Salter: ‘I Don’t Know Why’ People Say McCain ‘Let The CIA Off The Hook’ On Waterboarding
Salter: ‘I Don’t Know Why’ People Say McCain ‘Let The CIA Off The Hook’ On Waterboarding
In 2005, as Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) embarked on his efforts to rein in the administration’s use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” like waterboarding, his staff initially circulated a bill stating that “no person under U.S. control could be treated or interrogated with techniques ‘not authorized by or listed in’” the Army Field Manual. But McCain soon dropped this draft language, instead narrowing the scope of his legislation “to require the field manual’s use only for the military interrogations or interrogations on military property.”
When McCain struck a deal in 2006 with the White House over rules to govern military tribunals and interrogations, the White House said that it “would allow a key CIA interrogation program for suspected terrorists to go forward.” Since then, the administration has refused to rule out the use of waterboarding in CIA interrogations.
But in an interview released yesterday for PBS’ Frontline, top McCain aide Mark Salter, claimed that critics were “quite wrong” to say that McCain “let the CIA off the hook“:
QUESTION: And for those who say, Mark, he let the CIA off the hook?
SALTER: I don’t know why they say that. I think they’re quite wrong. … We negotiated with several members in the Senate — John Warner [R-Va.], Lindsey Graham [R-S.C.] and the others — very senior members of the administration for a long time. And to get a standard in statute that we felt would prevent things like water boarding, we needed to rewrite the war crimes statutes, to change their definitions.
Now remember, some of the violations are punishable by death, serious. And to get them to allow us to do that, we agreed the law would not be retroactive but from date of enactment. I think that’s a perfectly respectable decision for a lawmaker to make. … You’re not going to get it done any other way.
Salter’s claimed confusion, however, is contradicted by former McCain aide John Weaver, who acknowledged to Frontline that there was “a CIA loophole.” Weaver said that if McCain is elected, it “will be fixed immediately“:
QUESTION: There’s one other practical side of it, though, the much-talked-about CIA loophole. Where does that come from?
WEAVER: When you’re trying to pass something, the perfect can be the enemy of the good. And I think at the end of the day, they did the best they could on that issue. And I think that’s how he sees it. I mean, he worked very hard with [Sen.] Lindsey Graham [R-S.C.] and with Colin Powell. And I can assure you that if he’s president, that will be fixed immediately.
Furthermore, when the Senate voted in February to outlaw waterboarding by establishing one interrogation standard across the government, McCain voted against it. McCain then urged President Bush to veto the legislation, which Bush did.
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24 Responses to “Salter: ‘I Don’t Know Why’ People Say McCain ‘Let The CIA Off The Hook’ On Waterboarding”
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When Obama is electged the loophole will be fixed immediately as well.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pmAnd I can assure you that if he’s (McCain) president, that will be fixed immediately
- - In that case, don't bother your addled gray matter, John.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pmAnd to get a standard in statute that we felt would prevent things like water boarding, we needed to rewrite the war crimes statutes, to change their definitions.
Now remember, some of the violations are punishable by death, serious. And to get them to allow us to do that, we agreed the law would not be retroactive but from date of enactment. I think that’s a perfectly respectable decision for a lawmaker to make. … You’re not going to get it done any other way.
Yeah...there is a way to "get it done." It's called impeachment, by working with the House and conviction in the Senate. The first article of impeachment could have read "for violation of the War Crimes Act." John McCain gave up his principles and his honor in order to make a deal for the support of the White House in his candidacy for President in 2008. Remember...this was the campaign that was dead, a done deal. But suddenly, resurrected. What happened?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pmHopefully this horrible and sad period will come to an end on 21 January and those responsible will be held accountable. We cannot turn away from cleaning up after the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/other criminals and bringing them to justice.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pmThat's one example of hundreds of Maverick's cheap talk.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pmHis Straight Talk Express bus will be ditched very soon, with no wheels attached.
O.T.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pmAlmost time to tune into the debate.
Better revisit misshusseinmolly's post on the drinking game quote choices.
McCain is a blatant opportunist interested only in McCain--anyone who trusts him is foolish.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pmWEAVER: When you’re trying to pass something, the perfect can be the enemy of the good.
I'm no constitutional scholar, but I believe the purpose of legislation, a/k/a "something to pass", is to promote the general welfare. That whatever you pass should be "the enemy of the good" would be ananthema to your purpose for being there. What you are suggesting is that banning waterboarding entirely would be "the enemy of the good", so you wanted a way to leave it in, and thus pass something less than perfect. Deliberately.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pmHoly jump'en bobcats. Slater could double talk a duck into swimming in a sandbox. Look at his blather: "And to get a standard in statute that we felt would prevent things like water boarding, we needed to rewrite the war crimes statutes, to change their definitions." They were attempting to rewrite the war statutes so as to allow torture.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:04 pmThis is great. Apparently, to prepare for tonight, McSame has been studying video of past classic debates.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:18 pmThe people controlling the world are criminals.
It turns out that Bush’s grandfather Prescott conspired to overthrow the Constitution, assassinate FDR, and turn the United States into a Nazi Camp. Here’s the July 2007 BBC report.
