“We do not torture; we abide by the Geneva Conventions,” President Obama said in his first prime-time news conference. Alluding to, of course, the Bush administration’s “controversial” interrogation policies and much-publicized, Democratically-denounced use of “state secrets” privilege to cover up abuses.
If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale in which you might be interested.
Like Pontius Pilate washing his hands of Jesus’ fate by throwing his life into the hands of the citizens, our conveniently-humane Democratic administration will continue to send suspected terrorists and other threatening-type accused criminals to other countries to be interrogated.
Other countries who, of course, don’t abide by the Geneva Conventions.
In the lawsuit Mohamed et al v Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc., the Department of Justice stated yesterday it would keep – even “embrace” – the same position as the Bush administration. Without ambiguity. Even as reported by the decidedly brown-nosed, Democratic suck-up, the New York Times:
“[A] lawyer for the government, Douglas N. Letter, made the same state-secrets argument on Monday, startling several judges on the panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
“Is there anything material that has happened” that might have caused the Justice Department to shift its views, asked Judge Mary M. Schroeder, an appointee of President Jimmy Carter, coyly referring to the recent election.
“No, your honor,” Mr. Letter replied.
“The change in administration has no bearing?” she asked.
“No, your honor,” he said once more. The position he was taking in court on behalf of the government had been “thoroughly vetted with the appropriate officials within the new administration,” and “these are the authorized positions,” he said.
This has been an extremely well-documented case, with Jeppesen Dataplan linked to multiple, specific CIA rendition flights to Egypt and Morocco, to CIA sites in Afghanistan and eastern Europe. In this case, having picked one of the plaintiffs up off the streets of Stockholm, chaining him to the floor of an airplane, and then delivering him to Egypt, where he was beaten and tortured.
Claims of “secrecy” are laughable when there are books in print and even President Obama’s much-beloved UN, along with the Swedish government, have investigated the case, with the Swedish government recently agreeing to pay this plaintiff, Ahmed Agiza, $450,000 for its secondary role in the CIA’s rendition of Agiza to Egypt. There is no “secrecy” when Jeppesen’s role is public, Sweden’s role is public, and Egypt’s role is public (Agiza remains in an Egyptian prison).
The only thing Obama administration wants to keep “secret” is that they are lying to the American people about their failure to adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Because no matter how you slice it and pour liquid on it, torture for hire is still torture.
Whether your name is Pontius Pilate or Barrack Obama.