besides making the world hate us a little more?
Last week, President Bush announced to the world that the distinguished war veterans such as John McCain, Colin Powell and Lyndsay Graham along with other well respected insiders like John Warner were clueless about the geneva Convention. He claimed another need to circumvent the constitution so he could do his thing in secret, his way...but don't worry, it's legal, cause he says it is.
Bush claimed that "alternative interrogation methods" had produced a wealth of information, prevented attacks and kept us safe. But was any of that true? Not according to Pulitzer Prize Winning journalist Ron Suskind and his sources inside the intelligence community.
According to his book, "The 1% Doctrine", Suskind reveals just what examples Bush used, most importantly, the prime example he used, the interrogation of KSM, or Kahleid Sheik Mohammed. On pages 229/30, this is what we find...
"....the days of stony silence passed, with interrogators sending daily reports to Langley, the pressure built. many days, Bush would ask Tenet, Wwhat are we getting from KSM?" in the morning briefing. Tenet would answer, "not much of anything." Then, the next day, the same question.
This is how, time and time again, boundries are stretched. the Pres. or Vice Pres., repeatedly expressed a desire, or need, to a senior official. It's clear that neither elected official wants to know too much about the hows." They just want it done, accomplished, to dosomething-as the President often said to top aides- "you didn't think you were capable of."
With such prodding, the United States would slip into the darkest of ethical abysses.
KSM's 2 children...were also in custody....interrogators told KSM his children would be hurt if he didn't cooperate...."he basically said fine, they'll join Allah in a better place."
It goes on to say....
"Once you do something as threaten someone's children, and it doesn't work-there's nowhere else to go."
A chilling account indeed. Other parts of the book describe how inneffective these "alternative methods" have been. these methods revealed little or nothing tangible from KSM (which the book also reveals that KSM was found pretty much by accident, not from an interrogation of bin al Shibh as the President claimed last week.
It seems the administration is starting to get cornered. In announcing that he would essentially "take his ball and go home" at a press conference in regards to interrogating ANY detainees if Congress would agree we could ditch our Geneva convention responsibilities under article 3.
It also seems that their claim that these methods have revealed a wealth of information is at best, hyperbole. It seems that what they are most afraid of, is being found out.
If no one else is going to say it, I will, this whole position of the administration stinks on ice.
The disintegration of our geneva convention oblligations gives license to ANYONE to do ANYTHING to our people from here on out. That means that say 50 years from now, long after the war in Iraq is over (at whatever result) in a future conflict, our enemy, whomever that may be, will have legitimate license to do whatever they want to our people. That is horrible and must not be allowed to happen.
Suskind's book, as well as other intelligence sources have shown just how ineffective those methods are. But unfortunately, the intelligence community is covert and is not political. So I would not expect them to stand up for themselves. Especially when Bush's plan includes amnesty for anyone in the intelligence game. Just like an illegal alien, i'm sure they'll take a "get out of jail free" card. Plus, he's giving them undue credit fro producing information that they never produced. A get out of jail free card AND some credit...what a deal!
We have gone long enough under this neoconservative exercize. It's time to lift the lid and bring out the wizard. Good people can disagree. But American's don't torture, and Patriots don't piss on the Constitution and the other treaties this country has made in good faith with the world. You can't be the good guy and the bully at the same time. This administration seems incapable of learning that. These rules apply now more than ever.
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