Rumsfeld blames Senator Levin for sullying the US image for reporting on US torture policies

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/11/AR2008121101969.html

Report on Detainee Abuse Blames Top Bush Officials

<snip>

The report is the most direct refutation to date of the administration's rationale for using aggressive interrogation tactics -- that inflicting humiliation and pain on detainees was legal and effective, and helped protect the country. The 25-member panel, without one dissent among the 12 Republican members, declared the opposite to be true.

The administration's policies and the resulting controversies, the panel concluded, "damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority."

The panel drew from congressional testimony and official documents, many of which were previously released during a nearly two-year probe. While many of the underlying facts were known, the report represented the most significant attempt by Congress to assess one of the defining controversies of the Bush presidency.

"These policies are wrong and must never be repeated," McCain said in a statement.

Rumsfeld, who served as defense secretary from 2001 to 2006, rejected the report's conclusions and said it was the committee, particularly Levin, that had sullied the nation's image.

"It's regrettable that Senator Levin has decided to use the committee's time and taxpayer dollars to make unfounded allegations against those who have served our nation," said Keith Urbahn, an aide to Rumsfeld. He accused Levin of pursuing a politically motivated "false narrative" that is "unencumbered by the preponderance of the facts."

:crazy:

[Deep13]

1. blame the messenger, I guess

[spanone]

2. like blaming the police for arresting you for murder

[tanyev]

5. Like blaming the torture problem on soldiers who have cameras.

[spanone]

7. yep

[JackRiddler]

9. We can only hope Rumsfeld one day gets to do exactly that.

[RainDog]

3. rummy is a pig

and stupid as a brick if he thinks the Iraqis were not already aware of what was going on. all Levin did was let Americans know what they were supporting.

and those who continued to support republicans after this revelation are worse than pigs.

[gratuitous]

4. "Unfounded allegations"

Gee, you think if Bush administration officials responded to subpoenas, they could have presented their side of the story and some evidence to the contrary? The initials T.S. come to mind, Mr. Urbahn, and I'm not talking about Eliot.

[Renew Deal]

6. Yes, the problem isn't that we torture, it's that itbecame known that we torture.

Brilliant! :banghead:

[laststeamtrain]

8. K & R. n/t

[WhiteTara]

10. That is the sign of a true abuser

The abusers house never lets the secrets of the abuse be told in public. The misery, shame, pain and fear are kept internal. Thank you Carl Levin. Only when the light of day shines on the abuse can it be ended and the victims find relief.

TO THE HAGUE WITH RUMSFELD!

[Winterblues]

11. Or as Senator Inhofe says, He is "Outraged at the Outrage"

If only no one found out about it......Not that it is wrong but that people found out about it..