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George W. Bush: I'd Waterboard 9/11 Mastermind Again 'To Save Lives'

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Former President George W. Bush defended waterboarding of the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, saying he would do it all over again if the interrogation technique saved lives.

Bush, in a candid appearance Wednesday night before the Economic Club of Grand Rapids, said "yeah, we waterboarded Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed. I'd do it again to save lives," the Grand Rapids Press reported.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is awaiting federal trial on his behind-the-scenes role in 9/11, was reportedly waterboarded 183 times while in captivity in March 2003. The technique, simulating drowning, is regarded as torture by many critics and human rights advocates.
Former President George W. BushOn the Iraq war and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, Bush said that "getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do and the world is a better place without him."

He also talked about the importance of prayer during his eight years in the White House. "I prayed a lot," he said. "I prayed before every major speech. I prayed before the debates."

During a question and answer session at the club, he declined to criticize his successor, Barack Obama. "You are not going to see me in the public square criticizing the president," Bush said, according to Politico.

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weathwoods

Why didn't Bush go to Vietnam when his country called? Some hero. It's too bad he wasn't forced to face Saddam Hussein in an arena, gladiator style.

June 17 2010 at 2:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
nailerno1

I welcome the review but question the timing. I wonder who determins what is acceptable and what is not especially after hearing the tone from writers and editors during the past administration. What we continued to hear during the Bush years what a right to free speach. Now censorship comes by calling what was termed "Loyal opposition" a few years ago to "hate speach" now. Same hat, different head.

June 14 2010 at 8:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Fearless Leader

THE HEARD 1969 here are some FACTS for you. In the Iran/Iraq war we supported/supplied IRAQ, you know evil Saddam, Google those pics of Rumsfeld/cheney/G HW Bush, with their arms aroundhim, WE trained his troops in using chem weapons and provided the technologies to manufacture them. Also check timeline between Kurds being gassed and W's invasion, as for holding foreign nationals hostage, that cabdriver from Baghdad was innocent of anything but spent years at the club dread in guantanamo, as did others. As for invading those that create environmental disasters, do we invade UK or does mexico get to invade us? The charge of plotting to kill a US president is absurd in light of the facts that teachers in Alabama USA use presidential assassination to demonstrate trigonometry, and somewhere within the confines of our illustrous leadership there are contingency plans to eliminate every leader friend or foe whether set in motion or not they exist. Self delusion must be very powerful.

June 12 2010 at 12:22 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
ellingt5

We miss your great leadership. Thank you for keeping us safe.

June 11 2010 at 10:59 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
tex52wm

lets see..cut off heads or waterboarding...you decide

June 11 2010 at 10:46 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
alohafidlr

We prosecuted Japanese soldiers after WW II for waterboarding American prisoners of war. If it was torture then, it's torture now. And we learned nothing from waterboarding Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Shame on George Bush! And shame on those who defend his criminal acts that endanger our soldiers.

June 10 2010 at 7:13 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
phipit

nice way for right wingers to ignore that our TOP military commanders have stated that waterboareding does not work.

June 10 2010 at 6:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
halfmoon

Ex-President Bush is a "Class Act." Obama constantly criticizes Bush's policies and is a finger pointing president..The class that both Bush preidencies display are obviously a thing of the past..The "Hope and Change" rhetoric is now to blame everyone else for problems..

President Bush never blamed Clinton for the problems we now face with the North Koreans ! He inatructed Madame Albright to give Kim whatever he wanted..He never blamed president Clinton for dismissing the opportunity to have Bin Laden's head on a platter..He won;t blame Obama for inaction on the gulf oil crisis for 35 days while the coast line was being destroyed !

We will miss the "Bush" leadership for years to come and the changes being forced upon us now will take a decade to eradicate..We will determine the next president's "gravitas" by the way he takes control of the country or whether "finger pointing" is the latest rage....

June 09 2010 at 12:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Deborah

It just goes to show you what a class act president Bush is and how he defended his people Vis a vis the president who slanders , blames and takes no responsibility beyond speechifying lip service for the mess he's unable to get us out of. Buch would never apologize to the world for us and GOD bless him for that. it's a shame we have a weak, ineffectual, professor handed over the checkbook for this country and allow it to be run by his ideological left wing radicals while he bows and scrape to Paul McCartney. It is shameful he allowed Mccartney to disrespect the office of President when he made milions on the pople of the USa. I think we should Boycott his music beter yet send him to LA and let Arizone the Patriots cut him off with the electricity. Thhis is a shameful bunch they dance while the gulf gets destroyed. DEB

June 09 2010 at 7:16 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
punnster

Surfers endure more suffering from water than those being water boarded yet they keep going back for more. If it would prevent just one of our troops from just a scratch, they could water board me.

June 08 2010 at 5:58 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to punnster's comment
Fearless Leader

What do you know about surfing? Obviously nothing. How about we prevent unnecessary harm to our brothers in arms by NOT starting pointless conflicts? Though I think if you were waterboarded just once, you would cease justifying torture. On the beheading, when the French started this in 1600's it was considered humane as there is no suffering supposedly. People will justify anything to absolve themselves from guilt.

June 12 2010 at 11:33 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply

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