Today's Q for O

The president was flat out wrong about Churchill. The British most certainly tortured prisoners in WWII. He is as bad as Clinton. He makes up history, distorts information, hides information that might contradict him and endangers all of us in the process.

Actually, the President answered the question in his first few lines, that is, if you can reason from A to B. Why did Tapper feel the need to repeat the question again?

Oops I waterboarded again..

Churchill and torture:
The Guardian published an article in 2005 the alleged torture of German prisoners in the "London Cage" between 1940 and 1948.

The paper described the facility as a "torture centre" and quotes one detainee -- an SS officer -- alleging "that he was doused in cold water, pushed down stairs, and beaten with a cudgel. Later, he says, he was forced to stand beside a large gas stove with all its rings lit before being confined in a shower which sprayed extremely cold water from the sides as well as from above. Finally, the SS man says, he and another prisoner were taken into the gardens behind the mansions, where they were forced to run in circles while carrying heavy logs."

The Guardian 2005:

The London Cage was used partly as a torture centre, inside which large numbers of German officers and soldiers were subjected to systematic ill-treatment. In total 3,573 men passed through the Cage, and more than 1,000 were persuaded to give statements about war crimes. The brutality did not end with the war, moreover: a number of German civilians joined the servicemen who were interrogated there up to 1948.
======================================
The Guardian says the British did torture and very thoroughly, at that.

Is the president confident that he wants to follow the British example?

Harry "The Buck Stops Here" Truman was taking responsibility as a leader.

Barack "The One" Obama blames, whines, lies, and deflects.

"But I don't recall anyone ever accusing ol' Harry S. of narcissism though."

Me either. But I'm not the first to claim BO is a narcissist.

Truman, you know, the 'The Buck Stops Here' guy. For him the presidency was a strictly one man show. But I don't recall anyone ever accusing ol' Harry S. of narcissism though.

Kudos to Jake for the follow-up question after Obama's filibuster answer. I did not watch the press conference in its entirety (there is already enough 'Bama in my life, thank you), but from what I saw Jake was the only correspondent to press Obama for a direct answer (which, from my perspective, was not provided).

"How far back are you recalling? Read some Truman speeches."

I'm a little fuzzy on Truman's speeches. Anything specific you'd like to share?

Why weren't there any follow ups? Why didn't he differentiate between "torture" and "harsh interrogation"? If you ban both, you're questioning politely, and giving Miranda rights. You're fighting terrorism while giving terrorists the "right to remain silent."

This is crazy, but this is what the American people have voted for. This is what they want.

"I can't recall a President ever making the Office the Presidency "about him" as much as Obama has:..."

How far back are you recalling? Read some Truman speeches.

I can't recall a President ever making the Office the Presidency "about him" as much as Obama has:

"I'm grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old."

"I inherited this mess."

"I don't want to run automotive companies."

“I don’t want to run auto companies.”

“I don’t want to run banks."

"I have got two wars I gotta run."

"I’ve got more than enough to do.”

Strikes me as a bit narcissistic and self-absorbed. Perhaphs the Office of the Presidency is a special case, but it strikes me that the great leaders I've come across in my life don't have a problem with using the term "we" every now and then. I also find it interesting that he talks about all these things on his plate when (a.) he has spent most of his time in office in "campaign mode" (in addition to criss-crossing the country and hanging out with Jay Leno, he has given more prime-time news conferences (three) in his first 100 days than Bill Clinton did in his first four years, and (b.) he has "outsourced" all drafting of legislation to Pelosi and Reid.

"There is no way the U.S. is going to deliver 4%+ growth next year, and it is already clear it will not."

AGREED - This rate of projected growth simply will not happen - The administration is at best incompetent, and at worst dishonest, in assuming this level of economic growth in their projections.

"Now, how is the President going to make up the shortfall? Or, is he just going to let the deficit and overall debt go higher?"

I'll put my money on the latter...what does he care?

I am absolutely convinced it was the right thing to do, not because there might not have been information that was yielded by these various detainees who were subjected to this treatment, but because we could have gotten this information in other ways, in ways that were consistent with our values, in ways that were consistent with who we are.

The follow up question that no one has yet asked is: "Mr. President, just for the record, you you name one or two of those 'other ways' we could have gotten that information?"

WH Q for 4/30th-

"Mr. President, you ordered the military to use lethal force on 3 Somali pirates that threatened the life of a single American citizen, ending in their deaths (without trial).Why do you place more value on the life of a terrorist who knows of an impending attack on America that may result in the deaths of thousands of Americans?"

Can you ask the President this question-
"If you believe these enhanced interrogation methods were indeed 'torture' and therefore immoral,
was dropping the atomic bombs on Japan immoral? Was it 'torture', or worse?"

And the follow up-
"The rationale for using the atomic bomb has been described as 'ending lives to save many more lives in the future to end the war'.Will you also condemn those acts, as your former 'mentor'Rev Wright has done?
Why won't you apologize to Japan for America's action then?

"I am absolutely convinced it was the right thing to do, not because there might not have been information that was yielded by these various detainees who were subjected to this treatment, but because we could have gotten this information in other ways, in ways that were consistent with our values, in ways that were consistent with who we are."

Here's the folow-up question that I have yet to hear anyone ask: "Mr. President, just for record, could you name one or two of those 'other ways' we could have gotten this information?"

Jake,

Please...ask the President if he will condemn Clinton admin officials for 'outsourcing' torture to 3rd countries during the Clinton 'rendition' program,and, will he recommend a special prosecutor to determine if US law was violated?

Jake,

Can you please ask the President how his budget numbers square with the falling rate of the US economic output?
There is no way the U.S. is going to deliver 4%+ growth next year, and it is already clear it will not.
Now, how is the President going to make up the shortfall? Or, is he just going to let the deficit and overall debt go higher?

"And that's why I put an end to these practices."

Waterboarding was already abandoned several years ago.