Typical for ABC News. Go ahead and trot out a picture (probably faked based on Brian Ross' record) to go along with a story from unnamed sources and provide NO verification of facts. Your efforts to terrorize the American public based on distortion and misrepresentation are clearly coordinated with Terrorsts. I hope you achieve your desired state of gratification the next time a few thousand Americans die as you seem to hope for.

You make me sick!

Has anyone taken a look at Khalid Sheikh Mohamed? The man should be tortured for his bad personal hygene. Yuck!

This is absolutely disgusting. To think that an American government would condone spying on it's own citizens, unlawfully detaining prisoners, torture those prisoners, and deliberately manipulate intelligence reports to conduct an invasion of a sovereign nation makes me absolutely sick.

To think this government would carry out these despicable acts in my name, supported with my tax dollars is revolting.

Throw the bums out. Every damn last one of them. Throw them out.

Gee Steve, if you hate it so much, there are many other countries out there -- pick one. I for one would rather have strong presidents focused on protecting our homeland and citizens (even the ones who don't like the "despicable acts" it takes to stop terrorists), than pandering politicians who care more about world PR than American safety.

Of course, there is another option to the war on terror - we can all convert to Islam. What part of world domination and death to all non-Muslims don't you understand?

[E]ucher,

Once upon a time, there were two documents called the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights (really one in the same, but passed separately). They were, in this mystical time, the sole basis for all law. These two documents were unique, as no other government in the world was based on the theory of individual liberties.

The first document provided for democratic elections, republican government, rule of law, separation of powers, and checks & balances. The second guarenteed the rights of all citizens to do anything that wasn't expressly forbidden by the Constitution or Federal statute; to speak out; to petition government; to assemble; to worship anything, everything, or nothing at all; to receive due process of law; to be secure from unlawful searches (i.e. without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation); and to even carry weapons in order that the government can be held in check. In this mystical past, the government worked. If the citizens were not satisfied with the government, they selected new leaders. Throughout these many years, there were a great many threats. Communist revolutionaries, powerful foreign enemies, plundering pirates, and a terrible, bloody civil war. Yet in each of these cases, the executive acted in order to curtail the threats, while still obeying the law. The United States survived these threats, and outlasted them.

Your US sounds like it has outlived the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I'm pretty ticked off about that! This is my country as much as it is your country as much as it is Steve's country. None of us is trying to start a coup. None of us is trying to get Hugo Chavez to become our president. The Constitution still has meaning in this country. Mr. Bush himself took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend that document above all else. There is no fine print saying, "except when there are monsters with rags on their heads living under the bed." Let us be serious! If we want to be protected by sacrificing all of our liberties, then we have given into fear, the goal of every terrorist there is. It is each and every one of our rights to say, "you know, the president is doing a horrible job...clean house!" It is each and every one of our rights to criticize our government. And, it is each and every one of our rights to demand that the president is subject to the rule of law.

The president is intentionally weak. Our system was created so that the executive would be weak. If you want a powerful president who "protects you," go to Iran. Better yet, go to North Korea - that way you don't even have to become Muslim.

At last we have a president that finishes what he says. We will all miss Bush once he leaves office. Without him our nation will be filled with terrorists, and maybe blown up already. I say we the people re-elect him. Believe me, we need him.

One question to answer is how do people end up in these prisions? I am not an expert on this by any means, but I can imagine that in our haste to find Osama and Co. we have rounded up many more innocent men (and as has been reported) children, than cold-blooded killers. It has been reported that there are teenage boys in Guantanamo Bay. How many of them are guilty of anything? We don't know because the government hasn't charged them with a crime. A guy in Afganistan was picked up, sent to over three of our gulag prisons, beaten, tortured and raped by US Soldiers with a broom handle, and then released with a piece of paper, a certificate, that he was "not a threat to the United States of America." His interogators told him that he was originally picked up him of being a terrorist because he was wearing a Casio digital watch, which could be fasioned to detonate bombs.

