Misha Lerner, 4th-Grader, Questions Condoleezza Rice on Waterboarding (VIDEO)

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stirred controversy last week when, under questioning from students at Stanford University, she insisted that the Bush administration had not tortured and claimed, "by definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention Against Torture."

On Sunday, during her first public appearance in Washington since she left office, Rice was questioned again about her involvement in President Bush's torture policy -- this time by fourth-grader Misha Lerner at a Jewish day school. The Washington Post reports:

Misha Lerner, a student from Bethesda, asked: What did Rice think about the things President Obama's administration was saying about the methods the Bush administration had used to get information from detainees?

Rice took the question in stride. saying that she was reluctant to criticize Obama, then getting to the heart of the matter.

"Let me just say that President Bush was very clear that he wanted to do everything he could to protect the country. After September 11, we wanted to protect the country," she said. "But he was also very clear that we would do nothing, nothing, that was against the law or against our obligations internationally. So the president was only willing to authorize policies that were legal in order to protect the country."

Watch:

Misha's mother Inna told the Post that Misha originally planned to ask a tougher question -- "If you would work for Obama's administration, would you push for torture?" -- but he was asked to change it. "They wanted him to soften it and take out the word 'torture.' But the essence of it was the same."

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Comments

[petef59]

Blame the teacher Unions for producing a kid that has critical thinking skills and knows his free speech rights.

[redkim]

No. I blame them and the school's administration for infringing on the kids right to speak as he wanted to speak.

[Jenny Clagett]

Three cheers for Misha!!!!

[bigcurefan]

Wow, I saw the title "4th-Grader Questions Condoleezza Rice" and assumed Condi had an interview with Olberman. :-)

[liberalbug]

You were mistaken and should have assumed it was an interview with O'Reilly after seeing the headline. Everyone knows he's a fourth grader. Olberman's at least grade 6.

[pattio66]

Wow, and here I thought that everyone who has an Exxon oil tanker named for them was honest and decent...

[clearlythinking]

She's getting closer and closer and the arguments are weaker and weaker. Come on Condi, be honest. We were attacked and we went a little crazy in order to protect the country, that's all you need to say. We already know it. Even the 4th grader knows it.

[thedave108]

Criminal still on the loose. It's time to take our country back from the robber-barrons and their floozies, such as this person. Why do or did people like this represent US. Americans are decent people - while our so-called leaders are criminals.

[CurtT]

How pathetic! She can only take questions from children. That shows you how low she has sunk. Please keep the heat on and asking her the tough questions. To President Obama: Charge this war criminal. Prosecute her to the fullest extent of the law for crimes against humanity and jail her sorry butt.

[Ricardo22283]

It's sad to see what 8 years in the bush-house can do to such an intelligent, powerful women such as Rice.

Her answer and comments on both occasions make absolutely NO sense.

"by definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention Against Torture."
-Ummmm...YES it is toruture, sweetheart. The COnvention was created to stop over-zealot war-mongering killers, such as bush, from doing whatever they WANT...NOT NEED...to do to protect the country. The only problem is...nothing else happened and that's not because he tortured people.

He and all responsible should be tried and convicted for war crimes. That's EXACTLY what they did.

[WongChin]

Why did Condi lie to a 4th grader so blatantly, like torture being legal?

This is beyond the pale.

[rubinoff]

what happened to her 'right eye?'....it all puffed up/swollen...looks like someone clobbered her one.?????.....she has make-up on trying to hide it, but it isn't working.

[petef59]

Yes - I've noticed that the last few days. It's getting worse and none of the media present ask her or make comments. It is so obvious.

[NYCMami]

notice how she also didn't mention that they REWROTE the "law" so it would be legal.

Criminals.

[mavissue]

Shame on you Condi......... still putting out the same line of BS......... tell the kids the truth.

[rubinoff]

you've got to be kidding, ..... her telling the truth????..all she knows is to spin, spin, spin, while she walks around like a proud peacock. :(...quite disappointing, actually.

[ErikW65]

Funny episode in the further adventures of Condi Rice. I like how this caused so much angst amongst the neocon torture-justifiers, that they had to invent a conspiracy theory that the question must have been planted by an adult.

Ms. Rice is a prime example of an intellect void of wisdom. May she continue to be dogged by these questions, and haunted by the honest answers to them. There must be a special place reserved for those who support the false arguments that allow democratic governments to be corrupted into creating systems for assaulting prisoners with cruel and unusual punishments.

[YankeeCanuck]

I wonder if that little 4th grader knows that the government makes planning decisions for building future prisons on the population of the 4th grade.

[Mortimer2]

Sad isn't it? Even a 4th grader knows better.

[JeanPaulSatire]

Good thing Condi's not on "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" since a 4th grader stumped her.

[ebroadcast]

Wow, fourth-graders getting censored. How pathetic is that?

[stondem]

About as pathetic as the Fairness Doctrine.

[JeauxSchmeaux]

Yeah, equal time is pretty pathetic.

[macweenie]

Sometimes you can sneak garbage like this into comments and it MIGHT even sound like you are trying to make a valid point - but this? This is like somebody saying "Isn't it tragic how Mary was killed in that car accident" then you verbally ejaculate "Yeah, tragic like how the government runs the car companies".

Dumb. Dumb and sad.

[reedmaker]

Even more pathetic: a 4th grader who has a higher sense of morals than the former president and his entire cabinet.