tactics: report

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 5/29/09 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) – Former president George W. Bush defended harsh interrogation tactics used in the "war on terror" as both legal and necessary to prevent an imminent attack, local media reported Friday.

The remarks came a week after former vice president Dick Cheney branded President Barack Obama as soft on terror for repudiating the tactics.

In wide-ranging remarks to the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan, Bush defended his decision to allow harsh interrogation of the terror suspect accused of ordering the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Bush told the crowd of 1,500 that the techniques were cleared by his lawyer, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"I made a decision within the law to get information so I can say, I've done what it takes to do my duty to protect the American people," Bush said. "I can tell you, the information gained saved lives."

Bush advocated a multifaceted approach to what he said is a long-term war against ideological fanatics.

"We should care about poverty overseas, for our own self-interest," he said. "Ideologues can only recruit when they find hopeless people."

[God luvs America]

I only wish these guys fought their enemies at home like this more often when they were in office...

[NormsRevenge]

Graphic showing interrogation techniques detailed by the CIA. The CIA director strongly rejected accusations the agency had misled US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about alleged torture of detainees amid a political uproar over the conduct of the "war on terror. "(AFP/Graphic/Martin Megino/Gal/Js)

[EyeGuy]

“Harsh” my ass.

What will the Propaganda Media be satisfied with? A poolside cabana, with trays of select hors d’oeuvres, cocktails with those little colored umbrellas, amid the trappings of a 5 star resort?

[Always Right]

The same liberals\RINOs who are trying to fry Bush over this ‘torture’ would have fried Bush if he had not used all available tools and we were attacked again. Bush can be very proud that numerous attacks were stopped under his watch.

[EagleUSA]

I only wish these guys fought their enemies at home like this more often when they were in office...
::::::::;
The greatest frustration over the last ten years! They had it all and they p@ssed it away. TWO TERMS PLUS TWO MAJORITIES IN CONGRESS -— and they NEVER used it to put the radical DemoRats out of commission. What else could the conservative/Republican electorate have done for Bush and the Congressional majority??? It cannot be denied that they set up this horrible mess we now have. And they are still hiding under their desks, excepting a few concerned patriots.

[marron]

What do you call a tough interrogation?

There is a name for it. It called an “interrogation”. A tough interrogation is an interrogation. The perp has information he doesn’t want to give up. Its a war, and you’re not fooling around. You ramp up the pressure until he gives you what you need, and then he gets his three squares and a cot. But not until. Not before.

We are famous for our humane treatment of our enemies. But a key part of a counterinsurgency or counterterrorism war is intelligence, and when you capture someone with specialized information he either coughs it up right away, and a lot of them do, or he’s in for a rough couple of days.

It demeans the people you send to defend us to call any of this torture, because it isn’t torture. We know what torture is, and there are torturers out there. Americans who are taken prisoner in this war are regularly tortured to death. There is no Taliban version of Guantanamo, there is no Al Qaeda version of Guantanamo because our enemies murder their prisoners by torturing them until they die. Then their maimed or burned bodies are discarded alongside the road somewhere, and the video posted on the internet.

If you’re against torture, there is real torture out there and real torturers. The worst of them, it so happens, we are at war with, so you’re in luck. You’re welcome to join the fight against real torture and real torturers, we can use all the support we can get.

[blueyon]

“The greatest frustration over the last ten years! They had it all and they p@ssed it away. TWO TERMS PLUS TWO MAJORITIES IN CONGRESS -— and they NEVER used it to put the radical DemoRats out of commission. What else could the conservative/Republican electorate have done for Bush and the Congressional majority??? It cannot be denied that they set up this horrible mess we now have. And they are still hiding under their desks, excepting a few concerned patriots.”

They “never used it” because they were trying to represent ALL THE people not just their party. Remember Liberals are Liberals and they DO NOT care about the other side.The only time they will compromise is when they are on the losing side and whine to get something for them. Granted, I wish Bush held the left accountable for the things they said and did and did not let them get away with their attacks (which for the most part were outright lies) against Bush. And congress blow it when they were in control....Pride truly comes before the fall but this mess we are in IS NOT to be laid squarely at Bushes feet. The left helped create this so that they, in all their craftiness, could use it against the right for political gain. How many times did the democrats put things in bills (that Bush did not want) and then when Bush video the bill, they say things like Bush do not want to help “our military”, etc. Bush should so uses the bully pulpit to state facts.

[La Enchiladita]

I agree. What a lousy, biased headline. UPI a propaganda mouthpiece as you say.

[Uncle Hal]

I notice this speech got virtually no coverage in the MSM. No bias their.

[Clear Rivers]

Hey, interrogations could have been worse.