Did Bush Really Admit to Waterboarding?

Image licensed under Creative Commons by Muhammad Adnan Asim

Did our current and 43rd President of the USA just publically admit to waterboarding US detainees and prisoners? If we heard correctly, then he just admitted to the use of torture on some - if not all - of these individuals. The very first sentence in the Wikipedia article regarding waterboarding is its definition as torture. We know the Wikipedia has been criticized for its use of consensus in its content, but the article on waterboarding gives something like 140 references linking waterboarding to torture in one form or another. True, not all of these are direct links and their reliability needs to be verified independently, but a strong case could be made that the outgoing and current administration has just publicly admitted to the use of torture.

President-elect Barack Obama has so far been mum on the topic of prosecution and punishment for this alleged crime. Now, with an open admission on the subject by the leader of the free world, the next leader seems to be left with little choice. Of course, he could leave that decision up to the incoming Atorney General or even a lower official or court. With the closure of Gitmo imminent, the detainees themselves might even file legal complaints regarding the alleged abuses. Or possibly some rights group(s) (Amnesty International, the ACLU and so on...) might even be filing legal claims against the outgoing administration.

We hate to say it, but what if the World Court in the Hague steps in (steps up?) and seizes Bush and Cheney and bring them to justice? Will we have a new precedent set? Wasn't Mr. Bush concerned with any of these potential consequences? What on earth prompted him to even make such a statement during his last press conference? Does he really see himself as some untouchable being whose judgement cannot - indeed, must not - be questioned by any other living being or body on the face of the earth? Or, does he see himself as some heroic figure, prepared to face any legal consequences that may be forthcoming? Of course, the Secret Service and other government organizations stand at the ready to protect our current leadership even after they are out of office. But, how far can this protection extend? Or, as we have said before, does he live in a Solipsist Nimbus? We wonder.

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