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9. I honestly don't know where you're seeing that the president thinks these 'folks' should be charged

. . . with anything.

Thing is, Drunken Irishman, the President wasn't just making small talk in his Friday night dump statement. There was more to that statement of his than relating the gravity of the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation that his CIA director just admitted obstructing. The President was straining to excuse the actions, at least in some form or fashion. Why did he see the need to include the extraordinary observation that the government was reacting out of fear?

Why did he feel the need to castigate or lecture Americans about passing harsh judgments about actions taken by people he characterized as 'patriots?' Who was he referring to as patriots? Interrogators? Their superiors?

Who is he thinking of when he used the word 'sanctimonious?' Critics of whoever he believes "crossed a line?"

"Any fair-minded person would believe," the President said, that the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' were 'torture.'

Where did the President indicate that he intended to do anything specific or concrete to "take responsibility for that so hopefully we don’t do it again in the future.”

Remember, we're not operating in some vacuum. This administration has already ceded their role in prosecuting ANYONE involved.

What do you believe he meant when he said "it’s important for us not to feel too sanctimonious (excessively or hypocritically pious) in retrospect about the tough job that those folks had . . .?"

Who do you believe has been excessively or hypocritically pious in looking back at the 'tough job' the Bush administration was faced with? Who, exactly do you believe the president was directing that comment to?

I can read your opinion without calling you names and insinuating that you're behaving like a republican.


President Obama:

“I understand why it happened,” Obama stated. “I think it’s important when we look back to recall how afraid people were after the Twin Towers fell and the Pentagon had been hit and the plane in Pennsylvania had fallen and people did not know whether more attacks were imminent.”

“And there was enormous pressure on our law enforcement and our national security teams to try to deal with this, and it’s important for us not to feel too sanctimonious in retrospect about the tough job that those folks had and a lot of those folks were working hard under enormous pressure and are real patriots.”

“But having said all that,” he added, “We did some things that were wrong. And that’s what that report reflects. And that’s the reason why after I took office one of the first things I did was to ban some of the extraordinary interrogation techniques that were the subject of this report. And my hope is that this report reminds us once again that the character of our country has to be measured in part not by what we do when things are easy but what we do when things are hard. And why we engaged in some of these enhanced interrogation techniques, techniques that I believe and any fair-minded person would believe were torture—We crossed a line.”

“That needs to be understood and accepted. And we have to as a country take responsibility for that so hopefully we don’t do it again in the future.”