Robert Mueller, Bush FBI Director In 2008: Torture Didn't Foil Any Plots

The Plum Line:

Now that Bush administration officials have launched a major campaign to persuade us that torture "worked," perhaps it's worth recalling that George W. Bush's own FBI director said in an interview last year that he wasn't aware of a single planned terror attack on America that had been foiled by information obtained through torture.

Read the whole story: The Plum Line

Comments

[brandnewstuff]

for all the crap Robert Mueller had to take and was dished out- I hope Robert Mueller now ready to dish it out back out on the receiving end of "return the favors" for breaking the DOJ into bits and pieces for eight years of Corruptions

[MJCole]

I'm sure I'm not the first to say this but... It doesn't matter if torture worked on not. That DOES NOT MATTER.

What matters is, was torture done? (We know that to be a yes.) Then it is a crime and should be prosectuted as such, top to bottom. What did Ben Franklin say about those who would give up their liberty for a little peace and security? And who was it who said give me liberity or give me... torture? Oh no it wasn't tortue it was something else... something that starts with D.... hmmm... just can't seem to remember.

[SoCalNick]

The BIGGER Point in all of this is how the GOP will make such statements with AUTHORITY as if they are facts drawn straight from the record and as usual they turn out to be COMPLETE LIES!

WMDs anyone?

[timberdoodle]

Republicans in favor of water boarding by saying it gets results and saves lives will likely agree this technique should be used on all the long haul truck drivers. The FBI has been saying that there have been hundreds of serial murders committed by some long haul truck drivers and the cases are still unsolved.

Look at all the lives water boarding could save here.

[planetjeffy]

As much as I want the torture prosecutions to go away, so we can pass national health care, the more I want to put axxholes like bush/cheney in jail

[billw8017]

One of the things that we have noticed over the past several years is that innocent people are being wrongly convicted of heinous crimes. There are actually prosecutors who say, punishing the innocent provides closure to the victims of crimes -- as if, it should be a comfort to them that the case is closed and the guilty get away. IF torture worked, we should torture suspects and establish their innocence or guilt. This is much kinder than to expose the innocent to abuse and, possibly, even death in our prisons.

The founders of our Republic knew all about torture. In that time of widespread death penalties, death was not enough, but particular offenses got the most painful possible deaths. Their pragmatic decision was to provide that people could not be obliged to testify against themselves, and they forbid cruel and unusual punishments. Their attitude could not be more plain.

They knew what they were doing. Contemporary experts agree that they were correct. We should not be merely vicious or take our popular dramas as established truth. That is not only ignorant but disrespects human life and dignity.

[berrycooda]

Sure a lot of back stabbing going on....

Why didn't these people wait until now to jump on the band wagon....

No matter who the pevious Pres. is, there is always criticism about something
that they did or did not do...

Seems like a lot of ado that isn't going to amount to anything except take the
focus off more important things.

Why doesn't Congress come up with a plan for what to do with the prisoners at
Gitmo when it is closed...
Maybe N. Pelosi can take some of them to Calif with her.

[kareemachan]

Of course, they criticized Clinton for messin' around in the Oval Office. Now we get to criticize Shrub for tanking our economy, killing our soldiers and many, many Iraqis, and putting our approval rating with the rest of the world in the toilet. Yup, I guess you're right. It does seem like a lot of ado - about something.

[JulieCarol]

Please try not to speak.

[Prakosh]

The Republicans are slowly losing their main claims regarding their particular torture position which is in the first place that waterboarding is not illegal and in the second place that it allowed them to obtain information that they couldn't get anywhere else. Both of these claims are now debunked. The timeline that has been constructed today shows that the information regarding the long propagandized attack on LA could not have been gained from torture because they claimed to have disrupted this attack before they began using torture. And so far there is no substaniating evidence or even hearsay beyond that of Cheney that supports his claims that any attacks were thwarted by the use of torture, but there are more and more voices emerging that dispute everything Cheney has said. We have FBI director Mueller now disputing Cheney, and we have the CIA disputing Cheney, and we have evidence that waterboarding had been a criminal offense since 1898. And as Olbermann reported tonight while Bush was governor of Texas a sheriff and his deputies were charged with waterboarding prisoners in their jail--the deputies were given 4 years and the sheriff was given 10 years. And Bush didn't pardon them. So there is clear and incontrovertible evidence that waterboarding is a crime. But there is still no evidence that it has produced any worthwhile information. The republicans no have no arguments left.

[CR46]

Sounds like some of the Bush/Cheney boot lickers are trying to distance themselves.

[magic3400]

Great work done by the FBI!!!

Looks like they may have the smartest talent.

Hmmm. lets see, you have to have a four year degree to be a Special Agent...maybe those brainwashing schools, you know the one with the brainwashing books, are actually educating after all.

[dannyfc4]

this guy looks like luke wilson in roughly 20 years

[doug108]

I don't think the Geneva Conventions give torture a pass, provided it's effective. It's just another red herring from the kings of deception.

[greatlardini]

KO has offered Hannity a thousand dollars for every second he lasts while being water.boarded, with the money to go to the families of our troops. Put up or sh.ut, Sean baby.

[Tom Joad]

KO did all of us a great service tonight. Not only will he give money to a worthy cause, we all get to see Sean Insanity waterboarded! (if he's man enough...)

[RJC]

It doesn't really matter if the torture was effective or not! The ends don't justify the means, ever! We are not trying to criminalize policy either, unless policy directly resulted in unlawful acts. Illegal is illegal period, we can't cherry pick. The just "following Orders" defense was debunked a long time ago. I can't rob a bank, then tell the judge " your honor, I think we should just look forward", looking back is " retribution" Crimes are crimes. We must stop engaging in the false argument of judging the validity of policy based on the results. The invasion of Iraq was wrong, regardless of how it turns out, torture is wrong, regardless of what was gained.

[gbrooks]

The conscience of a nation is determined by it's actions while in a crisis, not during good times.

We have failed tremendously.

[StevenevetS]

Thanks for having the courage and honesty to say that.
As true as it is, speech like that has been verboten for the last eight years.

[Tom Joad]

co-sign

[jusasoldier]

i fully agree

[atomic]

Robert Mueller will be vilified as being out of the loop ... the right wing propaganda machine will discredit him as a waco or something ... I think we know their games by now. Lie, cheat, blame.

[InfinteShibumi]

I do know about "out of the loop." He has certainly been "under the radar." Just the way a spy should be.

[InfinteShibumi]

Correction: I do not know about "out of the loop."

[GeoLee]

Well, he did pull his agency out because of his views about torture as reported tonight on tlevision. But I cannot imagine if there was a threat WITHIN the US that the FBI would not kanve been told since they are the investigating force within our borders and the CIA outside of it, fo rhte most part.

[Gidster]

Well Bush decided that Homeland Security could do it all. He blurred the lined of jurisdiction.

His administration demonstrably almost destroyed the ideal that is America, and the GOP calls Obama names........Pikers to a man!