ACLU: Investigate Bush for Waterboarding Admissions

AP

The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Justice Department to investigate whether President George W. Bush violated anti-torture laws by authorizing the use of waterboarding against detainees in the war on terror -- an admission Mr. Bush makes in his new memoir "Decision Points."

In "Decision Points," Mr. Bush writes that he "approved the use of the [enhanced] interrogation techniques," including waterboarding, on detainee Abu Zubaydah. Additionally, he writes that when the CIA asked whether it could use waterboarding on detainee Khalid Sheik Mohammed, he replied: "Damn right."

"The former President's acknowledgement that he authorized torture is absolutely without parallel in American history," ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero wrote in a letter today to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Romero urges Holder to ask Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham to open his current investigation into detainee interrogations to include Mr. Bush.

Both President Obama and Holder have said waterboarding is an act of torture under international law, and some Republican lawmakers agree. On top of that, Romero pointed out that the United States has historically prosecuted waterboarding as a crime. Romero wrote that Mr. Bush's conduct cannot be ignored.

"In our system, no one is above the law or beyond its reach, not even a former president," he wrote. "That founding principle of our democracy would mean little if it were ignored with respect to those in whom the public most invests its trust."

He added that it would be unfair for Durham's investigation to focus only on low-level officials who carried out acts approved by the president. Furthermore, he said ignoring Mr. Bush's conduct would make it harder for the United States to advocate for human rights in other countries.

Mr. Bush previously acknowledged approving "enhanced" interrogation techniques, but he told an interviewer at the end of his presidency, "I firmly reject the word 'torture,' " the Washington Post reports. He repeats that point in his new book.

More on President Bush's new memoir:

Bush Lying in Memoir, Says Ex-German Leader
Bush Regrets Few Decisions from Presidency
Critics to Move Bush Memoir to "Crime" Section
Bush: Cheney Was Angry I Didn't Pardon Libby
Bush on Palin: I Am Not a Pundit
Bush Blindsided by Abu Ghraib, Financial Crisis
President Bush: Kanye West Comment "Disgusting"
Bush Considered Dropping Cheney from '04 Ticket

---

Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[wildbill6996]

Well, Mr. Anthony D. Romero, i you had information that would save one AMERICANS life and WATER-BOARDING was the quickest way of removing that information from you, lets just say, you better start liking WATER real quick. Number two, now that we have all the information that the FAT PIG in the T-shirt had, there would be no need to try him. I would have release him some years ago, from a plane at about twenty thousand feet with no chute over his precious middle east. Harsh you say, well no more harsh than what this SICK bas--rd did to Daniel Pearl. And forget that down to their level BS, they want to act civilized, then treat them civilized, they want to act like lunatics, treat them that way, only worse...

[redk94]

Perhaps the Liberal Hounds who frequent the Bush bashing pages would have preferred we were a bit more "social" while "hosting" our enemies. Maybe we should have given them a nice comfortable room Fios-ready, an iPad and an iPod, and some large fluffy pillows to lounge comfortably so they could endure some leisurely questioning. It's not too much to ask for. I'll go with the waterboarding. When I think of 9-11, I don't think of buildings crashing to the ground. Instead, I remember fellow Americans having to choose between leaping to their deaths or being incinerated alive. You want to talk about TORTURE. The ACLU is the problem, an enemy of America and a cancer, not the answer. They are as defunct as unions, they have outlived their use and shelf life.

[redk94]

Perhaps the Liberal Hounds who frequent the Bush bashing pages would have preferred we were a bit more "social" while "hosting" our enemies. Maybe we should have given them a nice comfortable room Fios-ready, an iPad and an iPod, and some large fluffy pillows to lounge comfortably so they could endure some leisurely questioning. It's not too much to ask for. I'll go with the waterboarding. When I think of 9-11, I don't think of buildings crashing to the ground. Instead, I remember fellow Americans having to choose between leaping to their deaths or being incinerated alive. You want to talk about TORTURE. The ACLU is the problem, an enemy of America and a cancer, not the answer. They are as defunct as unions, they have outlived their use and shelf life.

[pasha128]

Bush apparently does not comprehend that he can be tried under EU laws for acts committed in the EU or to victims he had flown through the EU during renditions that were legally required to be reported (but were not at his direction) to the European host countries. And their statute of limitations and definitions of torture are not the same as ours. Which could have Mr Bush under the jurisdiction of the World Court.

Mr Bush's arrogance could make future military and civilian leaders in this country subject to jurisdiction by the WORLD COURT.

[sandyinohio]

He wasn't arrogant at all. We are a sovereign nation and should NEVER accept international or UN courts, period.

[abbe91]

"We are a sovereign nation and should NEVER accept international or UN courts, period."

Sounds like Goering during the Nuremberg trial.

[edmundsingleton]

In history it is always hard to do the right thing because of the fear of losing...

[jeffclayton1]

Deleting all important words in a National Intelligence Estimate Report, and using that redacted report to convince Congress to vote for war authorization is fraud. It is lying. Fraud negates consent of Congress. If a person, (the President), lies and this causes people to die, these are unlawful killings, (murder). (vicarious rule of liability)

Forget torture. go to www.prosecutionofbush.com

[ione895]

The Intellegence Committee of the Congress had access to all the Intellegence; Unredacted. They unanimously agreed, both Democratic and Republican on what should be done and then convinced the others in Congress. The whole Congress could not be trusted with unredacted intellegence.

[troutfishyman]

by the__king November 11, 2010 9:02 PM EST
Many Democrats had the same info as Bush. They agreed with him.
Maybe you should asked them .



"Info" provided to them by the Bush administration. Get a clue.

[abbe91]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDAFozFn4kU

[earlybird4]

which was info provided to him by our intel agencies - you get a clue

[meshine]

Those of you that beleive Bush was justified attacking Iraq must also beleive that the Japanese were justified in attacking Pearl Harbor or the 911 Muslim extremist were justified in their attack on New York. We cant scream about unjust attacks on us and turn around and justify our unwarranted attacks on others.

[earlybird4]

It doesnt equate at all. God you liberals - I think you all share 1 brain cell between you.

[jeffclayton1]

Remember Bush's words: "we don't want the smoking gun to turn into a mushroom cloud"

www.prosecutionofbush.com

[jeffclayton1]

Hans Blix, the UN weapons inspector chief in IRAQ, (before being ordered out by Bush), has said he was being granted full access to every corner of Iraq and just needed a little more time, (weeks), to finish inspections.

Of course, Bush was worried that if given those weeks Blix would declare no WMD in Iraq. Bush couldn't let that happen. There would be no justification for war. Bush's own intelligence agencies were telling him Saddam was NOT a threat.

Who still believes that Bush wasn't lying about WMD?

[abbe91]

"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on
a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of
it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people
don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in
Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the
country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to
drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist
dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no
voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked,
and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the
country to danger. It works the same in any country."

Hermann Goering

[earlybird4]

I don't - because I believe the intel that wasn't published by the leftwing liberal nuts. And that intel proved that Iraq was moving wmds into Syria before the invasion. Regardless - let me ask you this - what was our excuse for going into Bosnia? What are the Iraqi people just not white enough for you to consider saving?