This man's story was printed in an issue of Harpers magazine last year. Maybe you say he's lying and that he's a part of a terrorist plot. But stories like his are common, and consitient, and they keep coming out. The CIA torture techniques do deep damage to the human psyche. We need to be more careful.

America, Love it or Fix it.

eucher, do you really believe that any of this makes us safer? There are lots of ways to prevent terrorist attacks, but making even moderate muslims sympathetic with the radical cause ISN'T one of them. Wouldn't it make more sense to ameliorate the conditions that are leading to that radicalization in the first place?

eucher,

I, too, would want a strong president. Problem is, Bush and Co., represent the weakest, as well as, worst, presidency in US history.

The moron itself has stated that Osama "hates our freedoms".

So, everytime Bush and Co. take away another of our freedoms, bin Laden and terrorists everywhere, win.

Everytime the moron itself (Bush&Co - our representatives on the world stage) participates in acts publically despised by bin Laden, terrorists win. (Read what bin Laden says. One of his justifications for "9-11" was the rendition process used by the US, amongst many other accusations)

and,

actually, the Koran never says a non-Muslim must convert. It states that non-Muslims are to be respected, as long as they do not attempt to change Muslims to another religion.

Simple, isn't it?

I agree eucher, I doubt these dangers are wiling to reveal plots of horrific death over brunch, sometimes you do what you have to do, all though I didnt vote for Bush on this matter I do agree

What good are new rules when we have an administration who thinks they are not required to obey the law?

The republicans have always scared easily. Always have been sissy's.Always have scared easily.

Bush knows how to scare them; Our brave Natl guard hero during the 60's. You either went into the army,drafted or joined, chancing going to viet nam or joined the guard or reserves to be "safe"

They bombed the trade center in 91' then 10 years later. They move at their pace.
no checking freight at airports, no border security, & soo many lies to scare these big sissys.
Get these sissys outta here!!

Please, Robert, fewer pronouns-- your post is completely incoherent.

I'm always amazed by the Left's outrage. They are appalled that the government listens in on the overseas phone calls of suspected terrorists, but where was their outrage when the Clinton administration tapped the phones of Catholic Cardinals and other religious leaders (because of their anti-abortion stance) and the oversease phone calls of foreign business (and then pass any information gleaned onto their American competitors)?

I love the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but since when do enemies of the United States receive the same rights and guarantees as a citizen of this country? The Bill of Rights are protections that American citizens have against thier government. The Bill of Rights are not protections that every body in the world have, especially enemies of the United States.

Bush makes us weaker. Hatred and torture will not make us stronger or free. Look at history. The downtrodden will always rise up, and torture never did anything but make people feel downtrodden. Bush is weak. Bush is weak.

Why are conservatives such cowards? Why are they so afraid of the world that at the first say so, they are happily willing to trade in 200+ years of american law and tradition in exchange for some phantom "security"?

The world will always be a dangerous place. The Constition has proven to be able to withstand the threats of the British, the Spanish, the Germans (twice), and Communism. Are you all so afraid of this Al Qaeda threat that you are willing to throw away ythe grand American experiment of the last two centuries?

Dispicible cowards the lot of you conservatives are.

If the President has committed a crime, then impeach him. That's how it works. Repeating he comitted a crime over and over again does not make it true (Plame-gate anyone?). And, as mentioned above, the constitution protects American citizens, no?

> face was covered
> with cellophane, and
> water is poured over it ...

Kids! Try this at home and with your friends. It's a great gag.

Many of you posting above are quite scary. You are the reason our founding fathers put so many checks and balances in our government. They understood how people overreact and can abuse others in the name of expediency or national defense.

Bush is one of the dumber Presidents and worst leaders we have ever seen. The history books will soon take a giant dump on him and his cohorts as they shred the US Constitution.

I am all in favor of a robust defense of our nation. I am in favor of tracking down those that mean us harm and stopping them prior to their mission accomplishment. I do not support us becoming just like the islamofascists who would slit all our throats. What is the point of fighting the war on terror if we are going to give up everything great about the United States of America?

