4th grader presses Rice on waterboarding.
4th grader presses Rice on waterboarding.
Speaking to students at Stanford University last month, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the Bush administration’s interrogation policies, saying that they did not constitute torture and were legal “by definition” because President Bush authorized them. Rice was put on the defensive on the issue again today while visiting an elementary school in Washington, DC. During a Q & A session with students, a 4th grader named Misha Lerner asked Rice about “the things President Obama’s administration was saying about the methods the Bush administration had used to get information from detainees”:
“Let me just say that President Bush was very clear that he wanted to do everything he could to protect the country. After September 11, we wanted to protect the country,” she said. “But he was also very clear that we would do nothing, nothing, that was against the law or against our obligations internationally. So the president was only willing to authorize policies that were legal in order to protect the country.”
She added: “I hope you understand that it was a very difficult time. We were all so terrified of another attack on the country. September 11 was the worst day of my life in government, watching 3,000 Americans die. . . . Even under those most difficult circumstances, the president was not prepared to do something illegal, and I hope people understand that we were trying to protect the country.”
According to Misha’s mother, he originally planned to ask a tougher question — “If you would work for Obama’s administration, would you push for torture?” — but he was asked to change it. “They wanted him to soften it and take out the word ‘torture.’ But the essence of it was the same,” Inna Lerner said.
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Bush lied and a court is yet to weigh in. His Executive Office acted on their opinion of legality. The court system hasn’t confirmed the Bush position. The sooner our judicial system issues case law, the better.
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:50 pm“Let me just say that President Bush was very clear that he wanted to do everything he could to protect the country. After September 11, we wanted to protect the country,” she said. “But he was also very clear that we would do nothing, nothing, that was against the law or against our obligations internationally. So the president was only willing to authorize policies that were legal in order to protect the country.”
She added: “I hope you understand that it was a very difficult time. We were all so terrified of another attack on the country. September 11 was the worst day of my life in government, watching 3,000 Americans die. . . . Even under those most difficult circumstances, the president was not prepared to do something illegal, and I hope people understand that we were trying to protect the country.”
Dr. Rice. The oath of office that both you and the President took as you assumed your respective offices said that you would “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution”, not “protect the country.” Your first mistake was to forget that.
And I would hope that as an historian, you would know that Nixon’s theory that “If the president does it, that means it’s not illegal”, has been widely and accurately discredited as blatantly unconstitutional.
The President’s constitutional responsibilities specifically require him to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Instead, you and he conspired to violate the law and the Constitution.
I hope you can find a good lawyer. Preferably one who wasn’t involved in the crimes with you.
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:57 pmSick to death hearing Rice try to dress up a horrific torturous act as water boarding with a bunch of nonsensical words.
The Bush crime Family authorized torture and Rice was part of it. We now need investigations and prosecutions to go forward and maybe then the world can begin to heal.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 pmSo much for her being able to claim she’s smarter than a 4th grader.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:08 pmA fourth grader? And “…he originally planned to ask a tougher question — “If you would work for Obama’s administration, would you push for torture?”
Wow, there’s hope for the future – way to go, Misha!
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:08 pmAnd, I also believe this to be true:
Hersh: children raped at Abu Ghraib, Pentagon has videos
Such filth and rot coming out of the Bush ad and Rice has ridiculous prepared speeches how all was legal and fine.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:15 pmWhy the F * * K don’t journalists ask important questions anymore? They’re more interested in what kind of shoes and outfits people where.
Instead we have students and Jon Stewart doing the job of real journalists nowadays. PATHETIC.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 pmCondi, sweet Condi. Bush said it was legal and that’s all you needed?
He probably told you he loved you too.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:19 pmBush/Cheney/Rice = WAR CRIMINALS
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:19 pmShe’s just lucky the kid didn’t ask her where Alvin and the rest of the Chipmunks were.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 pmOh boo hoo, all she ever does is whine, “it was so hard”.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 pmI am trying to decide which is bothering me the most.
1. Rice trying to make nice of all the hideous torture
or
2. some in Congress, the Congress we elect and pay a salary to, will not vote for single payer health care because their contributors, the insurance co, would have too much competition.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 pm“…but he was asked to change it. “They wanted him to soften it and take out the word ‘torture.’”
