Reply #39: Assault on Reason, page 208...

[YvonneCa]

...

"I'm not sure that any single word is entirely adequate to describe the feelings that many had after the invasion of Iraq when they saw American soldiers holding dog leashes attached to helpless prisoners, 99 percent of whom were innocent of any connection to terrorism or violence against our troops; they were innocent prisoners who were being tortured in our name. What did you feel?

I don't know the words to describe my own feelings. But I would like all Americans to draw a line connecting the feelings they had when they saw the visual images of our soldiers, acting in our name, with our authority, torturing helpless people...and it was a matter of policy, even though the White House pointed fingers at the privates and corporals and said it was all their responsibility...with the emotions they felt during Hurricane Katrina when they saw those corpses in the water, people without food, water, medicine...our fellow citizens left helpless.

And of course in both cases the story is complex and many factors are involved, but I want people to draw a line connecting the feelings they had in both situations. And then I want them to draw a another line connecting those responsible for both unbelievable tragedies that embarrassed our nation in the eyes of the world. Connect those who ignored the warnings about Katrina and then bungled the aftermath with those who ignored the warnings not to invade Iraq and then bungled the aftermath, and the line makes a small circle.

In the middle of the circle is President George W. Bush."

---Al Gore

If you have the book, pages 150-160 are about GWB's torture policies. They are EXCELLENT reading.