Weak minded ones above talk tough and say we should torture and abuse whoever as the means to a noble end. It is the strong who say we should continue to respect the rule of law, decency and common humanity as we fight to bring our enemies to justice.

Our tortures, Abu Ghrab and other abuses do nothing but fuel terrorist rage. There are enough already. Why should we create more and destroy our rule of law?

Don't use words like fear and cowardice in this debate for one side or the other. Instead, just look at it rationally: if we continue these torture practices, more moderate Muslims will become radicalized. You can call this a PR move, but PR may be what wins this war.

Also, in response to an earlier post: my gov teacher always said Bush would never be impeached, because who want Cheney as president?

Commit a heinous crime... lose your freedom. Its actually rather simple.

i really think that Al Queda should not have done this to the american soldiers. i feel really bad for the american soldiers because they have to go through a lot of torture.

Hah! You call that torture? What the hell do you think is happening in some of these African and middle eastern countries. U.S. torture techniques are on the scale of boy scouts and sibling brothers.

hey y'all/......I did over 100 combat patrols in the sunni triangle....and what do you know....they liked me.....kind of weird....I just treated them like I would want to be treated.....gave the kids a great Xmas.....they loved it.....I would do it aghain.....

just as I thought...no guts.....who is runnig this show anyway???!!! ....some wanabe loser.....go post what I said....or enlist....oh....I also know somebody that was in the
Batan death march.....and he still marches every day......so post it.....

Dan: Yes, that is pretty much how it's supposed to work. That's what prisons are for. But in this case, it's more like "Be accused of a hideous crime or just look like someone who might do one, loose your freedom, be tortured, and never see the light of day or even a courtroom again."

LaRift: That's like saying that someone with multiple broken bones shouldn't be in pain because he wasn't boiled in acid instead. Yes, there are degrees of fear and pain, but it doesn't matter how the point of 'more than a person can take' is reached, it feels the same _at the time_. Trust me... I've had my own 'worst pain imaginable' value go up several times until a 48 hour natural childbirth has now been demoted to 'eh, no big deal' and gets only a 7 on my 1-10 pain scale. But at the time it happened, I would have done absolutely anything to make it stop. Which brings to mind the other important point -- when someone is in pain they will say _whatever_ the people causing the pain want to hear, whether or not it's the truth. They'll say they're guilty, that their mother is a terrorist, that they personally witnessed any name you want to mention sitting down to a breakfast of deep-fried babies... whatever you want them to. Which rather makes the 'information' obtained via torture completely unreliable.

As to the "bad guys do it, so why shouldn't we?" argument, there's a simple answer: Because we're not _supposed_ to be the bad guys, damn it. If we're not better than them, then why the hell are they the enemy?

You Americans are sickening.

I am a conservative. I am sick and tired of you liberal, pansy, white flag idiots who would surrender if given the chance. Let's just have another civil war and be done with it. We know who would win, because we have all the guns.

Torture is wrong.

The weak minded president who was asleep at the wheel & totally ignored the threat from Osama has taken a proud nation who did not need to torture and were ruled by the constitution and bill of rights and given into terrorists. He and his conversatives have given the terrorists EXACTLY what they wanted. He has made us change into a nation that routinely tortures and cannot keep our word regarding the Geneva Convention.

Why is Bush and his conservatives so weak? Every other president has been able to handle any other threat or foe who came our way. But not Bush and his weaklings. They have to hand the terrorists a tremendous victory.

We are less safe now and we are clearly losing bush's supposed "war on terror". The conversatives we sold a bill of goods by a weak man because they are also weak.

His legacy will be one of making our country less safe.

This is simple. All of you that do not like US policy you have two choices: 1) Get rid of your leaders through voting...and that means your local idiots because they virtually voted unanimously for the war (for good reasons at the time)OR GET THE HELL OUT...seriously, I am sick of each and every one of you whining your asses off about everything going on...DO SOMETHING!! Put up or shut up. This is not a Bush thing or a Cheney thing...this is a YOU thing. What you believe is only important if you do something about it and your choiced are above...SHUT UP.