This video of investigative journalist John Buchanan details the documents discovered at the National Archives and Library of Congress implicating Prescott.
George W Bush quote: "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."
John McCain quote: "I've always aspired to be a dictator."
October 15th, 2008 at 8:23 pmQuote From Forbes Magazine:
In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy.
"It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."
Associated Press - Sep 29, 2008 - Fannie, Freddie disclose subpoenas, investigations
Why did Bush Sr call for a New World Order on September 11, 1990?
And what about 9/11? Alaskan magnetometers went BONKERS with every 9/11 "event", including the plane-shaped holes appearing in the towers. This is virtual proof of HAARP.
No one in New York reported the deafening sound of wide-body commercial airliners hitting the towers at full throttle. In 1999, the Washington Post reported on the military's psychological operation hologram project.
See here for source information and much much more:
9/11: Distinguishing The Propaganda From The Smoking Guns
October 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pmBarack Obama's economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, is a member of the Skull and Bones Secret Society.
Other members of Skull and Bones include Prescott Bush, Bush Sr, Bush Jr, and John Kerry.
The $700B bailout bill is Unconstitutional.
Both McCain and Obama voted FOR the unconstitutional bailout bill.
Christopher Story, editor and publisher of International Currency Review, explains the $700B bailout was nothing more than on-the-books cash for the criminals’ new trading platform.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pmThe problem I find with the whole torture debate is the false assumption, sadly made by many on the left, that before the Bush regime, the US did not, and does not engage in torture. Techniques far worse than waterboarding have been a mainstay of US foreign policy for many decades. While it has been hidden behind a wall of proxies, the US actively engaged in training right wing death squads in torture techniques during the Vietnam war as well as throughout Latin America. Countries like Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras to name a few come to mind.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:34 pmAlas there is still a portion of the population who will insist that a lie, offered in opposition to the truth, must be considered in a "fair and balanced" discussion.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pmJust hurt my hand trying to reach through the computer screen to grab McCain by the throat. The only good thing is that McCain is being his
snotty, snide self, and thankfully that turns others off as well.
Schieffer has been much better than I expected.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:26 pmalcyone Says:
And there are NO statute of limitations on war crimes. I’d hate to see ole’ John prosecuted.
________
Oh, good God... this is F-in' ridiculous.
Where is the GOOP finding its trolls these days? Down on Skid Row?
October 15th, 2008 at 10:31 pmMcBush? ARe you still using that line. Wow you need to get out more. I see McSame was used as well. How do you know when the debate is over? When the empty suit named Obama got out of his chair.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:13 pmHi RoS. Don't waste your time on the troll. It is only here to cause trouble and to try to derail the real point, Bush criminals. Also, it is a shitty reader or else needed to add WAR to my statement which was not there to meet their talking points. Notice my wording, I never used the word WAR in my statement, I stated Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/other CRIMINALS. They are CRIMINALS.
By the way, who used to sign their posts
Bush/Cheney - Hague '09
or along those lines?
October 16th, 2008 at 12:14 amBlinky isn'y going to have to worry about fixing anything unless he can get Rove and cronies to fix the election first.
Ahh...I smell fresh trolls. Betcha they don't stick around long after the polls show the drubbing Blinky gets from this debate that will show him sinking ever more behind.
And Wetblanket, the debate was over when McDepends opened his mouth and got snippy (you forgot that nickname we like so well)
October 16th, 2008 at 4:33 amalcyone Says:
Be careful what you ask for liberal voter and others. I seem to remember John F Kerry’s harrowing account of jumping over the bow of his boat, racing through a village, and catching up to a wounded VC whom he then shot. Silver Star Award, February 28, 1969. Silver star or not, that is a war crime. And there are NO statute of limitations on war crimes. I’d hate to see ole’ John prosecuted.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ah NO Bubba that is the Limborg version, that is, its a LIE. Kerry chased a VC who was ARMED and shot him which is in NO WAY a war crime. You are an idiot.
October 16th, 2008 at 9:20 amWhen Obama wins, this troll will be able to afford his meds and stop spewing hate and lies. In the mean time, I hope he does not harm himself as he is trying to do to others.
PS
Liberal. –In the King James version of the bible, “liberal” is a good word. The word “conservative” appears nowhere in the bible.
“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” (Proverbs 11:25) “The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful.” (Isaiah 32:5) “But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.” (Isaiah 32:8) “Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men . . . Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.” (II Corinthians 9:13-15)
I'm done wasting time with this loser troll.
PAX
October 16th, 2008 at 10:55 amMcCain helped create the 9-11 cover up "commission" that carefully sidestepped the treason committed by some of it's gate keeping members. McCain will do whatever it takes to conceal the truth, then claim "country first."
He's a certified liar and nationalist socialist. There is no remaining controversy except in the minds of ratings-dependents and embedded ideologues.
Vote McCain-Palin for a continuing dictatorship that favors the wealthy, the religious fanatics, much of the duped military leadership, and the misinformed Joe Plumbers.
http://www.light-to-dark.com/unanticipated.html
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