A MadMike Commentary: Bush confesses to ordering torture
Read Time:2 Minute, 55 Second
There is little doubt in the minds of most that the United States probably violated both U.S. and international law by applying harsh interrogation techniques to those it had designated as terrorists or enemy combatants — prisoners taken in Iraq and Afghanistan and others deemed to be terrorists. The only question was just who ordered the torturing of prisoners. Make no mistake, “waterboarding” is a “fear” technique and it is most effective, at least in the short term. Unfortunately the truth only goes so far and then the subject of the torture begins to lie.
Right-wingers and Republican-apologists have claimed that the torture was something conceived and carried out at a very low level, and the Bush administration only learned about it after the fact. Other people, myself included, have long claimed that the orders to torture prisoners came from the very top — the White House, and probably the president himself. It is hard to believe that low-ranking soldiers and CIA case officers would decide on their own to apply such extreme measures on detainees, although it would not be impossible, in the case of the CIA particularly.
President Bush and Vice-President Cheney have tried to claim that waterboarding was not, in fact, torture, and Cheney has claimed publicly he was “a big supporter of waterboarding”. But waterboarding is viewed by people around the world, including President Obama and human rights experts, as torture. The Washington director for Human Rights Watch, Tom Malinowski, says, “Waterboarding is broadly seen by legal experts around the world as torture, and it is universally prosecutable as a crime.” Well OK then!
So that is settled! Waterboarding is torture and torture is a criminal act. Now guess who has confessed to ordering the use of waterboarding? You got it! George W. Bush! And he even has put it in writing. In his new book Decision Points, which is to be released in a few days, Bush admits the CIA asked him if they could waterboard Khalid Sheik Mohammed and he told them, “Damn right.” He even says he would do it again and I have little doubt he did.
This is nothing short of a written confession of a criminal act by the former president. Legal experts are shocked by Bush’s confession, and believe it could leave him open to legal action in the future. David Cole, Georgetown law professor, says, “The fact that he did admit it suggests he believes he is politically immune from being held accountable . . . But politics can change.”
Frankly, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Bush has confessed openly about his crime. He and Cheney have long considered themselves above the law. Perhaps they are, but they shouldn’t be. Anything that is against the law for an ordinary citizen should also be against the law for any member of the government including the executive branch.
President Obama and Attorney General Holder have both said waterboarding is torture and is illegal. Now George Bush has submitted a written confession in the form of his own book that he ordered at least one prisoner to be tortured with waterboarding. I would say that it is time some serious consideration be given to at least launching an investigation but since the Congress will soon be owned by Republicans I doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon…..Michael J. Scott
Tip o’ the hat to Ted McLaughlin for co-authoring this piece.
For more on torture check out Krell’s How for Home and Freedom
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George the Bush and Tony the Bloody Blair. Two peas in a bloody pod. No matter I’m with Mr. Hart. They coulda done a helluva lot worse.
I’m against water-boarding and I’m against Bush. But, I don’t know, compared to fire-bombing of Dresden and the internment of the Japanese, if the former President takes a skate on this one, I’m not going to go too ballistic (a la Olbermann) about it.
Sure he’s guilty, so are the rest of his crew. Try proving it in a court of law. Presidential pardon anyone.
a la Nixon … Ford….
It’s too depressing to even think about isn’t it?
Yes 🙁
Schroeder, the British intelligence agency are calling old commander cuckoo bananas a liar. I’m guessing w won’t be leaving the US anytime soon since other countries can pull him up on charges. We would be able to also if we were actually following the rule of our Constitution. What shocks me, we have a Con Law professor in the WH and he is all good with looking forward. OMG, I am now going to have to go outside and scream at the sky for being so stupid. I’ll be back when I have done my howling at the sky and scaring my animals.
I’m not sure “waterboarding” is mentioned anywhere in the constitution, although torture may well be. I’m not much of a constructionist and consider the constitution like the bible i.e. subject to too much interpretation.
The problem will be defining “torture.” Pouring water into someone’s mouth to give them the sensation of drowning is a little different than subjecting their genitals to electric shock or putting them on the rack or pulling their fingernails for that matter. The latter cause excruciating pain whereas the former “only” causes fear.
So therein lies the rub. He didn’t break the law of the land because no one really knows the law of the land. Kinda sad that ….
Dammit now I feel like a teabagger with bullshit info. I meant following the Geneva convention as regards to torture. You know the rules of our signed treaties, I got all warm and fuzzy thinking about the Constitution/convention and it blabbed out of me incorrectly. Damn I am such a dork it’s unreal. A Con law professor knows all the ins and outs of what constitutes treaty making and should IMO know what is not a good thing to be doing. Going against treaties we are part of, seems to me would be one of those things.
I almost asked you to delete my last post, but I am going to leave it so we all know even I make mistakes. I know, some of you are going, no not you Jess, it’s true, I can be a bit of a bagger myself if I don’t properly review my work.
The law of the land was changed by Yoo and that neanderthal that sits on the CA high court Bybee, to what shrub(thanks Molly) wanted it to be.
Yep…I foresee a lawsuit against him. The German Chancellor is already saying he lied about having German support as well.
There will be no lawsuits. I guarantee that Dubya had a team of super-lawyers vet that manuscript and advise him as to what he could say or not say. He’s bullet proof.