When the United States turns to torture of prisoners we have already turned ourselves to the countries and people we have come to despise and hate. Personally I do not condone such action even if it may lead to my own death!

You may have the guns but your afraid to use them! Chaney, Draft Dodger, Bush, AWOL from National Guard so he could drink and dope out! Republican Congress has less than 15% that have served in the military! What are you going to do with the guns?

oh, boo hoo, my freedoms are gone...pleeease don't pour water on the terrorists...lol...

why is getting intel from a terrorist by kicking him such a big deal? Anyone? Please don't tell me that America has turned into a big bunch of wimps...

Being in the military, I find it disheartening to see a small percentage of the American public and our political leaders attempting to place a "blanket ban" on all torture methods. What we're dealing with is not conventional warfare. We are facing an enemy that is willing to sacrifice their own lives to see our imminent destruction. They don't abide by the laws of war outlined in the Geneva Convention and have no regards to the innocent lives of their own citizens. At what point are we, as America, going to develop a spine and come to the realization that when dealing with such a radical group, radical measures are needed to better improve the safety of myself and other soldiers serving our country overseas ensuring the safety of Americans on the homefront. By openly rejecting any proposed plan of effective interrogation, you have willingly doomed the lives of American soldiers, our allies serving alongside us, and innocent Iraqi civilians that could have otherwise been saved with the information gathered from these interrogations. I thank all of you who have rejected these interrogation plans. You have compromised my safety, and ultimately my life and the lives of everyone I serve with, for the sake of a terrorist's life. The next time you even contemplate about referring to yourself as an American, let alone a Patriot, please, do us all a favor and spare us the lie.

Nicely put Jacob. I for one would like to thank you for your service to OUR country, and appreciate your (and your family's sacrifice). It makes me shudder to think how weak some in this nation our...can you imagine the NY Times of now reporting on D-Day...it would have been a disaster...or Iwo Jima....my God FDR would have been hung that very afternoon.
War causes sacrifice and clearly the left in this country has no stomach for what it takes to keep them "safe and comfortable".
I'm at least grateful for having a President that at least has some idea of the enemy we are up against...Clinton just closed his eyes as we were attacked numberous times during his tenure.
For those that wish to close their eyes to that then do so but what is amazing his he didn't even see the war was upon us after the USS Cole was attacked. Excuse me but a attack on a warship is by definietion a act of war. I believe Pearl Harbor would be a good example.
Thank you for your service...some here do appreciate it.

Any way you read the Geneva Conventions, We are breaking them and deserve to be tried for War Crimes.
an example of this very thing when a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, was tried in 1947 for carrying out a form of waterboarding on a U.S. civilian during World War II, and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

So this is going to be a different point of view, since I am not Americian. Americian cirtizens need to sit back for a moment and see what the rest of the world thinks of them. Americians people for the most part are great people. Just like any other person, however they are given a bad name because of the powers that lead the country. Americians, as a nation are hated by many many many people. It's because of your big bully attitude and lack of education about the rest of the world. Americians are nothing but sheep that are led around and tought to beleive whatever stuff they are told.

idiots, we don't descend to their level, just because the 'terrorists' are breaching conventions doesn't mean we have to as well.

Thank you for your service Jacob. You are a great American. Unfortunately the biggest threat to your safety right now is the blind hatred that some people have of our President. They silently smirk when one of our brave troops is harmed, killed, or captured because they know it hurts the President politically.

The depths to which they will sink to ensure that terrorists succeed (inluding lobbying for a ban on successful interrogation techniques) sickens me. I'm glad that we are winning the war on terror despite the obstacles liberals put in the way.

I'm saddened and frightened that journalists at ABC would rather see me dead than allow us to do our job.

Any american who condones torture is a coward.

Americans are cowards, as evidenced by the first comment, the author of which is a torture apologist.

