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T H U R S D A Y , J U L Y 2 8 , 2 0 0 5Bush Ignored US Military's Opposition ToTortureby Michael in New York on
7/28/2005 03:20:00 AMChickenhawks love to think they're John Wayne tough bysaying only wimps oppose torturing prisoners. Well now weknow that the US military's own lawyers vehemently opposedthe armchair warriors of the White House who wanted tooverthrow nearly 100 years of US precedent by ignoring theGeneva Convention and flout international law and everythingwe hold decent as Americans by torturing prisoners. Yep, ourown military made clear that torture is stupid and wrong and itendangers our troops. But does Bush ever listen to his owngenerals? Of course not.In memorandums written by several senior uniformedlawyers in each of the military services as the legal reviewwas under way, they had urged a sharply different view andalso warned that the position eventually adopted by thetask force could endanger American service members....Rear Adm. Michael F. Lohr, the Navy's chief lawyer, wrote onFeb. 6, 2003, that while detainees at Guantanamo Baymight not qualify for international protections, "Will theAmerican people find we have missed the forest for thetrees by condoning practices that, while technicallylegal, are inconsistent with our most fundamentalvalues?"Brig. Gen. Kevin M. Sandkuhler, a senior Marine lawyer, saidin a Feb. 27, 2003, memorandum that all the militarylawyers believed the harsh interrogation regimecould have adverse consequences for Americanservice members. General Sandkuhler said that theJustice Department "does not represent the services; thus,understandably, concern for service members is notreflected in their opinion."Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Romig, the Army's top-rankinguniformed lawyer, said in a March 3, 2003, memorandumthat the approach recommended by the JusticeDepartment "will open us up to criticism that the U.S.is a law unto itself."Yep, Rear Admirals, Brig. Generals and Major Generals all spoke outstrongly and consistently against torturing prisoners. Indeed, theentire military spoke with one voice out of concern for damaging ourcountry's core values and for the safety of our men and women whomight be captured.But Bush and Cheney couldn't be bothered to listen to men who hadrisked their lives defending this country when those two had betterthings to do. They don't give a damn about the troops. If they did,those men and women would be properly equipped. If they did, Bushand Cheney would listen to their generals and not ignore expertadvice about what was best for the safety of our soldiers.So there's a question for Scotty after beating him up on Rove -- whydid Bush ignore the advice of every single branch of the military?Why wasn't Bush worried about the safety of our troops? Does heoften ignore the unanimous opinion of his top military leaders?My only complaint? That no general or major military official has hadthe bravery to come forward and resign out of disgust with Bush'sdisregard for the Geneva Convention, the safety of our troops, hisincompetence in securing the peace, his refusal to put the boots onthe ground needed to get the job done and his lies that dragged themilitary into an unnecessary war.
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7/28/2005 03:20:00 AMChickenhawks love to think they're John Wayne tough bysaying only wimps oppose torturing prisoners. Well now weknow that the US military's own lawyers vehemently opposedthe armchair warriors of the White House who wanted tooverthrow nearly 100 years of US precedent by ignoring theGeneva Convention and flout international law and everythingwe hold decent as Americans by torturing prisoners. Yep, ourown military made clear that torture is stupid and wrong and itendangers our troops. But does Bush ever listen to his owngenerals? Of course not.In memorandums written by several senior uniformedlawyers in each of the military services as the legal reviewwas under way, they had urged a sharply different view andalso warned that the position eventually adopted by thetask force could endanger American service members....Rear Adm. Michael F. Lohr, the Navy's chief lawyer, wrote onFeb. 6, 2003, that while detainees at Guantanamo Baymight not qualify for international protections, "Will theAmerican people find we have missed the forest for thetrees by condoning practices that, while technicallylegal, are inconsistent with our most fundamentalvalues?"Brig. Gen. Kevin M. Sandkuhler, a senior Marine lawyer, saidin a Feb. 27, 2003, memorandum that all the militarylawyers believed the harsh interrogation regimecould have adverse consequences for Americanservice members. General Sandkuhler said that theJustice Department "does not represent the services; thus,understandably, concern for service members is notreflected in their opinion."Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Romig, the Army's top-rankinguniformed lawyer, said in a March 3, 2003, memorandumthat the approach recommended by the JusticeDepartment "will open us up to criticism that the U.S.is a law unto itself."Yep, Rear Admirals, Brig. Generals and Major Generals all spoke outstrongly and consistently against torturing prisoners. Indeed, theentire military spoke with one voice out of concern for damaging ourcountry's core values and for the safety of our men and women whomight be captured.But Bush and Cheney couldn't be bothered to listen to men who hadrisked their lives defending this country when those two had betterthings to do. They don't give a damn about the troops. If they did,those men and women would be properly equipped. If they did, Bushand Cheney would listen to their generals and not ignore expertadvice about what was best for the safety of our soldiers.So there's a question for Scotty after beating him up on Rove -- whydid Bush ignore the advice of every single branch of the military?Why wasn't Bush worried about the safety of our troops? Does heoften ignore the unanimous opinion of his top military leaders?My only complaint? That no general or major military official has hadthe bravery to come forward and resign out of disgust with Bush'sdisregard for the Geneva Convention, the safety of our troops, hisincompetence in securing the peace, his refusal to put the boots onthe ground needed to get the job done and his lies that dragged themilitary into an unnecessary war.
MORE POSTS ABOUT: TORTURE
EschatonPretty Much - I think this encapsulates nicely ourmodern media environment.1 hour ago
HuffPost PoliticsHuckabee's Huck Pac In Turmoil With StaffTurnover, Mounting Debts - Former Arkansas Gov.Mike Huckabee's political action committee, HuckPac, is undergoing a "restructuring," ExecutiveDirector Sarah Huckabee said Wednesday....2 hours ago
Ben SmithGoing small - My story tonight: President BarackObama came alive about 50 minutes intoWednesday night’s news conference – whensomebo2 hours ago
FiredoglakeLate Late Night FDL: What Eclipse? - A new videofrom Fatoumata Diawara, and and oldie from Bob.2 hours ago
Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Today, srkp23(pulling a double shift), ybruti, taylormattd,ItsJessMe and vcmvo2 combed through hundredsof diaries to find this powerful list. Today's...3 hours agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S
Show AllA M E R I C A B L O G T V
AmoLatino.comFeedback - Ads by Google
Next 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Bush I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/bush-ignored-us-military...
1 of 57/23/09 3:53 AM
Visit our AMERICAblog TV site.see all 322 videos >I collect with
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In honor of SenatorDeMint
For the GOPers, healthcare is politics. They just
Traditional media has todebunk the birthers
One small step...
The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, inAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Bush I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/bush-ignored-us-military...
2 of 57/23/09 3:53 AM
The TreatmentObama Has a Grown-UpTalk With America(Gulp)3 hours agoEzra KleinTab Dump8 hours agoWonk RoomSen. Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’9 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .10 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' ProposalsG AY P O L I T I C S
Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S
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N E W S L I N K SUSWashington PostNYTAP PoliticsReuters PoliticsRasmussen PollsTimeNewsweekRoll CallThe HillABCNews
P L E A S E S U P P O RTA M E R I C A B L O GOne-time donation$
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Donations are nottax-deductible.L A B E L S
Select a labelL A S T 1 0 0 V I S I T O R SRecent Visitors
A B O U TA M E R I C A B L O GWhy AMERICAblog?Because a great nationdeserves the truth.What issues do youcover?US politics overall with aparticular focus on theObama Administration, theradical right, and civilrights.Who are you?John AravosisEditorWashington, DCJoe SudbayDeputy EditorWashington, DCChris RyanAssociate EditorParis, FranceRobert ArenaContributing EditorBaltimore, MarylandJacki SchechnerContributing EditorWashington, DCAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Bush I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/bush-ignored-us-military...
4 of 57/23/09 3:53 AM
© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Bush I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/bush-ignored-us-military...
5 of 57/23/09 3:53 AM