"What I have authorized is that we stay within U.S. law," Bush told reporters in Savannah, Georgia, when asked what measures of interrogation he would authorize if the United States had a terror suspect in custody it knew was planning an attack.
"I'm going to say it one more time. In fact, maybe I can be more clear. The instructions went out to our people to adhere to law," said Bush, speaking at the end of a Group of Eight industrial nations summit.
"That ought to comfort you. We're a nation of law. We adhere to laws. We have laws on the books. You might look at those laws, and that might provide comfort for you. And those were the instructions from me to the government."
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"I'm going to say it one more time. In fact, maybe I can be more clear. The instructions went out to our people to adhere to law," said Bush, speaking at the end of a Group of Eight industrial nations summit.
"That ought to comfort you. We're a nation of law. We adhere to laws. We have laws on the books. You might look at those laws, and that might provide comfort for you. And those were the instructions from me to the government."
What a dickhead.
And again, he's not saying he didn't authorize torture. He's saying his instructions were to stay within U.S. law. Now go back and have a look at that memo the Justice Department provided to clarify for him what the law says: you are the President, whatever you say is the law.
The 56-page memo to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cited the president's "complete authority over the conduct of war," overriding international treaties such as a global treaty banning torture, the Geneva Conventions and a U.S. federal law against torture.
Bush, repeatedly quizzed at the news conference over whether he considered that torture was justified in certain circumstances, said he could not remember if he had seen the memo to Rumsfeld.
Bush, repeatedly quizzed at the news conference over whether he considered that torture was justified in certain circumstances, said he could not remember if he had seen the memo to Rumsfeld.
The old, "I can't remember" defense. He really is determined to be just like Ronald Reagan. It worked for Ronnie in the Iran-Contra trials.
In Washington, U.S. officials said on Thursday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld may widen the investigation into abuses of Iraqi prisoners to include top military ranks, and has also ordered that he be told about the death of any prisoner in U.S. military custody.
Will they be exonerated? Or will some lofty heads have to roll in order to sate the henchman before he makes it to the top of the chain of command?
....hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