It is no surprise that American troops and police resort to torture, as it is well documented that their prison state uses torture to coerce confessions from criminals in their homeland.

FYI - the picture above was taken during a training session to help US military members cope & resist enemy interrogations.

As I see it, the real difficulty here is the inability to accurately define torture (same problem we have with terrorism). Everyone seems to have a different idea of what is unbearable or physical pain (or, even more vague, "emotional distress).

For many, having a woman conduct the interrogation would be "unbearable" while for others, the inability to "tough out" a cold night in a cell only proves a lack of moral fortitude.

The object of "Coherced Interegation" or Torture in another name is to obtain verifiable intelligence. If the intelligence can not be verified thats too bad but necessary to Security. Therefore it would seem there are no limits to "Coherced Interegation". The Trump Card will always be Security!Constitution is irrevelant even for U.S. citizens.

Jacob, thanks for your service, but don't put your sob story on me. I spent 9 years in the Army myself and still have the moral conscience to object to torture. How can you qualify torture anyway? Saving one life is worth waterboarding? 100? 10,000? What would you be willing to do, or (more cowardly) have someone else do, to save the lives of 10 million people? Slowly dissecting the terrorist alive? And if that didn't work? What if he begs to be martyred? If torture makes you "tough" and able to better protect your country, making you more "patriotic" in the process, then why stop at waterboarding? That seems pretty weak to me. Why not attack his family? Why not rape a 6 month old baby in front of his face? Where exactly is the limit? Apparently you have none, or any morals for that matter. Wake the hell up.

Bush & his puppeteer "Angry Torturing Waterboarding Dick" are nothing but War Criminals to be dealt w/ later.

The ones who will be actually held accountable for their current/past illegal activities are our own military men & women who are captured POW's in future conflicts. This is exactly why the Geneva Convention laws against torture were signed and ratified by our own government in the past.

War Criminals=The Bush-it Administration. Cowardly War Criminals.

This very dangerous nuclear usa made dictator in front of a well painting
picture of herself, do not help the war
against terror by just killing and torture people, who fallow the rule of law.

The Congress declined to outlaw waterboarding.

It is not clear whether the Congress could outlaw an interrogation technique without transgressing the President's power as commander in chief.

Neither the Bill of Rights nor the Constitution addresses the issues of interrogation techniques or outlaws "torture" -- the word is not used in either.

There are obvious moral questions, such as whether we as a nation should condone the use of waterboarding or other coercive techniques if it elicit information that could prevent another World Trade Center, with its slaughter of 3,000 innocent people.

Omg. And you know what' ssad the ppl who are all for this... saying that this article is a fake... look at what the US Gov has actually admitted to! They freakin' destroyed tapes of the CIA torturing accused terrorists.

Apparently this government does not believe in Innocent until proven Guilty.

Did you know that Torturing a person to get any kind of confession is COERSION?! That ppl, under extreme duress, would willingly admit to having killed their family if it meant that pain whether physical, emotional or psychological would end?!

Yea... ban those techniques in America... like they even care what happens in Iraq or any other war thats not in their home land.

It is obvious that it's illegal under international law. Any info you could get with these techniques would be shaky at best seeing as how one would say anything to have such pain stop. And to the people who say that it's not torture as the person cannot possibly die while being water boarded, that is nonsense. Death is rather not uncommon while waterboarding. If you people are ok with this then, fine. Be the kind of people that torture but what is there to defend about your country if there isn't the lofty ideals? Soil?

This honestly just makes me sympathize with my fellow Muslims UNLESS they are proven guilty as terrorists. IF they are not, you are simply enflaming anti-western sentiments.

I would have used all of those devices to obtain confessions. They all sound good to me! I can't believe anyone would vote against them? Mock executions? What's wrong with that? Dogs are highly useful, even if they have no active part, you can always tell them the dogs are trained to sniff out a lie based on the physiological responses of the body that occur when lying. Then just teach the dog to bark, that ain't so hard. Harmless, right? I think so.

