Daniel Froomkin calls the president on the legacy question that was raised by his veto of the anti-torture bill and a New York Times piece on Sunday.
The president views his legacy as one of protecting the homeland, with the added benefit of his boosting the power of the chief executive. Froomkin’s assessment is not so kind:
I’ll be a little more blunt: The legacy that Bush affirmed with Saturday’s veto was one of torture.
By refusing to impose on the CIA the same anti-torture prohibitions mandated by the Army Field Manual— prohibitions against such tactics as waterboarding, prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, forced nudity, sexual humiliation, mock executions, the use of attack dogs, the application of electric shocks and the withholding of food, water and medical care — Bush cast his lot with the world’s torturers and against the global human rights movement that was until recently the centerpiece of American foreign policy.
And by making the claim that the country would have been attacked again after 9/11 were it not for the CIA’s interrogation program — a claim allowed to go unrefuted in most media coverage — Bush has further damaged his credibility among those who are paying attention.
Ouch.
South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
E-mail me by clicking here.
Hank Kalet 