No comfort in obeying bad law

[AmyStrange]

No comfort in obeying bad law

FROM: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/177496_lawed.html
Looking angry and clearly frustrated, President Bush leaned across the lecturn at a news conference Thursday in response to a question of whether torture is ever justified. "Look, I'm going to say it one more time," the president snapped, "The instructions went out to our people to adhere to the law. That ought to comfort you."

Bush's remarks were hardly comforting. What comfort is there in assurances that Bush would adhere to the law after Justice Department lawyers wrote the president memos saying the law allowed him to authorize the use of torture?

Donald Gregg, a former CIA officer and national security adviser to the first President Bush, wrote in The New York Times Thursday, "These memos cleared the way for the horrors that have been revealed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo and make a mockery of administration assertions that a few misguided enlisted personnel perpetrated the vile abuse of prisoners."

The president's verbal parsing about "the law" is more disingenuous and far more dangerous than his predecessor's machinations over "sexual relationship" and "what is is," because it implies that for Bush the law is what he says it is.

<SNIP>


My take: Bush won't follow the laws, but Kerry always has as far as I know,

d

(EDITED: "Keryy" to "Kerry")

[theivoryqueen]

1. thanks again - I had a fantasy going on where I was that reporter

and I retorted, "not looking for comfort, just actual honest answer to my question".

[shraby]

2. If he got snappy at that question,

would he have "lost it" if he had been pressed more about it? Might have been interesting to see.

[theivoryqueen]

3. my fondest hope (beyond great job) is that reporters press harder

it would indeed be great to see actual reporters asking actual relevant questions at these lil' get togethers.

[AmyStrange]

4. wait a minute...

are you asking reporters to be relevant?

or press harder?




if you need any help, please feel free to ask.

d

[RC]

5. And the next question after this response should be...

"...the president snapped, "The instructions went out to our people to adhere to the law. That ought to comfort you."

And what does the law say?

Nail bu$h cold and on the record.