I just wonder how many American soldiers lives were saved by getting the information? No one will ever know. I suggestion to those few or many read a book or two about the what happen to our Men when caputred, in WWI - WWII, Korea and Veitnam, it will open your eyes. God help our men if caputred by the insurgents, not one has survived.

Too many leftist socialist in America...she is gonna sink I'm afraid

Eucher says:

"Of course, there is another option to the war on terror - we can all convert to Islam. What part of world domination and death to all non-Muslims don't you understand?"

Eucher:

Sir, Islam does not teach "death and domination to all non-Muslims." Quite frankly, your misinterpretation of Islam to justify someone that you support doing whatever they like whenever they like is no better than a terrorist who claims that Allah, Islam, or The Koran teaches "death and domination to all non-Muslims."

Both are blatant misinterpretations of an entire religion that happens to be just as complex as Christianity.

I am proud to be an American and even more proud to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, however I will not support anyone and anything who suggests that the Muslim faith is all about hatred. I for one am educated enough to know better.

Disclaimer:

I am actually the kind of person who supports the proverbial suggestion that drastic times call for drastic measures, therefore I support all of the aforementioned means of interrogation. If you do the crime; you must do the time. However, I do feel that those who are performing the interrogation must first be free of wrongdoing themselves!

Jefferson warned of this... OVER 180 YEARS AGO!!

"In every government on earth is some trace of human weakness, some germ of corruption and degeneracy, which cunning will discover, and wickedness insensibly open, cultivate and improve."
--Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia, 1782.

our governmant has fallen ill tto this.

"When wrongs are pressed because it is believed they will be borne, resistance becomes morality." --Thomas Jefferson M.
deStael, 1807.

...and this

"Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people."
--Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1816.

who does the cia answer to? not the people. who does the supreme court answer to? NOT THE PEOPLE.

"I know no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power." --Thomas Jefferson to William C. Jarvis,
1820.

YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN STRIPPING YOUR RIGHTS, NOT TO INSURE YOUR SAFTEY, BUT BECAUSE THE ELETISTS (DEM AND REP ALIKE) FEEL THAT YOU ARE TOO STUPID TO GOVERN YOURSELVES...AND THEY LIKE IT THAT WAY.

I understand that everyone feels that this type of torture is cruel. Just a couple of things to ponder:
1) How many innocent people died on 9/11/01?
2)How many public beheadings where posted by the enemies television system?
3)How many American prisoners of war died during interrogation during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam?

As much as I have mixed feelings for this type of torture - mainly because I do not want it done to me - it has SAVED many, many innocent american lives. People we are at war, they drew first blood on our soil. Diplomacy does not fair well with the kind of enemy that continues to assassinate their own people - and be rewarded as heros. This is a completely different kind of war than any our country has experienced. To have all of the political punditsa and candidates bad mouth, lambast, and disrespect our President is just wrong, and it sends a terrible message to the enemy. I can't help but wonder if anyone else was President, would they take the same measures or even more extreme measures. The Congress and the Senate has consistantly cut back on the Defense funding - while voting themselves pay increases - and has our military personell at a low. Thus the need to send over the "National Guard." If we all, as voting americans get on our elected officials to raise the funding and pay for the military the "National" Guard would be protecting our Nation, here on the land of the United States, instead of defending our rights on foreign land - which by the way leaves us extremely vurnerable. Just my 2 cents...

All I can say is I'm sorry they didn't start cutting off parts one joint at a time.

I'm sure the dead Americans/others that had their heads cut off with a dull machete feel sorry for them.

Hell if the CIA needs someone to do some of this , look me up!

I have no remorse or compassion for someone that can kill because their "religion" says it should be done.

How can anyone believe that a supreme omnipotent being would call for mass killing? A being that should know that it is useless and would only bring more harm to its followers,than good.