“They”? According to the Post story, “The questions had been developed beforehand by students with their teachers and had not been screened by Rice.” So the teachers didn’t want Misha to ask his original question? I wonder if Misha offered to change “torture” to “enhanced interrogation”?
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:26 pmOne of these days, Condeleezza Rice will have to answer for that memo she sent in 2002 making torture permissible. She must know that a nation that sacrifices liberty for security deserves neither, to quote Benjamin Franklin.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:29 pmTrue confession. I am a little conflicted about the torture prosecution. The political part of me says that we don’t need the distraction and the fact that every one knows that Bush/Cheney/Rice/et al authorized torture and they will go to their graves despised by 75% of Americans is enough. Let’s move forward and deal with the clusterf* we inherited.
The other side says Hell No! If we let this slide, what kind of a country are we and what message do we send to the rest of the world and more importantly, to the next cowboy POS who wants to piss on our Constitution? Prosecute the bastards!
Anyone else conflicted or is it pretty settled in your minds?
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 pmIs everyone else as sick as I am of these mealy-mouthed 9/11 excuses? It’s freakin’ torture, Condi! There IS no excuse!
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:30 pmWayne Ant Schneider Says @ 2
I can’t say it better than that!
Nice how she jumps right into the justification before and then after the lie.
For a while it looked like Condi might slink quietly away from the torture issue. Remember it only recently surfaced that she was up to her eyeballs in it…figured she was.
“The new timeline suggests Miss Rice played a more significant role than she acknowledged in written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee submitted in the autumn. ”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/5208701/Condoleezza-Rice-approved-torture-techniques.html
For those that might be in the know-Does this constitute perjury?
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:32 pmIs she smarter than a fourth grader?
She’ll let you know from her prison cell.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 pmAnd in her capacity as SOS, what the hell was she doing being involved in any of this, except for ass kissing…Oh, right.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:34 pmThe other side says Hell No! If we let this slide, what kind of a country are we and what message do we send to the rest of the world and more importantly, to the next cowboy POS who wants to piss on our Constitution? Prosecute the bastards!
Anyone else conflicted or is it pretty settled in your minds?
chingebushchigger, I think that most of us are pretty settled on the “Hell No!” side.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:38 pmchingebushchigger Says: Anyone else conflicted or is it pretty settled in your minds?
I believe it has to be prosecuted and let the chips fall where they may. No conflict in my mind.However, patience might be needed
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 pmThanks guys, and I agree with you. In the long run, we are a stronger country if we do the right thing and clean our own kennel. It’s one more black mark on the Bush Administration that President Obama has to deal with this crap instead of other issues.
Always been a fan of your fruits Mycelium.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:52 pmchingebushchigger Says:
Why thank you! That’s nice to hear.
May 3rd, 2009 at 11:54 pm.
Dear Ms. Rice,
Those fourth graders sure are rambunctious.
They’ll get ya everytime.
… And imagine, in all their innocence, you still lied to them.
XXOO
America
.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:10 amIf we let this go and simply turn the page then:
* We will remain the most hated country
* Our military will be at more risk of being tortured
* if the Bush ad can be held above the law then what next? Some of the same players came from the Reagan and Bush I ad, the crimes were ignored and as a result Bush II ad IS the most corrupt in history.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:11 am.
On the larger front…
… She is covering for the fact that 9/11 happened because BushCo failed America.
.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:25 amThat 4th grader has moxy. Too bad her teacher had less guts. You have one faction of the Bush Administration denying there was torture and then there’s another faction defending it. haha, how screwed up was the White House from 2001-2009?
May 4th, 2009 at 12:45 amhave no fear stanford will love her as they love war mongers and torturers.
they also hired rummy.
if you have one of those degrees tear it up it has blood on it.
thank you
May 4th, 2009 at 12:50 amfirst college kids now this. All I’ve got to say is White Power!
May 4th, 2009 at 12:54 amWhy are they pre-screening questions from 4th graders?
And why would Rice give such long answers to a 4th grader. Besides, she ducked the question asked. Dr. Rice just doesn’t have very good instincts.
Too bad this 4th grader didn’t ask her why she repeatedly ignored the warning of her own terrorist expert, Richard Clarke, and that if she had listened perhaps the Bush administration would have been able to use the information the FBI was providing on pilot training and prevented the attack in the first place. Dr. Rice has a whole lot to answer for.
