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Lauer Challenges Bush on Torture, CIA Prisons

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Posted on Sep 11, 2006
Matt Lauer and President Bush
160

NBC host Matt Lauer confronts President Bush on a fundamental apparent inconsistency in his interrogation policy: If it’s legal, why are we doing it in secret CIA prisons abroad? Cornered, Bush doesn’t answer straight. Watch the fireworks.


Transcript via Crooks and Liars:

Matt Lauer: I don’t want to let this “within the law issue” slip though. I mean, if, in fact, there was water boarding used with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and for the viewers, that’s basically when you strap someone to a board and you make them feel as if they’re going to drown by putting them underwater, if that was legal and within the law, why couldn’t you do it at Guantanamo? Why did you have to go to a secret location around the world?

President Bush: I’m not going to talk about techniques. And, I’m not going explain to the enemy what we’re doing. All I’m telling you is that you’ve asked me whether or not we’re doing things to protect the American people, and I want the American people to know we are doing so.

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By Mike, September 14, 2006 at 3:54 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

George W. looks and acts like a ten year old who has to pee and is desperately afraid his daddy is going to catch him lying again.  He remembers the last time he was caught and daddy grabbed him by the ear and out behind the wood shed they went.  He remembers the blistering the leather strap left on his naked ass and now he will tell any lie to stay away from that strap. Matt, where was your strap?  You should have put him over your knee!

In fact, we all should purchase a strap just in case we ever run into him.  Then when we catch him in another lie, we should grab him by the ear, head for the shed, then blister his ass so bad he couldn’t sit down for a week!

That’s how I learned to stop lying!

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By Crystal, September 14, 2006 at 10:46 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I second R.A. Earl’s comment.
Donna, I’ve made better efforts on the john, than Bush in this post-9/11, post-non-capture of Bin Laden, post-Katrina, post-civil-liberties, post-2-party system country. I love my USA, the one that didn’t include our current president.
He’s a monkey in a man suit and not fit to be president. Let’s smarten up in November huh?

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By R. A. Earl, September 12, 2006 at 7:34 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Donna in #23010 wrote, in part “This all boils down to Good vs. Evil - GOOD ALWAYS PREVAILS - WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS!!!! I am VERY PROUD of President Bush.”

Donna, you’ve been watching far too many Hollywood westerns.

Your simple-minded, black-and-white view of the world and your Pollyannish attitude towards “authority” indicates a profound immaturity and lack of wisdom. I sure hope you’re the end of the line in your gene pool. Please don’t breed.

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By Hope, September 12, 2006 at 6:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

plain & simple, short & sweet. we’re fighting a war for oil, we’re getting killed for money, September 11th was a controlled demolition, & even if it wasn’t, it could’ve been prevented & wasn’t. what kind of idiots are running this country? george bush can fuck himself.

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By donna, September 12, 2006 at 4:25 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

How do you think that people who want to kill us would react to “questioning” knowing that was ALL we would do? Should’t we get ANY information out of them that we can while we have the chance in order to stop another 9/11, or something even more horrific? Don’t you know you are supposed to fight fire with fire? We CANNOT simply sit back and say to them “Aw, we are sorry that you don’t like us. What can we do to gain your favor?” This all boils down to Good vs. Evil - GOOD ALWAYS PREVAILS - WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS!!!! I am VERY PROUD of President Bush! He is NOT afraid to take a stand for the RIGHT thing and stay firm!! God bless President Bush and his efforts!!

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By thebigerns, September 12, 2006 at 4:01 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Repeatedly Bush claims that what was done was to protect us and our families. Is what was done the best way to protect our families, and why?

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By C Quil, September 12, 2006 at 9:11 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Yes, Bush got lawyers to say that torture is legal. You can always get someone to back the most horrendous policies.

But most lawyers not in the pay of the Bush cabal and blinded by their neo-conservative outlook wouldn’t back him up.

He’s a war criminal. He has broken the laws of his own country and violated international treaties. The end does not justify the means.

And he thinks that everyone listening to that is stupid.

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By ib, September 12, 2006 at 8:38 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Gee, maybe Lauer should have been given the Couric job.  He at least conducted an interview as oppose to the ‘Today Show’ fluff piece she did.

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By Darren Main, September 12, 2006 at 8:15 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“They’re coming after your family!” seems to be his new talking points.  Also, How exactaly does one adapt to water-boarding? Grow gills?

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By joey, September 12, 2006 at 7:47 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Bush AGAIN came very close to admitting that he broke the law NOT JUST ONCE but several times.
Soon we will have to get over the fact that we are a nation of laws. That seems to be following
our privacy and civil rights.

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By Chris M, September 12, 2006 at 6:30 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Bush performed worse on this interview than he did with Brian Williams in New Orleans. As usual, Bush gives half-baked answers or answers the question with a different answer from another question. No wonder most republicans are running away from him. I fear that if Democrats take control of either the House or the Senate (or both) than the political gridlock in D.C. will be even worse than it is now.

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By Jon B, September 12, 2006 at 5:09 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“Matt Lauer: The head of Amnesty International says secret sites are against international law.”

Bush often talked about rule of law in our civilized world. Didn’t he?

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By G. Anderson, September 12, 2006 at 1:16 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

When Matt Lauer confronts President Bush, then it’s clear that President is in deep, deep political trouble.

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