Interrogation Works, Sez Prez
George W. Bush gave Congress a big, torturous middle finger this week.
The tiresome President vetoed a bill that would prevent CIA agents from using harsh interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding.
Said Bush in his radio address: “…Congress recently sent me an intelligence authorization bill that would diminish these vital tools [to stop terrorism]. So today, I vetoed it…” The president also described controversial techniques as “valuable”.
Bush didn’t specifically mention waterboarding, but insisted that the “safe and lawful” strategies have prevented plots targeting Los Angeles, London, a military base in Djibouti, as well as a consulate in Karachi. And, as proud patriots, we believe every word of the President’s address. Why would he lie?
The Democrats vowed to fight Bush’s veto, but face slim odds. The axed legislation passed by a minuscule margin: the House leaned 222-199 and the Senate came out to 51-45. Congress needs a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto.
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid remained undeterred, however, and promised that his party will “continue working to reverse the damage President Bush has caused to our standing in the world.”
That Reid, always the optimist!
I have to agree with the Prez on this one. I do think such methods should be used rarely, i.e., only on suspects we’re already sure have valuable information, and the proper Congressional committees should be kept abreast.
But what I say is, if someone was holding a loved one of mine and imminent harm was coming to them unless there was some strong “intervention,” then I wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever means necessary to save their lives.
Waterboard this bastard, and see what vital truths we can learn!
I can’t believe we are seriously having a debate about if it’s OK to torture people. It’s fucking sick and wrong.
Shivadog, you’re such an idealist! With that attitude taking over the country, we’ll be gone in no time. Yup, makes sense to me, let them kick our butts and don’t do anything to stop them. Kinda like the playground bully, right?
You may want to do some investigation into what constitutes actual torture, i.e.; cattle prods, electrical devices attached to sensitive body parts, broken bones, bashed in skulls, gouged out eyes, vicious and repeated beatings, hacked off limbs, etc. These are actions that leave permanent, grievous injuries, unlike waterboarding where the “victim” feels like he’s drowning, and where within minutes of being over they are fully recovered, unlike “actual” torture.
To compare this to actual torture is ignorant at best. What a bunch of sissies we’ve become!
i agree with kanuck..a little water never hurt anyone serious….but i am also not against anything that will protect my children or yours..do whatever it takes to keep me and my family and friends safe…
Let’s at least call it what it is: TORTURE!
Queerty shouldn’t parrot the “Harsh interrogation techniques” propaganda.
It’s interesting how easily some folks accept the “fact” that torture makes us safer, just because our ignorant president says so. I don’t feel any safer knowing that my out-of-control government thinks its OK to torture people. The catch-all “national security” scare tactic is the shortcut route to authoritarianism, pure and simple. Couple that mindset with our incipient theocracy, historic fear of foreigners, and hysteria over illegal immigration, and you have grandma’s special recipe for an American none of us is going to want to live in.
If you torture someone, they will tell you exactly what you want to hear. Not exactly what you want to know.
McCain would not sign the bill, despite what he has saiid agains torture. (That’s what you’lll get if you don’t support the Dem candidate.)
Even the FBI and Military people have pronounced that These extreme techniques were useless. Gen Petreus was for the bill against torture and said that approving it would subject American troups to the same vulgar treatment.
I’ve been reading about all of our outsourced torture factories, like Guantanamo where a large number of people are just literally in a state of deep Psychosis there are numerous people who are arrested for nothing and tortured until they are literally reduced to irreparable animals for no purpose. This man Bush, is like Hiter. I am incredibly ashamed to be an American when the world thinks that we are all insane animals
According to Naomi Kleins’ incredible new book “the Shock Doctrine”,( which is the most intelligent , original piece of political thought for decades, ), the CIA has been involved in volved in torture studies since the cold war hysteria in the 50′s. At one time they had eithy institutions studying these freekish techniques. It was headed up by a guy named Ewan Cameron, who a research associate described as being “criminally stupid”.
All of this has just been enlarged to include thousands of innocent(mainly) subjects. and moved to other countries because what they do is so grotesque.
Love the photo. He’s tight lipped and cringingly holding a flag so small I couldn’t wrap my dick in it. The leader of the “free” world looks like a four year old who shit himself at the parade.
Bush looks like he had way too many courses of electroshock himself. He should go though one of Ewan Cameron’s (father of modrn torture ) set of sessions just to see what all they could get out. Somnebody should string the bastard up in a sling and go after him with a cattle prod. It’s doubtful that they could recinstruct his brain his brain, since nothings there.