If you want it is about the NY Times that drives most right-wingers crazy, you don’t have to look much farther than the opening sentence of this op-ed piece:
It was certainly good to finally see documents indicating that President Bush did not order the torture of prisoners.
The paper of record. Jeebus.
Andrew J. Lazarus
Drives us liberals crazy, too. You’d never know from the editorial that the “No Torture” memo was from Feb 2002, but for some curious reason the underlings kept on studying the situation. The Bybee and Gonzales memos are more recent. Maybe GWB changed his mind later.
Or, of course, maybe some non-com reservists decided on their own to implement torture as the preferred mode of interrogation. Right.
RoguePlanet
I share your disgust, considering that the documents do not indicate that Bush didn’t order torture. ;)
Rick
“Or, of course, maybe some non-com reservists decided on their own to implement torture as the preferred mode of interrogation. Right.”
OK, BGEN Karpinski did it. I mean, just *look* at her.
Cordially…
willyb
Unlike the Clinton Administration, which didn’t have the stones to deal effectively with bin Laden and his terrorist network, Bush went after the terrorists in Afghanistan where they were breeding. Since “prisoners of war” were taken, and the whole issue of dealing with terrorist prisoners captured by the military on the battlefield was one of first impression, rules had to be developed from ground zero. I am just totally shocked that there would be any evolution of the rules
RoguePlanet
Unlike the Clinton Administration, which didn’t have the stones to deal effectively with bin Laden and his terrorist network, Bush went after the terrorists in Afghanistan where they were breeding.
Yeah, it really took a lot of “stones” to go into Afghanistan after 9/11.
Dean
Well, Rogue, in the face of the “brutal Afghan winter,” the prospect of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of refugees, the need to view this as law enforcement, and not a war, questions about the Taliban’s role (remember, not one Afghan was among the hijackers), not to mention the fighting history of the Afghans (who had humbled the Soviet and British militaries), actually, yeah, I’d say it probably did take a few “stones.”
willyb
RoguePlanet,
I will admit that after 9/11 the American public was more receptive to going after bin Laden. I guess that statement about the Clinton Administration just reflects my anger at how little they did. I can only speculate about where we would be today if Clinton had acted more decisively when he had the opportunity(ies) to take out bin Laden.