May 4th, 2009 at 1:08 amOnce again, 9/11 justifies everything. But it is all based upon the unproven allegation that 11 Muslims with box cutters pulled off the entire thing.
I, for one, belive it was an inside job, our Krystalnacht. If you get to the bottom of 9/11 you topple the power structure in our country, perhaps in the Western World.
May 4th, 2009 at 1:28 amSorry Condi – your excuse didn’t work on EDUCATED Americans and it seems even the 4th Grade KNOWS you supported TORTURE, an international WAR crime no matter who is President or how many notes you get from his appointed lackeys . . .
(Is anyone else having problems with “Recommend”? Seems EVERY TIME it says I already did – and I sure know I didn’t . . . running Safari.)
May 4th, 2009 at 2:19 amThis is shocking and obscene! Having a WAR CRIMINAL talking to children and justifying the unjustifiable…
May 4th, 2009 at 2:37 amJess Wonderin,
I find TP works best with Firefox. I’m not having any problems with TP — unless I’ve just jinxed myself…
May 4th, 2009 at 2:39 amsacopenapa,
Seriously, I wouldn’t have the woman around children — she’s a terrible example.
May 4th, 2009 at 2:40 amJane, you beat me to it. Just who is “they” who asked the 4th grader to change his question?
Some Secretary of State that she needs screeners so she won’t be caught off guard while addressing elementary school children. It would have been great if the boy had said, “With all due respect, you didn’t answer my question.”
Maybe we need to plant some short journalists in our kid’s classrooms to finally get some answers to the tough questions.
PEACE
May 4th, 2009 at 2:45 amHas she no shame?!! Stooping to lying to a 4th grader! Oh, wait……….she has no shame. She’ll lie to anybody to cover up for Georgie Porgie. I hope it was worth it.
May 4th, 2009 at 2:59 amSo, let me get this straight. Before 9/11, information about pending attacks was not serious enough to warrant any apparent extra effort, but post-9/11 all options are on the table? How pathetic. If you ask me, the collective tone and body language of the previous administration officials is one of shame and embarrassment for getting caught with their pants down on 9/11 coupled with fear of retribution for going too far the other way with torture and rendition.
I am very sick of the security and fear of another attack argument. I find it downright insulting. Clearly they think I am so pathetic and cowardly that I would support any tactic to ensure my life was completely safe. Sorry Condi, I didn’t need the protection you had to offer. What I need is a government that conducts itself lawfully. Perhaps then, there would be fewer threats to “protect” me from.
May 4th, 2009 at 3:41 amFor frick sake Lady, you had an oil tanker named after ya’,
May 4th, 2009 at 4:51 amget some braces already.
Why are these people being allowed to speak to children?
May 4th, 2009 at 5:42 amAfter September 11, we wanted to protect the country,”
But before September 11 we were mostly planning what we were going to do after September 11.
May 4th, 2009 at 5:49 amRice has her talking points down pat after being buffaloed by the Stanford students. Now she is vying for ’sympathy’ by using victimhood. . . ‘don’t you feel sorry for us [Bush Criminal Gang] because it was so difficult after 9/11 after 3000 innocent people died, so we had to do ANY AND EVERYTHING possible to go after those who inflicted the damage [and even those who had NOTHING to do with it]. I am now going to persuade you, via the SYMPATHY METER, and you too will see how hard things were for us’! She had her answer prepared this time after thinking about the Nixonian response she gave to the Stanford students. She didn’t get dry mouthed and as defensive when she BLATANTLY LIED to the 4th grader today.
May 4th, 2009 at 5:52 amso, kindasleezy,
May 4th, 2009 at 5:56 amwhat kind of example for “freedom being on the march” are you when a fourth grader’s question to you in censored?
Sooooooo….Condi Rice lied to a 4th grader? Not surprised!
May 4th, 2009 at 6:08 amI THANK
May 4th, 2009 at 6:11 amSesli Sohbet
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sesli ve görüntülü sohbet
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sohbet MaviSakaL
(Is anyone else having problems with “Recommend”? Seems EVERY TIME it says I already did – and I sure know I didn’t . . . running Safari.)
Yep me too in IE7
It’s never done this before.
May 4th, 2009 at 6:44 am” . . the president was not prepared to do something illegal, . . ”
Is she trying to say he ‘got prepared’ or what? I didn’t know one needed to get prepared for illegal torture! What type of preparation is necessary? Does one flog oneself, study up on illegal torture like before taking an exam or what process is needed to prepare for illegal torture?
