Great news, everybody. Gonzales says he won't encourage torture anymore.

[BurtWorm]

:eyes:


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Senate-Gonzales.html?pagewanted=print&position=

January 5, 2005
Gonzales Promises Non - Torture Policy
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 3:51 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales plans to promise to abide by the government's non-torture policies and international treaties if he is confirmed by the Senate, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

Gonzales, who had a hand in much of the White House's post-9/11 terrorism policies as President Bush's top lawyer, faces condemnation from Democrats at a hearing Thursday over his January 2002 memo arguing that the war on terrorism ``renders obsolete'' the Geneva Convention's strict prohibitions against torture.

A month later, Bush signed an order declaring he has the authority to circumvent the Geneva accords and reserving the right to do so ``in this or future conflicts.'' The order also says the Geneva treaty's treatment of prisoners of war do not apply to al-Qaida or ``unlawful combatants'' from the Taliban.

Gonzales' critics say that decision and Gonzales' memo justifying it led to the torture scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and prisoner abuses in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

[mattclearing]

1. Better late than never?

*ducks*

[oldtime dfl_er]

2. oh goodie

"I promise I won't kill anymore Jews" said Hitler just before they released him.

[jswordy]

8. WP: Gonzales helped set the course for detainees

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48446-2005Jan4.html

...and here is the damnable result, wherein we will be shipping some, minus the benefit of due process, to countries we FREAKING KNOW will torture them...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41475-2005Jan1.html

It's not my country. Not now.

"And the face of a nation,
It keeps changing and changing,
The face of a nation,
I don't recognize it no more...
The face of a nation."

-- John Mellencamp

[Proud2BAmurkin]

3. My torturing days of a few months ago are over

hooray!

[Bluebear]

4. Oh phew what a relief! Let's confirm him without opposition now!

Not so fast, Alberto.

[BurtWorm]

6. Reminds me of the Ashcroft act four years ago.

"I promise I won't get all Puritan and fascist on yiz all. Really I do."

[Bluebear]

11. Same song and dance

Good call.

[saltpoint]

5. Well, that's good.

Because -- and this is just me talkin' -- I don't really think torture is all that nice a thing. Ya know?

[Radical Activist]

7. Does that just mean he won't personally torture anyone himself?

That can be a hard habit to break.

Seriously, doesn't this nomination just send the message that Bush and the US government is OK with torture? How sick.

[BurtWorm]

9. It's a message to the spineless Dems.

Now you can cover your ass and vote for me at the same time. You can tell your constituents, "I voted against him before I voted for him."

[Solly Mack]

10. That makes a difference how?

Everyone that supports/votes for Gonzales' nomination supports torture. Everyone.

[d_b]

12. Well...OK THEN, we forgive you