Death or Organ Failure?
“The president has given no order or directive that would immunize from prosecution anyone engaged in conduct that constitutes torture,” Mr. Gonzales said. “All interrogation techniques actually authorized have been carefully vetted, are lawful, and do not constitute torture.” (NYTimes.com)
Mr. Gonzales concluded by stating, “… For torture is defined as whatever Satan commands…”
The Swami Uptown on Beliefnet has a lot more about what a douchebag this guy is. He was responsible for briefing bush about death penalty cases in TX & whether he should grant clemency or not. That doesn’t sound too promising to me.
Hmmmm, I think I just found my Halloween costume for 2005!
More on Judge Gonzalez, courtesy of Sojourners (sojo.net):
Testimony: Gonzales claimed he could not recall details of his role in the production of the so-called Justice Department “torture memo” of August 2002 saying, “I don’t recall today whether I was in agreement with all the analysis, but I don’t have a disagreement with the conclusions then reached by the [Justice] department.”
Record: He actually chaired the meetings on this memo, which included detailed descriptions of interrogation techniques such as “waterboarding,” which involves strapping a detainee to a board, raising the feet above the head, wrapping the face and nose in a wet towel, and dripping water onto the head to produce an unbearable sensation of drowning. He raised no objections and gave CIA interrogators the legal blessings they sought.
Testimony: Gonzales declined repeated invitations to repudiate past administration assertions that the president has the authority to ignore anti-torture statutes on national security grounds.
Record: He advised President Bush in January 2002 that he had authority to exempt detainees from such protections as the Geneva Conventions.
Testimony: Gonzales said “it is appropriate to revisit” the Geneva Conventions. When questioned about whether U.S. personnel could legally engage in torture under any circumstances, Gonzales said: “I don’t believe so, but I’d want to get back to you on that and make sure I don’t provide a misleading answer.”
Record: A January 2002 draft memo signed by Gonzales stated that a “new paradigm” of a war on terrorism “renders obsolete Geneva’s strict limitations on questioning of enemy prisoners.”