.... "our intelligence officials have all the tools they need to stop
the terrorists. Unfortunately, Congress recently sent me an
intelligence authorization bill that would diminish these vital
tools."
"So today, I vetoed it. And here is why:"
"We have no higher responsibility than stopping terrorist attacks."
WRONG, Mr. Bush!
You DO have a higher responsibility.
You have a responsibility to protect and defend the Constitution.
Your oath of office:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of
President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
..
..
Following is the text of President Bush's radio address to the nation
for Saturday, as released by the White House.
Published: March 8, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/3ynwsx
Good morning. This week, I addressed the Department of Homeland
Security on its fifth anniversary and thanked the men and women who
work tirelessly to keep us safe. Because of their hard work, and the
efforts of many across all levels of government, we have not suffered
another attack on our soil since September the 11th, 2001.
This is not for a lack of effort on the part of the enemy. Al Qaeda
remains determined to attack America again. Two years ago, Osama bin
Laden warned the American people, "Operations are under preparation,
and you will see them on your own ground once they are finished."
Because the danger remains, we need to ensure our intelligence
officials have all the tools they need to stop the terrorists.
Unfortunately, Congress recently sent me an intelligence authorization
bill that would diminish these vital tools. So today, I vetoed it. And
here is why:
The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable
tools in the war on terror -- the C.I.A. program to detain and question
key terrorist leaders and operatives. This program has produced
critical intelligence that has helped us prevent a number of attacks.
The program helped us stop a plot to strike a U.S. Marine camp in
Djibouti, a planned attack on the U.S. consulate in Karachi, a plot to
hijack a passenger plane and fly it into Library Tower in Los Angeles,
and a plot to crash passenger planes into Heathrow Air****t or
buildings in downtown London. And it has helped us understand Al
Qaeda's structure and financing and communications and logistics. Were
it not for this program, our intelligence community believes that Al
Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack
against the American homeland.
The main reason this program has been effective is that it allows the
C.I.A. to use specialized interrogation procedures to question a small
number of the most dangerous terrorists under careful supervision. The
bill Congress sent me would deprive the C.I.A. of the authority to use
these safe and lawful techniques. Instead, it would restrict the
C.I.A.'s range of acceptable interrogation methods to those provided
in the Army field manual. The procedures in this manual were designed
for use by soldiers questioning lawful combatants captured on the
battlefield. They were not intended for intelligence professionals
trained to question hardened terrorists.
Limiting the C.I.A.'s interrogation methods to those in the Army field
manual would be dangerous because the manual is publicly available and
easily accessible on the Internet. Shortly after 9/11, we learned that
key Al Qaeda operatives had been trained to resist the methods
outlined in the manual. And this is why we created alternative
procedures to question the most dangerous Al Qaeda operatives,
particularly those who might have knowledge of attacks planned on our
homeland. The best source of information about terrorist attacks is
the terrorists themselves. If we were to shut down this program and
restrict the C.I.A. to methods in the field manual, we could lose
vital information from senior Al Qaeda terrorists, and that could cost
American lives.
The bill Congress sent me would not simply ban one particular
interrogation method, as some have implied. Instead, it would
eliminate all the alternative procedures we've developed to question
the world's most dangerous and violent terrorists. This would end an
effective program that Congress authorized just over a year ago.
The fact that we have not been attacked over the past six and a half
years is not a matter of chance. It is the result of good policies and
the determined efforts of individuals carrying them out. We owe these
individuals our thanks, and we owe them the authorities they need to
do their jobs effectively.
We have no higher responsibility than stopping terrorist attacks. And
this is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven
track record of keeping America safe.
Thank you for listening.
.. end
Throughout U.S. history, we've condemned and prosecuted waterboarding
as torture.
There is no acceptable rationale, now, for Bush to argue and
authoruize otherwise.
http://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/wallach_drop_by_drop_draft_20060829.pdf
Bush is a war criminal, plain and simple, and by his own admission.
May God have mercy on his soul, may the world forgive my beloved USA
her failings, and may we, the citizens of these United States of
America, one day soon bring these criminals to justice and expunge our
great shame.
..
..d
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