In his new book, up-front, and evidently unashamed, Mr. Bush tells us that he did indeed give the CIA the go-ahead to waterboard Khalid Sheikh Muhammad.
However, as the WaPo report goes on to note:
It's unlikely that he'll ever face prosecution. More's the pity.
Indeed. And as long as US leaders hold themselves above the reach of international law, and unaccountable to it, even as they hold the Saddam Husseins and Mahmud Ahmadinejads of the world strictly accountable to it - we can all expect more "terror"attacks on Americans both at home and abroad.
Bush recounts being asked by the CIA whether it could proceed with waterboarding Mohammed, who Bush said was suspected of knowing about still-pending terrorist plots against the United States. Bush writes that his reply was "Damn right"
However, as the WaPo report goes on to note:
The 26-year-old United Nations Convention Against Torture requires that all parties to it seek to enforce its provisions, even for acts committed elsewhere. That provision, known as universal jurisdiction, has been cited in the past by prosecutors in Spain and Belgium to justify investigations of acts by foreign officials. But no such trials have occurred in foreign courts.
It's unlikely that he'll ever face prosecution. More's the pity.
Tom Malinowski, the Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said, "Waterboarding is broadly seen by legal experts around the world as torture, and it is universally prosecutable as a crime. The fact that none of us expect any serious consequences from this admission is what is most interesting."
Indeed. And as long as US leaders hold themselves above the reach of international law, and unaccountable to it, even as they hold the Saddam Husseins and Mahmud Ahmadinejads of the world strictly accountable to it - we can all expect more "terror"attacks on Americans both at home and abroad.
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