Kerry Responds to Bush Speech on the Creation of Military Commissions

[kerrygoddess]

John Kerry Responds to Bush Speech on the Creation of Military Commissions to Try Suspected Terrorists
September 6th, 2006 @ 4:31 pm

It was long overdue, but Bush acknowledged today for the first time that the CIA does run “secret prisons overseas.” In his third speech in recent days on the “war on terror” Bush said, “tough interrogation forced terrorist leaders to reveal plots to attack the United States and its allies.”

John Kerry responded to Bush’s speech today saying, “Today the Administration finally recognized that the protections of the Geneva Convention should be applied to prisoners in order to restore our moral authority and best protect American troops.”

“Today’s shift in policy follows the sad legacy of five years during which this Administration abused our Constitution, violated our laws, and most importantly failed to make America safe. It’s the worst of all worlds. Their broken policies made America more vulnerable because they’ve squandered our moral authority, endangered American troops by lobbying for torture, failed to prosecute a single detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and actually released detainees who presented a real threat. They engage in phony debates in order to avoid accountability for their failure. Only Donald Rumsfeld could call this a success.

“No matter how many times the President redelivers the same political speech, we need action and not words. The Administration needs to focus less on a strategy to win a mid term election and more on a strategy that will win the war on terror. September 11th brought home the costs of a dysfunctional intelligence system marred by bureaucratic infighting, inadequate resources, and faulty analysis. But we’ve done absolutely nothing to correct it. The 9/11 commission just recently gave our government a failing grade on implementing intelligence reforms and our ability to intercept terrorist communications remains in legal limbo. The Administration needs a new policy, not a new stump speech.”

The WaPo reports that “In defending the CIA detention program, Bush explicitly confirmed its existence publicly for the first time since the covert prison system was revealed by The Washington Post in November 2005.”

MORE & LINKS - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=4097

[Kagemusha]

1. The relevation of which sparked a DoJ investigation and broad calls for

the prosecution of both the leakers of this information and the journalists who reported it...

[shraby]

2. Looks to me like Bush just admitted to another war crime.

[kerrygoddess]

3. Sure does - n/t

[rightwingsucks]

4. True

He can admit to as many as he likes. He can break as many laws as he likes. He will just stretch some law to make it legal. Or say its legal enough times that people believe him.

[Monkeyman]

5. na just do a signing statement forgiven himself

[kerrygoddess]

6. No doubt

if Congress passes his plan he'll follow it up with a signing statement making it null and void.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Kerry is just short of brilliant in his critique of Bush's latest rehash

of his failed and unconstitutional policies.

I can't restraint my enthusiasm at the caliber of candidates we will have running in 2008: Gore (I hope), Kerry, Edwards, and Wes Clark. The intellectual desert that has been the Bush years makes the Democratic smorgasbord look very appetizing.

[blm]

8. I'm actually of the same mind with you on this - they ALL have the chops

necessary for the long haul in working order. I don't see anyone else dominating the debates.