Waterboarding
The Bush regime received a first-hand account on waterboarding from former acting assistant attorney general Daniel Levin, who volunteered to let himself be waterboarded. Levin conclude waterboarding is torture and he was promptly fired. Bush nominated Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general, who will not concur with, nor dispute Mr. Levin conclusion that waterboarding is torture. Nevertheless, he was recommended by the Senate Judiciary Committee to become Attorney General.
In the Justice Department, Levin was in charge of determining which “enhanced interrogation techniques” could be used legally. Levin went to a military base outside of Washington and was waterboarded. Although, he knew he would not die, the experience was so terrifying that he concluded waterboarding was clearly torture.
Levin was formulating a memo outlining that waterboarding was legally torture, when Alberto Gonzales became the attorney general. Gonzales considered Levin “Too independent” and “Not somebody who could be counted on.” and he was forced out of the Justice Department.
Furthermore, most senior lawyers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps testified to Congress that waterboarding violates the laws of war, but Bush continues to insists on defining torture as being, whatever his lawyers say it is.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy, joined Democratic Senators Biden, Kennedy, Durbin and Whitehouse in opposing Mukasey’s nomination to be Attorney General. However, Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer broke ranks with their own chairman and join nine Republicans to send Mukasey’s nomination to the full Senate, where he was confirmed by a 53-40 vote.
Senator Leahy had pointed out: “Judge Mukasey was not asked to evaluate any secret facts and circumstances. He was asked a very clear question, is waterboarding illegal? American law makes torture illegal and water waterboarding is torture and under American law it is illegal.”
Sidney Blumenthal wrote: “Torture is state-sanctioned deviant behavior. It is degrading, arbitrary, cruel and illegal. Torture feeds secrecy. It undermines democracy. And it is shameful. At the Nuremberg war crimes tribunals, the U.S. tried, convicted and executed Nazi leaders for engaging in torture.”
Torture is not a defense of freedom, but the hallmark of tyrannies.
In the Justice Department, Levin was in charge of determining which “enhanced interrogation techniques” could be used legally. Levin went to a military base outside of Washington and was waterboarded. Although, he knew he would not die, the experience was so terrifying that he concluded waterboarding was clearly torture.
Levin was formulating a memo outlining that waterboarding was legally torture, when Alberto Gonzales became the attorney general. Gonzales considered Levin “Too independent” and “Not somebody who could be counted on.” and he was forced out of the Justice Department.
Furthermore, most senior lawyers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps testified to Congress that waterboarding violates the laws of war, but Bush continues to insists on defining torture as being, whatever his lawyers say it is.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy, joined Democratic Senators Biden, Kennedy, Durbin and Whitehouse in opposing Mukasey’s nomination to be Attorney General. However, Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer broke ranks with their own chairman and join nine Republicans to send Mukasey’s nomination to the full Senate, where he was confirmed by a 53-40 vote.
Senator Leahy had pointed out: “Judge Mukasey was not asked to evaluate any secret facts and circumstances. He was asked a very clear question, is waterboarding illegal? American law makes torture illegal and water waterboarding is torture and under American law it is illegal.”
Sidney Blumenthal wrote: “Torture is state-sanctioned deviant behavior. It is degrading, arbitrary, cruel and illegal. Torture feeds secrecy. It undermines democracy. And it is shameful. At the Nuremberg war crimes tribunals, the U.S. tried, convicted and executed Nazi leaders for engaging in torture.”
Torture is not a defense of freedom, but the hallmark of tyrannies.
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