Bush: Questions to Mukasey on torture "unfair"

[maddezmom]

Source: Reuters

Bush: Questions to Mukasey on torture "unfair" 11 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday defended his attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey, who has come under fire from Senate Democrats for refusing to say if he thinks waterboarding is illegal torture.

"I believe the questions he's been asked are unfair," Bush said in an Oval Office session with reporters. "He's been asked to give opinions on a program - or techniques of a program - on which he has not been briefed."

Bush's effort to win Senate confirmation for Mukasey has run into trouble as Democrats have expressed concern over his refusal to reject the widely denounced interrogation technique known as waterboarding, or simulated drowning, as unlawful torture.

Bush is to speak later on the "war on terror" and call for the Senate to swiftly confirm Mukasey, a retired judge and federal prosecutor from New York.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071101/pl_nm/usa_mukasey_dc

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Nominee’s Stand May Avoid Tangle of Torture Cases


WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 — In adamantly refusing to declare waterboarding illegal, Michael B. Mukasey, the nominee for attorney general, is steering clear of a potential legal quagmire for the Bush administration: criminal prosecution or lawsuits against Central Intelligence Agency officers who used the harsh interrogation practice and those who authorized it, legal experts said Wednesday.

~snip~

The biggest problem for Mr. Mukasey remains his refusal to take a clear legal position on the interrogation technique. Fear of opening the door to criminal or civil liability for torture or abuse, whether in an American court or in courts overseas, appeared to loom large in Mr. Mukasey’s calculations as he parried questions from the committee this week. Some legal experts suggested that liability could go all the way to President Bush if he explicitly authorized waterboarding.

~snip~

Scott L. Silliman, an expert on national security law at Duke University School of Law, said any statement by Mr. Mukasey that waterboarding was illegal torture “would open up Pandora’s box,” even in the United States. Such a statement from an attorney general would override existing Justice Department legal opinions and create intense pressure from human rights groups to open a criminal investigation of interrogation practices, Mr. Silliman said.

“You would ask not just who carried it out, but who specifically approved it,” said Mr. Silliman, director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke. “Theoretically, it could go all the way up to the president of the United States; that’s why he’ll never say it’s torture,” Mr. Silliman said of Mr. Mukasey.

more:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/washington/01mukasey.html?ref=washington

[PDJane]

1. UNFAIR?

Questions on torture are unfair? How old is this man? Sounds like a perfectly fair and logical line of questioning to me.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. I imagine it's like this

maybe he has torture equipment in his basement, masks, the works - you never know?

[DCKit]

27. Apparently it's not "torture" if it involves at least one consenting Republic. nt

[cascadiance]

23. What's UNFAIR Bush, is that we have no peaceful and expeditious way to get rid of YOU!

And your disregard for the value of human life and dignity through these statements are a clear reason why we should have you carted off to prison!

[Enrique]

2. Bush is a stickler for fairness

all his life, it's been like an obsession for him. People say to him, hey Chimpy, why are you always worried about things being fair?

[jhain]

22. Spewed a snickers bar n/t

[Solly Mack]

3. "reject...as unlawful torture" As opposed to lawful torture? Sheesh

Torture is unlawful. Water-boarding is torture. And that means....water-boarding is unlawful.


What an idiotic statement Bush made...

No one needs to see the "program" to know torture is unlawful.

However, Bush does admit that water-boarding is one of the "interrogation" techniques


"I believe the questions he's been asked are unfair," Bush said in an Oval Office session with reporters. "He's been asked to give opinions on a program - or techniques of a program - on which he has not been briefed."

Water-boarding is the "technique" in question, yes? So with Bush's statement, he admits Mukasey is being asked to comment on the water-boarding "technique" of his "interrogation" program...without his having been briefed on the particulars yet.

It's an admission.

[Buns_of_Fire]

15. There's no need to "brief" or "debrief" anyone about a program that doesn't exist.

And since already stated unequivocally that "the United States does not torture," we're left with a bit of a sticky wicket here, eh Junior? I love it. :evilgrin:

[Solly Mack]

16. Exactly.

[Buns_of_Fire]

18. Trouble is, as soon as Congress adjourns for the holidays...

It's RECESS APPOINTMENT TIME!

And I think Pissypants is just spiteful enough to stick him in there anyway, just to thumb his nose at the Senate...