May 4th, 2009 at 6:59 amSo now even a child has to sterilize his question so that Rice has an opportunity to lie with impunity.
This woman is the most disgusting sycophant Bush has yet produced.
May 4th, 2009 at 7:51 amNothing like a little censorship to confirm the FREEDOM Bush and his cronies were always so quick to spew out.
May 4th, 2009 at 7:59 amI guess she figures that if she can’t fool the grown ups, she better start trying to fool the children. She has to get history rewritten somehow.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:26 am(Is anyone else having problems with “Recommend”? Seems EVERY TIME it says I already did – and I sure know I didn’t . . . running Safari.)
It’s doing the same thing to me as well.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:26 amIn other words We didn’t do anything illegal, but if it turns out that you won’t buy that, then how about this: we violated US laws, trashed treaty obligations, and the constitution only to protect You. You must see that our Democratic form of governing by the rule of law was too difficult, and we were too incompetent, to do anything else. George Bush himself said that things would be easier if this was a dictatorship; nobody suggested otherwise, and so you have it. Heil Bush!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:27 amOut of the mouths of babes. Kudos to Misha for asking an excellent question, though he was asked to change it.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:32 amAs for Rice, her statements are ridiculous and disingenuous. We have faced other extremely tough times in our nation’s history and yet have not resorted to torture. We have been attacked (Pearl Harbor, Nazi attacks on U.S. shipping) yet did not adopt the illegal tactics of the enemy.
Thanks to tbone for pointing out the hypocrisy of the Bush administration’s ignoring warnings of imminent attack, then using that attack to justify illegal torture. Ms. Rice, you should be ashamed!
Some Secretary of State that she needs screeners so she won’t be caught off guard while addressing elementary school children. It would have been great if the boy had said, “With all due respect, you didn’t answer my question.”
May 4th, 2009 at 8:42 amMuhabbet , mirc , sohbet
Maybe we need to plant some short journalists in our kid’s classrooms to finally get some answers to the tough questions.
If you ask me, the collective tone and body language of the previous administration officials is one of shame and embarrassment for getting caught with their pants down on 9/11 coupled with fear of retribution for going too far the other way with torture and rendition.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:43 amMuhabbet , mirc , sohbet
I am very sick of the security and fear of another attack argument. I find it downright insulting. Clearly they think I am so pathetic and cowardly that I would support any tactic to ensure my life was completely safe. Sorry Condi, I didn’t need the protection you had to offer. What I need is a government that conducts itself lawfully. Perhaps then, there would be fewer threats to “protect” me from.
Not to nitpick, but it wasn’t 3000 Americans, she sould say 3000 people since there were a lot of other nationalities that died in the Towers that day. She must have just been watching Fox news that day, they love to ignore facts and exaggerate.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:51 amCondi is a Bush ditto head:
1. Bush ditto head
Any person who loves George W. Bush. Bush ditto heads totally agree with Bush’s opinions and stand behind him without question.
2. Bush ditto head
May 4th, 2009 at 8:56 amA person, usually of low intelligence, that has been programmed or brainwashed by Bush into believing that the fallacies created are real.
A ten-year-old puts Rice in the hot seat? There’s hope for us yet!
May 4th, 2009 at 9:02 amBriseadh na Firefly Says:
Once again, 9/11 justifies everything. But it is all based upon the unproven allegation that 11 Muslims with box cutters pulled off the entire thing.
I, for one, believe it was an inside job, our Krystalnacht. If you get to the bottom of 9/11 you topple the power structure in our country, perhaps in the Western World.
Worth repeating, and repeating, and repeating.
I, for one, believe it was an inside job, our Krystalnacht. If you get to the bottom of 9/11 you topple the power structure in our country, perhaps in the Western World.
Worth repeating, and repeating, and repeating.
I, for one, believe it was an inside job, our Krystalnacht. If you get to the bottom of 9/11 you topple the power structure in our country, perhaps in the Western World.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:03 amOnce again- Does Condi lying in a written testimony to the Armed Services Committee constitute perjury?
I believe this is a HUGE subject.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:05 amJane E. Schneider @20: The other side says Hell No! If we let this slide, what kind of a country are we and what message do we send to the rest of the world and more importantly, to the next cowboy POS who wants to piss on our Constitution? Prosecute the bastards!
