Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The Dick Cheney talking point that torture saved American lives is refuted by a military interrogator who saw the result first hand.

A 14-year military interrogator has undercut one of the key arguments posited by Vice President Dick Cheney in favor of the Bush Administration’s torture techniques and alleged that the use of torture has cost “hundreds if not thousands” of American lives.

The interrogator, who uses the name “Matthew Alexander,” says he oversaw more than 1,000 interrogations, conducting more than 300 in Iraq personally. His statements are captured in a new video by Brave New Films (below).

“Torture does not save lives,” Alexander said in his interview. “And the reason why is that our enemies use it, number one, as a recruiting tool…These same foreign fighters who came to Iraq to fight because of torture and abuse….literally cost us hundreds if not thousands of American lives.”

Moreover, Alexander avers that many — as many as 90 percent — of those captured in Iraq said they joined the fight against the United States because of the torture conducted at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.

“At the prison where I conducted interrogations,” Alexander said, “we heard day in and day out, foreign fighters who had been captured state that the number one reason that they had come to fight in Iraq was because of torture and abuse, what had happened at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.”

“Cheney,’ said Alexander, ‘fundamentally misunderstands the way America is viewed around the world,” a reporter who reviewed the video wrote Tuesday. “The American principles of freedom and democracy are cherished in the Muslim world and the idea, at least, of America is still a seductive one. But it is the behavior of the Bush administration at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and secret prisons around the globe that undercuts that image, allowing Al Qaeda to make the argument that America isn’t what it stands for.”

One of Al Qaeda’s goals, it’s not just to attack the United States, it’s to prove that we’re hypocrites, that we don’t live up to American principles,” Alexander said. “So when we use torture and abuse, we’re playing directly into one of their stated goals.”

I think that most intelligent people have already come to realize that the opinions of Dick Cheney are not to be believed on this subject, but hearing just how much damage the policies that he, and his cohorts, implemented caused to our fighting men and women is still very difficult to hear.

It is time for ALL of the documents from the Bush administration to be made public and for charges of treason to be leveled against every single one of them. And Dick Cheney should be the FIRST to face an investigation, with Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and George Bush to follow closely behind.

17 comments:

  1. Hi Gryphen, please fix the title of your post...should be "save American lives" even though Cheney is trying to save his lies.

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  2. Thank you ProChoiceGrandma!

    I really wish Blogger would have spell check in the headline section. It would definitely give the illusion that I was smarter.

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  3. Anonymous7:32 AM

    It was reported last week that President Obama and Dubbya had spoken several of times since the inauguration. I really wonder what those conversations were about. I bet Dubbya is trying to save his ass by asking our President not to prosecute his administration. I think Dubbya knows that he was used by Cheney and his gansta' buddies. He's probably telling Pres. Obama that they did what they did out of the fear of another attack and that innocent people like him will fall for what Gansters like Cheney did to our Nation. Bush is telling our President that Cheney lied to him too.

    I bet Bush and Cheney are no longer on speaking terms. This is why Bush would not give Libby a full pardon.

    It's not the time to feel sorry for this bunch. President Obama needs to the the right thing and prosecute anyone, including Democrats, that had anything to do with us fighting this illegal war in Iraq and for unlawful interrogations.

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  4. Anonymous8:30 AM

    It's simple:
    Cheney VIOLATED his oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

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  5. Anonymous8:31 AM

    Question for Gryphen,
    Is it your wish to remain anonymous, or are you open to being a transparent blogger?

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  6. We did not hear anything from the big Dick in his 8 years in office-- suddenly now he's got something to say? But as another blogger pointed out- the more he talks, the GOP ratings sink & the party fractionalizes. That being said... hell- give him his own show!

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  7. Dan Fagan commented on his radio show yesterday that closing your eyes and having water poured on your face is not torture. I think maybe a little fat man needs to take the challenge

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  8. The U.S. invades Iraq, murders hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and then proceeds to colonize Iraq for monetary and political gain and you people worry about torture!

    If this isn't a purposeful diversion of the people away from the ugly facts, it should be. Even though Iran is probably not seeking the nuclear deterrant this makes me hoope that they are.

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  9. Anonymous11:40 AM

    So have you stopped talking about the iceberg in the hopes that everyone will forget and no one realize that you are full of shit?

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  10. Anonymous1:07 PM

    No offense, Gryphen, but Anon at 11:40 AM really cracked me up!

    Ginger

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  11. Tsk tsk Anon 11:40 ...

    The trolls are back. Why do you come here, anyway? See4Pee isn't as interesting? Or are you a masochist?

    Shooooo .... go back where you belong. We are not interested in your observations or anything you have to say, for that matter.

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  12. Why doesn't Dan Fagan have himself waterboarded? I mean all these people who claim that it is either ok to torture people, or who claim we didn't because it isn't....let them put their nose where their mouth is.

    Just curious? Maybe FatBoy will volunteer ... yeah right. Cheney is a spineless draft dodging coward. One of those nasty fat boys who got teased at school and this is his revenge.

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  13. crystalwolf aka caligrl3:01 PM

    Anon@11:40
    YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT AND THE ICEBERG..
    is STILL HERE!!!!!!!!

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  14. Anonymous4:16 PM

    Crystalwolf how do you know the iceberg is still here? I find all of this taunting weird. I used to believe finally she will be exposed, but I have doubts now so how do you know for sure

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  15. Anonymous4:38 PM

    @Crystal...dont let anon get under your skin. I think "it" is the same person as straight goods...and sarah Q anyhow. He/she feels impotent and out of control, so it comes here and tries to stir people up. Ignore it...it will go away.

    Laurie

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  16. Anonymous10:07 PM

    Crystalwolf knows nothing... she is just hoping.

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  17. Anonymous9:41 AM

    Cheney is a cold, calculating individual who has no respect for life. It is merely an avenue to waste more lives, torture more lives, tell more lies, and hold on to the illusive power trip. Times up.

    There should be no exceptions in investigating the horrible travesties during the Bush administration. America lost its place in the world hierarchy and we were viewed as the ugly Americans. Lies abounded by the few in power both to the world and to the American citizens.

    Those American despots who were spinning their lies need to be held accountable for their complicity and actions and for the countless lives that were taken, for the torture that was sanctioned--because a few were on their power trip.

    Nothing less than a full investigation is warranted.

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Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.