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“Prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated. Any unlawful act or omission by the Detaining Power causing death or seriously endangering the health of a prisoner of war in its custody is prohibited, and will be regarded as a serious breach of the present Convention. … Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.”
– Geneva Convention
Here’s what President Bush believes is acceptable treatment of U.S. prisoners:
Borrowing a torture technique that many date to the Spanish Inquisition, the prisoner is tied down face up on a board. By some accounts, the board is at an incline, so the head is lower than the feet.
A cloth is stuffed in the prisoner’s mouth, then water is poured down his nose and throat, producing a gag reflex. The practice might be repeated until the prisoner loses consciousness, is awakened, then subjected to water again. At best, the practice makes the prisoner feel like he is drowning. At worst, he can suffocate.
The practice is called waterboarding. The practice is torture.
The practice is abhorrent in a civilized society – and when one side condones it, the other side is given a green light to treat prisoners the same way.
That’s why 43 retired generals and admirals and 18 national security experts oppose it.
That’s why Congress passed a bill that, among other steps, forbids the U.S. government to condone waterboarding.
But Bush vetoed the bill.
“This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe,” Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Yet most experts in interrogation say torture simply doesn’t work.
“Torture is counterproductive on all fronts,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Harry E. Soyster, a former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told the Washington Post. “It produces bad intelligence. It ruins the subject, makes them useless for further interrogation. And it damages our credibility around the world.”
The president’s veto further damages U.S. credibility and sends the dangerous, disgusting message that the U.S. condones torture.