Anyone else conflicted or is it pretty settled in your minds?
chingebushchigger, I think that most of us are pretty settled on the “Hell No!” side.
Isn’t this Eric Holder’s decision now? Always been? I think the media needs to get off Obama and get on the DoJ.
As long as we do’t have Spectet doing any thing on this, we should be OK.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:14 am@61 correction: As long as we don’t have Senator Specter doing any thing on this, we should be OK.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:17 amHere’s a new word or reinforcing example for the student: disgrace. Ms. Rice is a disgrace as is the situation.
I would have asked, is it okay if our soldiers are hit with enhanced interrogation techniques dozens of times? How about one of your nieces or nephews, since a lot of “terrorists” are brought in with no evidence?
May 4th, 2009 at 9:21 amTo me, its pretty clear-cut. Bush and Cheney should have been impeached, and the lot of them should be investigated and prosecuted now, regardless of the political cost to the Democrats and regardless of the cost to the current legislative agenda. Our democracy is at stake. If these crimes go unpunished, the Constitution is rendered irrelevant.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:22 am*whistle blows*
“Fire, Mr. President! There’s a fire!”
May 4th, 2009 at 9:23 am“How do you know?”
“Because I just saw it.”
“Saw… it’s in the past. Let’s move forward.”
This is about hating a black woman. This is racism straight up. Thinkprogress is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:25 amCondi=911 War Criminal
911=Inside Job
May 4th, 2009 at 9:51 amjeff2001 Says:
This is about hating a black woman. This is racism straight up. Thinkprogress is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks.
Stones. Glass houses.
I doubt this is sarcasm fueling this comment, but this is about hating policies and decisions. We have been making the same accusations about everyone in the Bush Administration that was involved in the decisions for “harsh interrogations/torture” procedures at Guantanimo.
This has nothing to do with race or even gender for that matter. This has everything to do with abiding by international law.
May 4th, 2009 at 10:05 amjeff2001m: Sorry, you’re wrong. TP reports on all races regardless. Where’s your proof regarding this anyway?
May 4th, 2009 at 10:07 am“…a 4th grader named Misha Lerner asked Rice about “the things President Obama’s administration was saying about the methods the Bush administration had used to get information from detainees”:
“Let me just say that President Bush was very clear that he wanted to do everything he could to protect the country. After September 11, we wanted to protect the country,” she said. “But he was also very clear that we would do nothing, nothing, that was against the law or against our obligations internationally. So the president was only willing to authorize policies that were legal in order to protect the country.” ”
This is a class of 4th graders?! Either it’s a class for very advanced students, or things have changed a lot since I was in 4th grade. Both the question and Rice’s response sound very contrived–not an exchange you’d actually hear in most grade schools.
May 4th, 2009 at 10:32 amWhy, yes, children, dear Ms. Rice was just following orders – for the greater glory of the Reich!
May 4th, 2009 at 10:52 amjeff2001 Says:
Oh my GOD. You are a liar and a fool and an ignorant piece of garbage. If you think we wouldnt be saying the same thing if she were white you are a moron. On second thought you ARE a moron but you KNOW you are lying. Being a lying piece of dogshite is just what you brainwashed trolls do.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:15 amCondoleezza Rice has an option which might move us from the stalled, waiting-for-the-axe-to-fall state we’re all in, concerning torture prosecutions.
She could assemble all the public documentation and surrender to the FBI, saying, “This isn’t an admission of guilt, but all these people are saying I committed crimes. I have a right to my day in court!”
May 4th, 2009 at 1:03 pmNearly three weeks and counting for Sean Hannity’s water boarding….
May 4th, 2009 at 4:12 pmI’ve got to hand it to her – she is a bald-faced liar to the very end!!!!
I guess after the Sanford embarassment she’s limiting her questions to elemtary school children, less of a threat; especially when they are FORBIDDEN from using the word “TORTURE.”
Here is a question I have been wanting to ask Dr. Rice, face to face, for years – HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT!!!
May 4th, 2009 at 4:57 pmAfter September 11, we wanted to protect the country,” she said. She hadBedava mp3 indir her answer prepared this time after thinking about the Nixonian response
May 10th, 2009 at 10:43 pmsohbetshe gave to the Stanford students.“But he was also very cetclear that we would do nothing, nothing, that was against the law or against our obligations internationally.