Perino: Bush-Era Interrogation Program "Effective, Safe And Legal"

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Washington Unplugged

(AP Photo )

On this week's edition of CBSNews.com's Web-only program "Washington Unplugged," Dana Perino, who was White House press secretary under President Bush, called controversial Bush-era enhanced interrogation techniques "effective, safe and legal."

Perino had strongly critical words for President Obama – who she said "made a mess" of the situation – as well as Congressional Democrats, some of whom have called for an investigation into the authorization of tactics such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation.

"We've already said those techniques aren't being used anymore," she told CBS News' Chip Reid. "So what more is there to investigate unless they are on a political witchhunt?"

Perino also suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats should testify in any investigation that does take place, since Members Of Congress "were briefed about the program."

Watch the interview below.

Click here to watch the today's full "Washington Unplugged," which also includes a roundtable discussing President Obama's first 100 days and a look at Rwanda is like now, 15 years after the genocide.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by briannorwood April 27, 2009 4:19 PM EDT: So Perino says Obama made a mess of the whole "torture" thing.

What on earth is this jackass talking about. My guess is that she hasn't a clue!; Reply to this comment


by j_mcdonald-2009 April 27, 2009 6:16 AM EDT: Aldymac: "Waterboarding is used by our military to train our fighter pilots. Because our enemys use the same things we do but they do those things without any restraint."

Yes, the SERE program was initiated to help our forces prepare for the waterboarding techniques used by the communists in the Korean War to elicit FALSE confessions.

Now that we've agreed on that, please explain to me why Bush and company would use techniques on captured terrorists that were explicitly designed to very effectively get FALSE confessions, and had rarely, if ever, been used to get useful information.

One possible answer: Bush wanted the terrorists to "confess" that al-Qaeda and Irag were collaborating for 9/11, so he'd have an excuse to attack Iraq.

Got another?

And when you're done with that, please explain why the interrogators themselves are now saying the best information they got all came BEFORE the terrorists were waterboarded.

And when you're done with that, please explain why Bush insisted that terrorists be waterboarded long after the interrogators argued that it would no longer produce any correct information?

In fact, why did Alyssa Peterson (an interrogator serving in 2003 with C Company, 311th Military Intelligence BN, 101st Airborne) kill herself rather than comply with an order to (presumably, records have been destroyed) waterboard prisoners?

While you're at it, if waterboarding isn't torture, why did we EXECUTE people in the past for doing it?

And why did Ronald Reagan's Department of Justice win a 10-year prison sentence in 1983 against a Texas Sheriff James Parker for waterboarding to get a confession.

When you get back to me on those, I've got few more for you...; Reply to this comment


by Aldymac April 26, 2009 10:27 PM EDT: Waterboarding is used by our military to train our fighter pilots. Because our enemys use the same things we do but they do those things without any restraint. Our pilots know what to expect if they are shot down, any of you who think only Americans do bad things should spend time in the enemys prison. I believe you would have a major change of mind, maybe, you might even have a stray thought that maybe being an American ain't all that bad.
But that kind of thinking doesn't come from liberals, they have a one track mind untill they are told to start on something else.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso29 April 26, 2009 11:32 AM EDT: Personally I think Water boarding doesn't even fit the deffintion of tourture and the geniva convention arugement doesn't work because these guys weren't considered solders, so the same laws of war fare don't apply to them. Legally this wont happen, politically it wont happen, but Obama will let it play out for awhile to make bush look bad. That is all Obama is good at.

His teleprompter needs to move on and actually get something done!
Posted by jedi0849 at 2:40 AM : Apr 26, 2009

After WWII, America declared water boarding torture and had Japanese participanrs put to death. Personally, you can think whatever you like--but the fact remains that countries who torture always try to pass laws that legitimize what they are doing, and until we personally were caught doing it--America has consistently sought to hve those who did things like waterboarding punished.

Soldiers and gov. employees had the right and responsibility to not obey orders known to be against international and prior US law--the "we were only following orders" or "they made a law that said we could do it" defense just does not cut it. If we declared waterboarding as torture after the war--it does NOT become legitimate and acceptable just because WE now want to do it.

right is right--and waterboarding is wrong--we should punish our own and stop trying to defend it just because it is us.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso29 April 26, 2009 11:25 AM EDT: Also, I can't wait for the next republican administration that gets in power to prosectue Obama for killing innocent children in Pakistan with his drone planes. we aren't even at war with that country and he is attacking an innoncent democracy.

Now of course that will never happen,...
Posted by jedi0849 at 2:40 AM : Apr 26, 2009

you are right--it would NEVER happen...because the first attacks of Pakistan were in mid 2005 when planes were sent into Pakistan to find certain Al qaeda operatives. Over 10 people were killed with over 47 injured, then there were og\ther attacks including a Madrass school near the Pushtun border (but in Pakistan) in which many children were killed in 2006.

Fact is, the US has been using predator drones and attacking Pakistan (with or without their own governments permission )for years.

there would be no investigation, because the Republicans could not get Obma for continuing a precedent they set without also indicting Bush/Cheney and their own defense of those attacks during Bush's tenure.

Before you cast stones--look down, all around you are the ugly moral/glass shards of the Former republican house.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso29 April 26, 2009 11:11 AM EDT: Dana looks like she has really aged.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso29 April 26, 2009 11:07 AM EDT: Yeah . . . and we told the Injunz we were only here for Beer and Pretzels, too!

Oh well, sorry bout that, but the guy who makes up the rules IS allowed to change `em!
Posted by DaVicar5 at 11:40 AM : Apr 24, 2009

which means what?

Presidents do NOY make up laws or rules. they are spokespersons for the country. Congress makes up rules/laws and changes and or approves them.

Which brings us to a little sticking point:

Article 9 of the 11th Amendment of the Constitution, which states that the US must abide by ALL international treaties we sign (like the Geneva convention and UN resolutions) , must submit to any international tribunal when breaking those rules, and that neither the Executive, Legislative or Judicial branch can undermine that or change jurisdiction...

this little article was ratified in 1797...and so...not abiding, and going against Geneva or the Nuremberg laws (which declared waterboarding torture and sentenced Japanese to death for doing it) IS breaking international laws and is grounds for prosecution.

Incidentally, the Germans in Nuremberg also declared their torture, genocide camps legal--they did it in Nuremberg during the war...which is why we have the Nuremberg laws and held the war crimes tribunal there--to undue the horror and arrogance of a country trying to make their own war crimes legitimate and legal.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso29 April 26, 2009 10:58 AM EDT: Torture Bush-Style - Safe and Effective when used as directed!

(Warning: Side effects may include accidentally torturing innocent people and the end of an entire political party)
Posted by kbbpll at 11:26 AM : Apr 24, 2009

LOL; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso29 April 26, 2009 10:55 AM EDT: Dana Perino? Bimbo logic? Well.. if Dana Perino says it all was legal and safe...guess international law, Geneva conventions, the Hague and everyone else should take note.

Dana, please sit down. You had no credibility as a press secretary, it is disingenuous to pretend you were EVER more than a shill for Bush and no one would ever consider your opinion to be anything more than an extension of your former job--after all...if it snowballed--propagandists can be prosecuted too. LOL; Reply to this comment