And Raymond the point is to kill them over there where they live , not here where yuor and my children live.
Do you want to sit here and find out your child's bus was bombed?
Fear for your life drivin to work , worrying if a rpg will come thru the windshield?
I'm no "W" fan by any means , but going over there makes far more sense than sitting here waiting for another 9/11

I think it's terrible that other counties can do what ever they want (as far as torture). But we being the good 'ol USA. Always follow the geneva code. And if we don't, there's always some snitch ratting someone off. We here in the US are just to nice, always playing by the rules, yet every other country throw the rule book out the window. War is war, I say do what ever you have to do, to accomplish the goal. What ever that goal may be. Believe me if we don't do it, they (enemy) will. That's for sure.

Lets be safe, lets give up. We can build another trade center. And what's 3000 lives, we have 300 million more. Pour water on an enemy to the point he/she gags. Goodness gracious, that's horrible. Again, we certainly don't need the enemy's info cause another small loss of life is insignificant. Who really cares? This whole war thing is probably just a staged exercise anyway. A few injured or dead troops, who cares? We have lots more people. Lets put the taliban back in power......those are people who really know how to take care of business. Support our President, Support our Troops. Denounce those who would weaken us in the face of our enemy.

I understand partisan hatred of Clinton or Bush or whoever. However, i think it is pretty distasteful for these folks that say somehow terrorist is somehow George Bush's fault. It preceded him. It preceded Clinton. It's been around for hundreds of years in different forms.

Im sure the responses from many of the people oppossed to the means in which our Govt protects our citizens, would be quite different if the date were 9/12/01 instead of 12/11/07. People, it has only been 6 years since we lost 3000 plus innocent Americans to the same people that today you choose to try to protect. When a country is at war, and we are at war, it is our duty to support our troops, and our president. Anything less would be terribly wrong and many argue, treason. Soldiers in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East, many didn't choose to be there. Many may not even believe in the war at all, but, they are putting their lives on the line every day. Give them your support and respect. Even if you dont believe in why they are there. They have earned it.

Aren't we missing an important point? 'Do unto others a you would have done unto yourself', 'an eye for an eye etc.'

Don't complain when you get drafted, captured and waterboarded folks!

This is no 'War on Terror' it is a 'War of Terror'!

I'm thumbing the next UFO out of here (-;

I suppose those against the acceptable methods of gathering information from prisoners fail to realize that our agents never cut the heads off of citizens of other countries and brag about it on television.

I personally don't understand how anyone could think that something so precious as life is not worth saving.

You people who would rather see more deaths than have someone who would not think twice about killing experience temporary discomfort are either very sick or extremely ignorant.

Tell you what, why not see for yourself how nice your country is? Get yourself captured by a terrorist group and see if they keep you comfortable during your stay.

This country is going down the tubes and fast due primarily to a leftist mentality. Why tie the hands of the military, CIA and Law Enforcement??? If waterboarding works... and from what I see and read it indeed works... why limit its use... we should be increasing its use. The cia and law enforcement has to get information... it helps us immensly. They should not have to give information or videos to anyone. Twist their arms, pull their fingernails... hammer their toes and yes use waterboarding... get the answers we need and act on this information. I also feel that local law enforcement officers should also use this wonderful technique on all convicted drug dealers to get the suppliers names... all the way to the top... when are we going to win the war... lets get tough and let the faucets run... AMEN

Excuse me if I don't shed a tear for Khlaid Sheikh Mohammed, two and one half minutes and he talked, and it saved lives. What about the thousands who have died at the hands of these freedom hating radical Muslims. Maby we should politely ask the terrorist for information in the future, or let the left wing tree hugging liberal morons ask. This whole be nice to the terrorist thing sickens me.

hmm... lets see, a terrorist tortured or an American killed, idk about you but i honestly could careless for any waterboarded terrorist, thats just my opinion. i mean c'mon hes been proven to be a terrorist. better him then an American soldier fighting for what is right.

"I love the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, but since when do enemies of the United States receive the same rights and guarantees as a citizen of this country? The Bill of Rights are protections that American citizens have against thier government. The Bill of Rights are not protections that every body in the world have, especially enemies of the United States."

Which is more glaring here... the ignorance or the arrogance. They both seem to be present in equal quantity.

