June 23, 2004
SIDE BY SIDE HEADLINES
Memos detail debate on prisoners (By Bryan Bender and Charlie Savage, Globe Staff)In late 2002, the Pentagon approved a set of harsh interrogation techniques to be used on Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees, including threatening them with attack dogs, stripping them naked, and pushing, grabbing, and poking them, according to government documents released yesterday.
Militants behead hostage from S. Korea (By Robert H. Reid, Associated Press)
Islamic militants yesterday beheaded a South Korean who pleaded in a heart-wrenching videotape that "I don't want to die" after his government refused to pull its troops from Iraq. He was the third foreign hostage decapitated in the Middle East in little over a month.
It appears any hope of intelligent debate on the issue of prisoner treatment is fading fast. By taking the question right out of the realm of reality and throwing it into abstract, one-sided idealism, those targeting the Administration are ensuring many people will die unnecessarily.
Posted by Peter Burnet at June 23, 2004 3:01 PMIn all honesty, there will not be a debate because President Bush is in the process of caving to the Liberal Media like a whimpering little puss.
Actually he has plenty of allies and could let even Alan Dershowitz (of all people) run interference for him. But apparently he's decided to take Karl Rove's advice instead. This type of stuff is so ah... Clinton.
Also the "Geneva Convention", is now holy writ, regardless of who signed it or whether it's applicable in Iraq or not. So by all means lets punish the enlisted men and move on.
P.S. I noticed that Trent Lott defended the administration on this issue.
Take "on the issue of prisoner treatment" out of the first sentence and you'd still have a true statement.
The bright side is that Bush's approval rating is back over 50%
Posted by: MarkD at June 23, 2004 8:41 PMWhy did the SOUTH KOREAN plead for his life in ENGLISH?
Posted by: Bartman at June 23, 2004 9:04 PMBush doesn't have to get fussy with this issue: another few beheadings or another attack on the US and the obvious question is "do we let dogs threaten the prisoners, or do we let more Americans die?" Even the media and the Democratic leadership would stop pushing their nonsense, because 80%+ of the population would ask for the leashes themselves.
Posted by: jim hamlen at June 23, 2004 9:56 PM> another few beheadings or another attack on the
> US ... 80%+ of the population would ask for the
> leashes themselves.
Heck no, a bit more of this and the dogs won't have leashes.
Posted by: Kirk Parker at June 24, 2004 3:13 AMBartman: For the same reason that Palestinians protesting against Israel in the middle east carry signs in English. We are the indispensible country.
Posted by: David Cohen at June 24, 2004 7:38 AMKirk:
The military could always move up to razorbacks, like in "Hannibal".
Posted by: jim hamlen at June 24, 2004 12:37 PM