Bush Says U.S. 'Does Not Torture'

By Howard Schneider
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 5, 2007; 11:02 AM


President Bush today delivered a stern defense of the nation's detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects, saying that lives have been saved by the aggressive questioning of suspects and that any interrogation tactics have been in compliance with the country's "international obligations" and been fully disclosed to "appropriate members" of Congress.

Certo, os fins justificam os meios et al. E tortura agora é "interrogatório agressivo". Pensei que essa onda do politicamente correto fosse se desgastar e acabar com o tempo, mas parece que pegou carona no eufemismo juridico e não vai terminar tão cedo.

Faced with a backlash over a secret Justice Department memo that some lawmakers argue authorized the use of torture, Bush said in a brief statement today that Americans expected the administration to protect them from future terrorist attacks.

"When we find someone who may have information about a potential attack, you bet we are going to detain them and you bet we are going to question them. Because the American people expect us to find out information, actionable intelligence, so we can protect them," Bush said. "This government does not torture people. We stick to U.S. law and our international obligations."

Certo. Pelo que me lembro os E.U.A são signatários de uma pá de convenções sobre direitos humanos. Reduzir o processo de obtenção de dados de inteligência (HUMINT e SIGINT) de uma das nações mais avançadas tecnologicamente no planeta a tapa na cara de vagabundo, é no mínimo chamar o ocidente de colaborador ao crime de tortura institucionalizado ao declarar que isto é seguir as leis internacionais

The memos, first disclosed Thursday by the New York Times, condoned interrogation techniques such as head slapping and simulated drowning.

"I have put this program in place for a reason, that is to better protect the American people," Bush said. "There are highly trained professionals questioning these extremists and terrorists. We have professionals who are trained in this kind of work that are going to get the information to protect the American people."

Entendi. Se o cara é torturador sênior ele muda de carreira, passa a ser Profissional Altamente Treinado em interrogatório E Defensor da América. Obrigado por nos esclarecer sobre o Plano de Cargos e Salários do DHS, Bush. Agora podemos voltar à sua tentativa pífia de desqualificar tortura sob o prisma maquiavélico...?

Following disclosure of the Justice Department memos, Democratic lawmakers demanded that the agency turn over the documents. The controversy could complicate the upcoming confirmation hearings for attorney general-designate Michael B. Mukasey.

However, the president said today that "the techniques that we used have been fully disclosed to appropriate members of the U.S. Congress."

The Bush administration has briefed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about various aspects of the interrogation methods being used on terror suspects.

But the committee has demanded to see the opinions written by Justice Department lawyers to justify the harshest methods.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-W. Va.), chairman of the committee, wrote to Bush yesterday demanding the administration turn over legal opinions the White House has said support earlier approval of interrogation techniques, as well as new guidelines the president approved in an executive order last summer.

The White House has described the department's opinions as an executive work product and said that its briefings to the committee are adequate.