The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are all predicated on the sentiments expressed in the Delclaration of Independance. Namely, that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

In otherwords, it is because we believe that ALL MEN are created equal and have these rights that we decide to form a nation of peoples wherein these rights that are endowed TO ALL MEN can be respected and upheld.

It is simple logic here, and many conservatives, like the idiot who posted the quote above, don't possess the ability to grasp it!

A post by Steve on September 6, 2006(This is absolutely disgusting. To think that an American government would condone spying on it's own citizens, unlawfully detaining prisoners, torture those prisoners, and deliberately manipulate intelligence reports to conduct an invasion of a sovereign nation makes me absolutely sick)
Just maybe Steve is willing to accept responsibility for one of the detainees and take him home. Wonder how
well Steve would sleep at night? Torture is not being uncomfortable for a
period of time. Torture is being physically abused to the point,up to and including death.

Well, I was reading all those posts here. You U.S. guys better get back to normal(next election) Treat your neighbors with respect and they will treat you with respect too. Do not force other Cultures, Countries to adapt your democratic and religious system.Please use your little something left in your Head why things happening and especially who get the benefits. Hint: It's all about Money and Power it doesn't matter how many innocent kids get murdered.
For me, as a World Traveler(business) I wear nowadays a sticker showing my Nationality because I don't wanna be considered as an U.S. guy and get into trouble.
Please don't get me wrong, Nobody has a problem with you guys but the rest of the World has a Problem with the U.S.
Last Word: You have Internet, right!? Get yourself informed by other sources outside the U.S....I know you speak only one Language, No Problem! Their are also sites in English or you use a free translation service...
Stand up! and do something for YOUR country.

I for one think that there's not enough going on to keep this country safe I say look at all phone calls going in and out of the U.S. I say if they find one of these terroist or there sister's or there brothers and they have information to bring these people down and they don't give the info up then they should use any and all means possible to get it. They can listen to all my calls read all my e-mails if that what it takes to keep the people of the U.S. safe then so be it. Thats the problem we have to many panty wastes running this country. They killed thousands of people that never hurt anyone on 9/11. When the japanese bomb pearl the U.S. Our country did not stop till we put them on there knees and stopped the threat and thats what should be done now. Quit fooling around and kill these animals

Response to Andrew E | Sep 7, 2006 1:02:40 AM.
You say; without Bush the country will be overrun with terrorists and the people need to reelect him? Are you crazy?
Bush is the reason we are in all this trouble.
We need a President who can fix the damage Bush has done.

I'm an ex-interrogator for the U.S. Army. My fellow soldiers were stationed at "Gitmo" (Guantanamo). I worked in Serbia as the head of interrogation for the military holding facility. I'll tell you that in order to end up in Gitmo, there would have to be multiple sources that led to your detainement. I've personally been involved with the collection of intelligence that seemed critical and required immediate action, but the General wouldn't move on it until my intelligence was verified by multiple sources (CIA, foreign intel, NSA, FBI, J2, etc.) One of my most exciting missions (and I won't post details) involved the detering of an insurgent group from bombing a U.S. facility. My intel alone didn't mean squat until the CIA showed up with a few sources of their own and the NSA provided some intel that supported my source. Once we had 3-5 sources of intel, we were able to finally act and did recover explosive devices and detain multiple individuals suspected of involvement. Granted, two of the individuals detained turned out to have nothing to do with the plot, so we let them go after sweating it out in a Serbian prison for 30 days (that's how long it took to find out they had nothing to do with the plot). But we did catch the "Mastermind". The intelligence process works. There are situations where people are inconvenienced for extended periods of time, but we ensured that they all were healthy and unharmed during detainment, which is more than I can say for those who hold American hostages (beheading, beating, etc). The way we ran the detention and interrogation process, we looked like heros once the two suspects were released, and one of them even became a source. The same consideration for humanity was practiced by all of the intel personnel I worked with (Army, CIA, NSA, DIA, J2), so I expect that most intel personnel a