Bush on Waterboarding: 'I'd Do It Again'

[Angelhair]

June 3) -- Former President George W. Bush says he has no regrets that the mastermind of 9/11 was waterboarded while under interrogation, and he would allow it again "to save lives."

Bush made the comment in a speech Wednesday to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, Mich.

"Yeah, we waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed," Bush said. "I'd do it again to save lives."


Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images
Former President George W. Bush if he had to do it over, he would still waterboard Khalid Sheik Mohammed "to save lives." Waterboarding is a technique used by CIA interrogators under the Bush administration, in which the suspect's head is either submerged underwater or water is poured into his or her airways, to simulate drowning. It's now banned under the Obama administration, which considers it torture.

Mohammed is believed to be the most senior al-Qaida suspect in U.S. custody. He was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and is one of several detainees who endured waterboarding under their American captors.

In his speech Wednesday, Bush also defended his decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

"Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do, and the world is a better place without him," the 63-year-old former president said.

Bush also said he knows how tough the job of the president is, and he won't publicly criticize President Barack Obama.

"You are not going to see me in the public square criticizing the president," he said. "I didn't like it when a certain former president made my life miserable," he added, referring to comments from former President Jimmy Carter during his own time in office.

Bush's comments were reported by The Grand Rapids Press and picked up by several other news agencies. The former president has a memoir titled "Decision Points" that's expected to be out later this year.
Filed under: Nation

George W. Bush on Waterboarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: 'I'd Do It Again' - AOL News

 

[CMike]

Good. He made the right call.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Check out the movie "Unthinkable".

 

[California Girl]

Check out the movie "Unthinkable".

When you have a few minutes.... check out 'reality'.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Check out the movie "Unthinkable".

When you have a few minutes.... check out 'reality'.

Hey, I know it was just a movie but torturing terrorists got the job done didn't it?

I was surprised Hollywood let such a movie get made.

 

[California Girl]

Check out the movie "Unthinkable".

When you have a few minutes.... check out 'reality'.

Hey, I know it was just a movie but torturing terrorists got the job done didn't it?

I was surprised Hollywood let such a movie get made.

So was I, however, we are talking real life, not Hollywood.

 

[bodecea]

I don't regret us waterboarding Hannity for charity....wait a minute.....

 

[jillian]

I don't regret the fact that he's gone from office.

 

[Angelhair]

I don't regret the fact that he's gone from office.

I will feel exactly the same way when the bozo in the WH now is gone from office.....

 

[Si modo]

I would welcome an opportunity to waterboard the asshole.

 

[Toome]

I think George W. Bush was the right person at the right place at the right time in history when 9/11 occurred. I do not see any of the other front runners having the ability to make the right decisions when we needed them.

Having said that, this is the one area where I disagree with President Bush. I am totally opposed to waterboarding and associated "aggressive interrogation techniques" because they simply do not work. I think that the waterboarding that was used on KSM was also in conjunction with other traditional interrogation techniques unfortunately lends to the perception that waterboarding must have made the difference. I maintain that KSM would have revealed the information nonetheless, but I admit that it would be difficult to prove this just as it's difficult to prove that waterboarding alone made the difference.

I'm not one of these human rights apologists; I truly don't care about how a military prisoner feels. However, I would flatter, encourage, patronize and otherwise become friends with a military prisoner during an interrogation because winning his trust is key to obtaining intelligence information. It's a time-proven technique that reveals a treasure of intelligence.

And it works just as effectively against terrorists, perhaps more so because ideologues crumble quicker than hardcore criminals.

 

[Angelhair]

I think George W. Bush was the right person at the right place at the right time in history when 9/11 occurred. I do not see any of the other front runners having the ability to make the right decisions when we needed them.

Having said that, this is the one area where I disagree with President Bush. I am totally opposed to waterboarding and associated "aggressive interrogation techniques" because they simply do not work. I think that the waterboarding that was used on KSM was also in conjunction with other traditional interrogation techniques unfortunately lends to the perception that waterboarding must have made the difference. I maintain that KSM would have revealed the information nonetheless, but I admit that it would be difficult to prove this just as it's difficult to prove that waterboarding alone made the difference.

I'm not one of these human rights apologists; I truly don't care about how a military prisoner feels. However, I would flatter, encourage, patronize and otherwise become friends with a military prisoner during an interrogation because winning his trust is key to obtaining intelligence information. It's a time-proven technique that reveals a treasure of intelligence.

And it works just as effectively against terrorists, perhaps more so because ideologues crumble quicker than hardcore criminals.

You do make a good point - but - one has to wonder which would REALLY work better. ONLY those involved in these techniques have the answer and I'm sure they will not be telling it any time soon.

 

[Toome]

I think George W. Bush was the right person at the right place at the right time in history when 9/11 occurred. I do not see any of the other front runners having the ability to make the right decisions when we needed them.

Having said that, this is the one area where I disagree with President Bush. I am totally opposed to waterboarding and associated "aggressive interrogation techniques" because they simply do not work. I think that the waterboarding that was used on KSM was also in conjunction with other traditional interrogation techniques unfortunately lends to the perception that waterboarding must have made the difference. I maintain that KSM would have revealed the information nonetheless, but I admit that it would be difficult to prove this just as it's difficult to prove that waterboarding alone made the difference.

I'm not one of these human rights apologists; I truly don't care about how a military prisoner feels. However, I would flatter, encourage, patronize and otherwise become friends with a military prisoner during an interrogation because winning his trust is key to obtaining intelligence information. It's a time-proven technique that reveals a treasure of intelligence.

And it works just as effectively against terrorists, perhaps more so because ideologues crumble quicker than hardcore criminals.

You do make a good point - but - one has to wonder which would REALLY work better. ONLY those involved in these techniques have the answer and I'm sure they will not be telling it any time soon.

I was an Army intelligence officer for a little over 20 years. I've conducted every single type of interrogation from interviewing investigation witnesses to debriefing defectors and interrogating prisoners.

Torture does not work. It ultimately backfires. More importantly, it gives the enemy something to capitalize on when winning support from the local population. We learned this lesson the hard way in Vietnam, and it looks like we're repeating the same harsh lesson in Iraq and Afghanistan.