[Solly Mack]

21. Oh, he is pissy enough

[Bitwit1234]

4. I read an article on one of the other sites

It said that if Murkasey admited that waterboarding was torture, it could lead to a filing of charges of war crimes against bush and the administration. The evidence would be there.

[wtmusic]

8. It won't lead to filing of war crimes charges

but his statement will certainly be used as evidence. No one is waiting for the criminals to admit their guilt.

War crimes charges will be filed anyway.

[maddezmom]

9. NYT: Mukasey’s Ambiguity May Block Future Prosecution

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 — In adamantly refusing to declare waterboarding illegal, Michael B. Mukasey, the nominee for attorney general, is steering clear of a potential legal quagmire for the Bush administration: criminal prosecution or lawsuits against Central Intelligence Agency officers who used the harsh interrogation practice and those who authorized it, legal experts said today.

~snip~

The biggest problem for Mr. Mukasey remains his refusal to clearly take a legal position on the interrogation technique. Fear of opening the door to criminal or civil liability for torture or abuse, whether in an American court or in courts overseas, appeared to loom large in Mr. Mukasey’s calculations as he parried tough questions from committee members this week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/washington/01cnd-mukasey.html?_r=2&ei=5088&en=950e4f51a996a3eb&ex=1351569600&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1193922559-YPR8SJ4N8JjwoZqTD6IsQQ&oref=slogin

[rodeodance]

5. STomping his feet again

[Supersedeas]

29. lil' Lord Pissy pants having a tantrum and the WH Press corps is happy to give him a forum

[DinahMoeHum]

7. George, if the Senate treats him "fairly" - they'll flunk Mukasey.

Sheesh, what a crybaby.

:nopity:

[liberal N proud]

10. Just simply f#^@ amazing

This regime has decided that any one who questions their authority is either a terrorist, un patriotic or now unfair.

The people have a right to know if their president condones torture.

[maddezmom]

11. Bush to cite 'war on terror' as reason to pass Mukasey nomination, approve legislation

Bush to cite 'war on terror' as reason to pass Mukasey nomination, approve legislation

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Thursday will cite "the global war on terror" as a reason that the Senate should confirm his nominee for attorney general and that Congress should pass legislation to help the United States in that battle.

"It's important for Congress to pass law and/or confirm nominees that will enable this government to more effectively defend the country and pursue terrorists and radicals that would like to do us harm," Bush told reporters about two hours before his scheduled speech to the Heritage Foundation.

more:http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/01/thursday/index.html

[maddezmom]

12. Kennedy is decided, going to speak out on Senate floor today against Mukasey

WASHINGTON - President Bush, seeking to salvage the embattled nomination of Michael Mukasey as attorney general, on Thursday defended the former judge's refusal to say whether he considers waterboarding as illegal torture. But the nomination was expected to suffer another setback in the Senate.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was expected to announce his opposition to Mukasey in a speech on the Senate floor.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_mukasey_5

[benld74]

13. WAh WHINE WHINE WAH etc ad nauseum

[Hand]

14. Dang! Ya beat me to it! nt

[dmosh42]

17. Didn't know the Geneva Convention was 'unfair'!

Last I saw, we ratified that treaty, and I don't believe it was repealed. All these people don't know torture is illegal? WTF!

[DCKit]

28. Yeah, but the Geneva Convention is for pussies.

:sarcasm:


:banghead:

[spotbird]

19. It's a lie, as always,

but the chance that Mukasey will not be confirmed is zero.

[BrklynLib at work]

20. What a pissy little whiner prez shit-for-brains is....

http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/elucid/baby,crying,tantrum.jpg

[notadmblnd]

24. it always amazes me how dumb these people...

.. the cream of the crop.. the ones qualified to lead our country, become when it comes to answering questions. If he's good enough to be *'s nominee then he's good enough to be educated on the subject and form and report his opinion to congress.

[MLFerrell]

25. And how much do you want to bet that the L'ilest Prez's temper tantrum...

Will cow the Democrats into confirming Mukasey?

Really, any takers? I could use some extra cash. \

I guarantee that the spineless fucks in Congress will give * whatever he wants, again.

[bleever]

26. Bush tacitly acknowledges waterboarding.

"He's been asked to give opinions on a program - or techniques of a program - on which he has not been briefed."

So it is a technique of the "program".

Thanks, George.