Rumsfeld at press conference: treatment of prisoners "not torture"

[Wednesdays]

He's outraged that the media uses the term. It's ridiculous watching him.

On edit: he also said there was no intention to hide the prisoner from the Red Cross, and that the prisoner was "treated fairly."

[thebigidea]

1. "How is this case different than the ghost detainees in Taguba's report?"

RUMMY: "I don't know."

he looks guilty as shit. Rummy isn't grinning much these days. Squirm, you evil fuck.

[sniffa]

2. i thought i hear him say

"i am not a crook"

[amber dog democrat]

3. Then give us another word for it.

Persuasion ?
Reinforcement?
Behavorial conditioning?
Training?
Modern dance?
Exercise?
Role playing?
Fraternizing?

[yellowcanine]

20. "Preliminary Exam?" You know, like the oral exams some Ph. D. students

have before advancing to candidacy. "Some of those committee members ask some really mean questions but we don't call it torture, do we? No. Well there you have it."

[orthogonal]

4. Big Lie

It's Hitler's favorite tactic, the Big Lie: boldly deny the truth, and the sheep will baa-baa-baa along with you.

[TrustingDog]

5. I'm outraged as well...

...that another dictionary definition has been changed by the cloven hooved bastards. There are too many idiots out there that believe the BushGanglia rewebsterizations.

[opihimoimoi]

23. Totally Agree

"MisLed, MisInformed, MisGuided," The Sheeps Lament 101.408

[Wednesdays]

6. When asked about Saddam/Qaida connection he said the reporter

sounded "like a broken record." What an arrogant prick.

And then proceeded to stammer some sort of vague answer.

[TrustingDog]

7. Did he do...

the known and unknowns bit of poetry?

[Kagemusha]

8. Rumsfeld knows he needs a legal excuse here.

Bush saying it's ok with him (Bush) is NOT good enough to allow him to travel freely around the world once he's out of office. His department basically yelled out to the world Rumsfeld had committed a war crime that's legal under US law, and Rumsfeld is playing CYA.

It's fun to watch, though he's working really hard to make this roll off like water off a duck.

[LeftHander]

17. It is not Legal

There own leaked document says so...

But find a single U.S. Attorney who is going issue charges. All the evidence is there.

Donald Rumsfeld is in violation of United States Statute 18 U.S.C. 2340, known as the "Torture Statute"

He had intent to cause "severe mental or physical pain" basedd on the description of abuse and the treatment autorized.

He had directly issued orders to allow certain types of "treatment" to occur on people outside of the United States.

Photos exist of the results .

And it was done under the "color" of law.


Any lawers out there please look into this....

[gratuitous]

9. I don't mean to be truculent, but . . .

What do you all expect Rumsfeld to say? "Yeah, it was a war crime, I'll be boarding the next plane for The Hague and turning myself in to the ICC."

These amoral mofos have robbed, cheated, lied, and stolen their way to a fat portion of our Treasury. One more lie on the pile doesn't exonerate them or really add to their possible punishment.

Looks like it's up to We the People to dislodge these crooks from their perches of power, and pry their greedy, blood-stained fingers off the levers of authority. Then we can set about the business of restoring the honor of our country.

[Miss Authoritiva]

29. You're absolutely right.

I am laughing the laughter of the absurd right now. Thanks. Right, Rumsfeld's going to admit guilt, say he's sorry, and turn himself in. Closer to the truth is this: To his dying day, Rumsfeld will believe that what he did was right, that it was the best option, that it was executed perfectly, and that the world should be grateful, damn it.

It simply is not in people like Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld to think otherwise.

[Just Me]

10. If "someone" wanted to expose Rummy-dumb's corruption,...

,...by capturing him and forcing him to place his mouth on another man's penis with promises to send the pictures/videos to all media around the world; then, stuck stuff in his every orafice after dumping a pail of human feces on his body and allowing dogs to bite his groin,...then, would he call it "torture"?

:freak:

That Rumsfield man is one sick mofo. He has no sense of humanity because he doesn't give a damn as long as it's not his life. Total absence of empathy. SICK!!!

[Catfight]

30. why won't someone ask Dumbsfield exactly what he defines torture

as? I'd like to know, because I remember headlines such as, "Teenage girl handcuffed to bed in bedroom, starved nearly to death-torture." Anyone else remember stories of torture in America?

[drb]

35. Please don't volunteer...

...my penis for this duty. Thank you.

