Waterboarding was briefed to both parties from the CIA, why don't those?

Question

democrats and republicans hold responsibility for their knowledge? Why should Bush be faulted for something that both parties were aware of?

U.S. law requires the CIA to inform Congress of covert activities and allows the briefings to be limited in certain highly sensitive cases to a "Gang of Eight," including the four top congressional leaders of both parties as well as the four senior intelligence committee members. In this case, most briefings about detainee programs were limited to the "Gang of Four," the top Republican and Democrat on the two committees.

Answer 1

To answer your question;

Water-boarding only became a issue when the left thought it was something they could use to bash the military and embarrass the current administration. They fail to acknowledge that some of our greatest insight to the members of, and plans of al Qeada have been acquired through the use of interrogations of those detained by the US leading to the saving of countless of American lives.

Answer 2

The one hour briefing was held in Sept of 2002, a year after the events of 9/11/01. Feeling was still running high at that time and there were no objections from either democrats or republicans as to the tactics being used to garner information from suspected terrorists. Only the four that were briefed were made aware of this plus two more later on. As Commander in Chief, Bush was aware from the beginning and 6 years later still approves of the tactics used even though the courts say otherwise.

Answer 3

I am a Democrat who hold socially liberal ideals and who hapens to respect the constitution, the American way of life and believe we should follow the geneva conventions as we are bound to do just that.

1) This current administration defined torture as any physical force which causes organ failure. So, breaking bones with clubs, shocking people with electrodes, forcing people to eat feces and gargle with dog vomit, oh....just use your imagination because none of this is torture. Or is it?

2) Drowning people is not a technique for interrogation it is in fact simply torturing people by droning. There is no such thing as a simulated drowning. Waterboarding is drowning someone while stopping a little shy of killing them. Think of waterboarding as partially killing someone. Howexactly is this not torturing someone.

3) Why do you think the tapes of waterboarding were destroyed. Could it be that the so called techniques were really torture by any reasonable standards including the standards to which we are bound under treaties and international agreements.

4) The American way of life is not a joke or a thing to be taken lightly. We do not torture people. We are better than this. We are responsible for projecting truth and goodness, not torture and fake motivation for war.

5) If you believe that we only tortured three people you are quite naive.

6) Bush ordered this with his administration staff being in favor of this illegal activity. Yes, he is to blame and the Democrats who remained silent need to resign as well.

7) There are other ways to get information without torture. If you are all for torture then you need to be kept far away from any power as you simply have not learned what it really means to be an American citizen. All who agree with you also should feel less than American. Shame.

Answer 4

I don't care about the so-called rights these terrorists have that are being treated "wrongly" as media displays. If they are waterboarded, tough! If they were not locked up they would still be out there fighting against us, planning attacks, sabotages, road bombings and so much more.

So many people complain about so much they are blind to just to spite the current administration.

Where are the rights of all the bombing victims these terrorists take? The two sixteen year old schoolgirls in Korea they beheaded, the Thai Monks they caught on fire, and so many more victims; lives they have taken away! No one talks about their rights. No one ever stands up for them. Instead they stand up for the TERRORISTS BEING WATERBOARDED!

Those "poor, gentle" terrorists being treated badly! Well let the terrorists starve or go thirsty. Let them freeze or burn from high temperatures. If all the POWs in Guantanamo die, we will just capture more and do the same until no more Islamic terrorists are alive! Then we would have won the war and rid the world of all the terrorists in the process. No more innocent people dying from suicide bombings. No more innocent people dying from terrorists running around like madmen killing everyone they see do not belong in their twisted version of the world.

Answer 5

The four from the Democrat side included Nancy Pelosi. The only comments from any party when the eight were originally advised of interrogation techniques was whether or not the methods were severe enough. Of course, it was very soon after 911 that they were informed. If you recall, Democrats were anti-terrorist at that time. Amazing how times have changed.

Answer 6

The briefings did not include concrete definitions of waterboarding - and if you watch the questions here in politics, you will find people who still define it as "a nose full of water". This misleading definition has been passed to the press by several administration members - Cheney comes to mind.

Hardly the near-drowning experience that it was later revealed to be.

Answer 7

Water boarding is not torture, it does no harm to the body, it is purely psychological, just like sleep deprivation. So in that light any complaints now by the democrats who have been briefed would be to acknowledge that they see it as psychological operations as it is described by the CIA.

Answer 8

All those who knew and didn't speak out are war criminals. That's the Nuremberg standard.
Bush ordered the torture so he doesn't get a free pass at all.

Bush ordered torture and an illegal war. That some Democrats are also guilty doesn't mean Bush gets of. Quit seeing politics as football. Human rights and war crimes can not be tolerated by anyone.

Answer 9

Hey if you a liberal the Buck stops over their I agreed with it before I disagreed with it,

you know a lie.

Answer 10

It has only become a problem because it has come to light.