Rice Disputes That America’s Image Has Been ‘Tarnished’ By Torture: ‘I’m Going To Have To Object’»

[babylonsister]

:eyes:

Rice Disputes That America’s Image Has Been ‘Tarnished’ By Torture: ‘I’m Going To Have To Object’»


Today in an interview with NPR, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continued her Bush Legacy tour, sticking up for the administration’s national security policies. In particular, she downplayed the fact that President Bush hasn’t lived up to his stated desire to close Guantanamo Bay, saying that it’s “not easy” to do.

When reporter Michele Kelemen then asked Rice about another issue that has “tarnished the U.S. image” — the torture of detainees — Rice objected, insisting that it wasn’t a problem because the United States has never tortured:

Q: And Guantanamo wasn’t sort of the only issue that tarnished the U.S. image. There is also the treatment of terror suspects, waterboarding, other methods of torture or –

RICE: Well, you know that I’m going to have to object, because the United States has always kept to its international obligations, which include international obligations on the Convention on Torture. The United States, the President, was determined after September 11th to do everything that was legal and within those obligations, international and domestic laws, to make sure that we prevented a follow-on attack.

Many top Bush administration officials have long been trying to insist that the United States has never engaged in torture. However, even setting aside the infamous Abu Ghraib incidents, Bush’s own CIA director Michael Hayden has confirmed that his agency had subjected at least three detainees to waterboarding. In 2004, the Red Cross documented “cruel, inhumane and degrading” treatment of detainees while inspecting Guantanamo Bay.

In other attempts at hagiography in recent weeks, Rice has claimed that removing Saddam Hussein was a “great strategic achievement” and the United States is still “very well-regarded” around the world.

Transcript and audio at link~

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/10/rice-torture-object/

[daninthemoon]

1. it worked for raygun, why shouldn't it work for dubya. wouldn't

surprise me one bit if dubya ends up a rethug hero like saint ronnie.

[babylonsister]

2. I saw something last night you need to view. Might change your mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-j1Q0zeHo0

[daninthemoon]

4. Actually, that's what I was getting at: the whitewash that rove is in

charge of. most Americans won't hear what KO has to say, and many will blindly follow whatever rove spins. in 20 years, if the American collective memory is manipulated the way it has been for saint ronnie... Admittedly, dubya is the worst ever, and is probably / hopefully beyond redemption. yet, there are people even now who are blissfully content that dubya saved us from those islamofascists.

[babylonsister]

5. Judging by idiot son's approval rating, I think many people are

well aware of what a failure he is. I don't think history will be kind to him; I don't know how it could be, given the facts.

[barbtries]

3. why isn't she in prison yet?

such a liar. how about dereliction of duty? national security advisor when 911 happened. rice is one of my least favorite people along with her bosses, rumsfeld, wolfowitz etcetera etcetera etcetera.

and she still gets to go on programs and tell her lies and be treated as if she isn't telling a lie every time she opens her mouth. aargh

[hootinholler]

6. Condi, just because you are into the B&D scene...

Doesn't mean that random people who are picked up on the streets of the world, hooded and whisked away to be beaten and worse will see it as a fun vacation.

Biotch.

-Hoot

[Orsino]

7. Waterboardees probably objected, too, only their voices were muffled. n/t

[babylonsister]

10. Ouch. nt

[EFerrari]

8. Lying sack. n/t

[Terran]

9. God she's pathetic

She's been one of the worst SOS's in history. I wonder who's even going to hire her now...

[gratuitous]

11. Criminals often don't think they've done anything wrong

Care to submit to the jurisdiction of an international tribunal on that subject, Dr. Rice?