[Kool Kitty]

11. He also lectured the press about their

"screaming" headlines. (He specifically mentioned the Washington Post.) So, he's more upset that this stuff is getting reported, not that the deeds are being done. But, that's the impression that I got from his testimony at the first inquiry hearing about a month ago. He was pissed off at the new "modern technology"-"Who knew they would put cameras in phones?" This guy needs to retire. NOW.

[gratuitous]

13. Wow, he was pissed at the Post?

Try saying that three times fast. This morning, the Post practically said that all the lies, while bad, were really being blown out of proportion. They went so far as to say that the writing about the lies has been almost as irresponsible as the lies themselves.

Unfortunately, they ran out of space before they could explain that one. And Rumsfeld bad-mouthed them anyway, huh? Learning anything, Post?

[Kool Kitty]

18. He actually took the WP to task

about the headline today. Perhaps, in the great tradition of this, the stupidest administration in known history, he didn't actually read the article. Goddess knows, he wouldn't be the first not to read a newspaper in this crowd.

[Doctor Smith]

12. The next question should be,

"So you would endorse such treatment of Americans, too, then?"

[mom-mad-about-bush]

14. RUMSFELD says therefor it IS.......right?

I saw this "so called" news conference. He is so arrogant, I cant stand it. Just more PROPAGANDA!

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

15. It's outrageous!

Doesn't this asshole have any empathy? Two seconds of pondering how it would feel to be humiliated and terrorized by foreign speaking freaks with dogs and weird sexual insanity and complete power over you ought to tip you off that you're being tortured. Personally I think I would completely fall apart with that abuse. I wish some of these tough talking jerks would get to sample some of this treatment themselves. It's my fondest fantasy.

[tom_paine]

16. Another Orwellian Lie. Yawn.

[yellowcanine]

19. 'the prisoner was "treated fairly."' They didn't even know where he was

for several months, but Rummy knows he was "treated fairly". Wonder what the prisoner's take is on that question?

[shawn703]

21. He should submit himself to his own tactics

If he doesn't think they are torture.

[Dover]

22. We should try these techniques on Rumsfeld and see if his definition

of "torture" changes.

[struggle4progress]

24. IT'S A DISTRACTION!

Let's all spend today arguing about the meaning of the word "torture."

Meanwhile, the main story slips by:

Rumsfeld Ordered Prisoner Hidden

... Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld directed Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of occupation forces in Iraq, to imprison an admitted terrorist without reporting him to the International Red Cross.

Both assigning a prisoner number and notifying the Red Cross are required under the Geneva Conventions and other humanitarian laws.
<snip>

The U.S. military still has not told the Red Cross about him.
<snip>

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, in his report on the abuses at Abu Ghraib, called the detention of "ghost" prisoners "deceptive, contrary to army doctrine, and in violation of international law."
<snip>

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/17/iraq/main624411.shtml


Those who enjoy discussing what is, or is not, torture should notice the final sentence: "He said the soldiers choked detainees ... and stuck lit cigarettes in their ears."

[Just Me]

27. That's how "they" operate: create "confusion" and/or "division". n/t

[Fear]

25. Problem is - these statements STICK with the hard headed republicans

and they trust believe that was is said is right......it's horrible.

[Jim__]

26. Maybe this is just one of those things that he doesn't know that he

doesn't know.

[phoebe]

28. a reminder of something Rumsfeld once said

http://slate.msn.com/id/2081042

Clarity
I think what you'll find,
I think what you'll find is,
Whatever it is we do substantively,
There will be near-perfect clarity
As to what it is.

And it will be known,
And it will be known to the Congress,
And it will be known to you,
Probably before we decide it,
But it will be known.

—Feb. 28, 2003, Department of Defense briefing

[Canuckistanian]

31. I guess Rumsfeld likes to kick back

and enjoy a nice light stick up his ass. And being lacerated by dogs? Ahh, it doesn't hurt that much, stop whining.

[Disturbed]

32. "violation of international law."

It is also a violation of The Constitution of the USA.

Over 24 Secret Prisons.

War Crimes-Bush Admin.

What can be done about it?

[Kinkistyle]

33. Oh. So if some other does the same thing to U.S. soldiers...

it won't be considered torture huh? Just some aggressive interrogation I guess huh you dumb prick?

[teryang]

34. And having someone crush your chest until

...you can't breathe is what exactly, if it isn't torture? How about hanging someone off the ground by a pair of handcuffs? Keeping someone awake for days?

[struggle4progress]

36. I think this is the transcript

http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2004/tr20040617-secdef0881.html