Obama gov't will not use 'waterboarding' - Holder

[cal04]

Source: Reuters

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder ruled out the use of "waterboarding" as an interrogation technique for terrorism suspects on Monday, calling it a form of torture that the Obama administration could never condone.

"Waterboarding is torture ... My Justice Department will not justify it, will not rationalize it and will not condone it," Holder, who his heading a review of the treatment of terrorism suspects, said in a speech to the Jewish Council of Public Affairs in Washington.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02479125.htm

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. What about rendition?

[FudaFuda]

5. Don't you know?

If the detainee isn't officially in our custody, it didn't happen. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

[rateyes]

2. AG Holder, "not condoning it" means you have to "prosecute" it...

...are you going to hold the last administration accountable? Because, if you don't, then you DO condone waterboarding.

[moez]

3. But will they use loud dogs

or panties on people's heads?

[annabanana]

7. keep people awake for days?. . use stress positions?. .

Sorry Mr. President. You can't deal with this on a "torture by torture" basis.

[moez]

9. I'm with you, man....

Depending who the panties came from, that could be pretty stressful... not to mention icky...

[jtrockville]

4. How quaint. We're announcing our intention to not commit WAR CRIMES.

Why do we need to do this? Oh right... we've TORTURED people TO DEATH recently.

[elocs]

6. Obama should have solved everything his first week, nay, his first day in office.

Some Democrats are no different than Republicans in that respect. We tend to think that Obama should do everything we want, when we want it, but not to worry--we have his back. Yeah.

[cal04]

8. updated:Obama govt condemns 'waterboarding' as torture

* Attorney-General Holder says will not condone its use
* Says harsh treatment often does more harm than good
* Holder reviewing treatment of terrorism suspects
(Adds Holder quotes, details)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02548280.htm

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder ruled out the use of "waterboarding" as an interrogation technique for terrorism suspects on Monday, calling it a form of torture that the Obama administration could never condone.

Holder's declaration underscored President Barack Obama's break with the former Bush administration's anti-terrorist policies, which were condemned by human-rights groups, civil liberties advocates and U.S. allies abroad.

"Waterboarding is torture ... My Justice Department will not justify it, will not rationalize it and will not condone it," Holder, who his heading a review of the treatment of terrorism suspects, said in a speech to the Jewish Council of Public Affairs in Washington.

"Too often over the past decade the fight against terrorism has been viewed as a zero-sum battle with our tradition of civil liberties. Not only is that school of thought misguided, I fear that in actuality it has done us more harm than good," Holder said.

"We cannot ask other nations to stand by us in the pursuit of justice if we are not viewed as being in pursuit of that ideal ourselves," he said.

One of the most widely condemned Bush administration practices was waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning, which the CIA has acknowledged using on three terrorism suspects before it said it stopped the practice in 2003.

[HopeHoops]

10. U.S. government condemns "waterboarding" as torture

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder ruled out the use of "waterboarding" as an interrogation technique for terrorism suspects on Monday, calling it a form of torture that the Obama administration could never condone.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090302/pl_nm/us_usa_security_waterboarding

---

Well DUH!

[derby378]

11. This is news?

:shrug:

[seemslikeadream]

12. and that means?

He will see to it the tortures are prosecuted?

[ReliantJ]

13. LOL

[Solly Mack]

14. Ah...really? Water-boarding is torture? Whodda thunk it!

Always has been...and there are even laws against it...

Didn't stop the US from torturing people by water-boarding them though

The framing that one administration gets to pretend it isn't torture and another gets to say it is torture and the bullshit lie that somehow it's all a matter of a difference in policy/practice is beyond disgusting.

It sets up the narrative that it all depends on who is in office if water-boarding is torture or not...which is nothing but a lie.

The US government committed war crimes. Water-boarding people is one of the ways the government committed war crimes.

Want to give me something to cheer about....prosecute the fuckers.

[Rebubula]

15. Yeah...

...we knew this in 1945 when we charged the Japanese with this kind of torture.

We've come a long way, baby....:sarcasm:

[indepat]

16. Let's hope never condone, nor sweep under the rug, nor leave unpunished

:P

[iandhr]

17. There a numerous interrogation methods that are permissible

under the US ARMY field manual. Just use those

[Doctor_J]

18. Shit. I would like to see Rove waterboarded on PBS

until he confesses to treason.