Mark Danner on Democracy Now today talking about his recent articles
on the ICRC reports.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/18/mark_danner_bush_lied_about_torture
“
You know, I suppose one could argue that he really believed what he
said. You know, but at a certain point, as children find out at a very
young age, courtesy of their parents, simply believing something
doesn’t make it true. You know, these things happen in objective
reality. They happen as a result of orders high up in the
administration. These activities were monitored very closely as they
happened, not only by CIA officials in Langley, Virginia, who were in
close contact with the interrogators from the beginning and hourly,
but by officials across the river in the White House. There’s a clear
record of briefings by the then-CIA Director George Tenet of the
Principals Committee in the White House. The Principals Committee
includes the Vice President, then Dick Cheney; the then-Secretary of
State Colin Powell; then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld;
then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice…
“
In other Rice-related-horror news:
Recall that Blackwater (now Xe), the notorious private military
contractor / mercenary company, were contractors under Condoleezza
Rice’s State Department, which not only did not restrain Blackwater
through its various massacres — Rice’s state department quite
arguably enabled them, accessories after the fact. Recall the December
2006 shooting of the Iraqi Vice President’s guard, allegedly by a
drunk Blackwater mercenary — within 36 hours, Rice’s state
department had allowed him to flee the country, and shortly paid off
the guard’s family.
Moreover, after the Nissour Square massacre of September 2007, Rice’s
State Department granted the mercenaries immunity — and she promoted
the staffers who oversaw Blackwater operations.
And then, in April 2008, despite Iraqi government efforts, Rice’s
State Department renewed Blackwater’s contract. Not until January 2009
did Iraq revoke Blackwater’s license. See SSNW’s letter, linked from
the main page of antiwar.stanford.edu, for the details and references.
Anyway, the most recent news is that none of this has stopped Obama
from renewing Blackwater’s contract anyway.
New deal for Blackwater
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/17/new-deal-for-blackwater-bucks-decision-by-iraq/
Obama disses Blackwater – then Renews their Contract
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-disses-Blackwater–by-Josh-Mitteldorf-090318-657.html