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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Breaking protocol

George Bush admitted yesterday that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was waterboarded by the US, and said he would do it again "to save lives".

"Yeah, we waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed," the former president told a business audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "I'd do it again to save lives."
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5 Comments:

  • Frightening. Almost as frightening as the fact that most American probably just shrug at the idea anyway. American "values" c. 2010 are not the American values c. 1946.

    By Blogger -epm, at 8:45 PM  

  • Yeah. I'm just surprised he admitted it. I guess their fears the Obama folks would prosecute are not too great.

    (Wonder if the Obama folks are now similarly in jeopardy over some secret act?)

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 7:42 AM  

  • I believe GWB simply thinks it's now generally accepted national policy that torture is OK a) if the subject is an "other" and b) if your gut tells you you'll save lives.

    Or more probably, he believes -- by definition -- that torture isn't torture if America does it. Kind of like the universal GOP view of all moral challenges: It's OK if you're a Republican. The escape hatch of all conservative philosophical reasoning.

    By Blogger -epm, at 8:25 AM  

  • Probably. But they were so careful for so long to avoid stating it outright, it seems a change for him to state it so plainly.

    Of course, it is in public record now.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:17 AM  

  • And GWB may not have the same protective bubble of handlers to coach him.

    By Blogger -epm, at 3:08 PM  

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