Human rights experts have long pressed the administration of former president George W. Bush for details of who bore ultimate responsibility for approving the simulated drownings of CIA detainees, a practice that many international legal experts say was illicit torture.
In a memoir due out Tuesday, Bush makes clear that he personally approved the use of that coercive technique against alleged Sept. 11 plotter Khalid Sheik Mohammed, an admission the human rights experts say could one day have legal consequences for him.
In his book, titled "Decision Points," Bush recounts being asked by the CIA whether it could proceed with waterboarding Mohammed, who Bush said was suspected of knowing about still-pending terrorist plots against the United States. Bush writes that his reply was "Damn right" and states that he would make the same decision again to save lives, according to a someone close to Bush who has read the book.
Not only does Bush admit he authorized a war crime, but he's proud of it, and he'd do it again. It's a good thing that the Democrats didn't look into the Bush administration's action on this, otherwise the American people might have turned on the Democrats they might have suffered heavy midterm losses, you know?
Of course, the reason that's not happening is because Obama is busy authorizing the assassination of American citizens on suspicion that they are terrorists.
I know in theory we disagree on this, because I believe there are times when this action could be necessary. However, we've shown that we cannot be trusted with that sort of decision making, and King George was wrong.
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