Bush Knew Guantanamo Prisoners Were Innocent, Times Of London Reports

Times Online:

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq and the broader War on Terror, according to a new document obtained by The Times.

Read the whole story: Times Online

Comments

[Tulka2]

03:54 PM on 05/06/2010

"He also claimed that one reason Mr Cheney and Mr Rumsfeld did not want the innocent detainees released was because “the detention efforts would be revealed as the incredibly confused operation that they were”. This was “not acceptable to the Administration and would have been severely detrimental to the leadership at DoD [Mr Rumsfeld at the Defence Department]”." -From the article

This is exactly what Tolstoy meant when he said, "As long as men eat meat, there will be war." This is it exactly. The people in Guantanamo might as well have been beef-steak. They were not equals. They were to be "used" for a greater purpose. Just like meat.

I am not being holier than thou. I sometimes eat red meat, but cannot help but notice the relationship dynamic.

[stargazer13]

05:46 PM on 04/09/2010

I grieve for the innocent !!

and want the one,s responsible for this atrocity of Justice to be held to account at the bar they call Justice !!

[Tulka2]

03:58 PM on 05/06/2010

Hello, Stargazer, If you kill one person, you will go to prison and probably fry, but the more you kill, the less likely you will ever pay for it. As long as these goons are walking around, they are in charge of things. When criminal leaders really, truly lose, they are on trial at the Hague... like Milosevich.

[Telemachus]

05:29 PM on 04/09/2010

From the article:

"The accusations were made by Lawrence Wilkerson, a top aide to Colin Powell, the former Republican Secretary of State, in a signed declaration to support a lawsuit filed by a Guantánamo detainee. It is the first time that such allegations have been made by a senior member of the Bush Administration.

"Colonel Wilkerson ... claimed that the former Vice-President and Defence Secretary knew that the majority of the initial 742 detainees sent to Guantánamo in 2002 were innocent but believed that it was 'politically impossible to release them'.

"General Powell, who left the Bush Administration in 2005, angry about the misinformation that he unwittingly gave the world when he made the case for the invasion of Iraq at the UN, is understood to have backed Colonel Wilkerson’s declaration.

"Colonel Wilkerson ... claimed that the majority of detainees — children as young as 12 and men as old as 93, he said — never saw a US soldier when they were captured. He said that many were turned over by Afghans and Pakistanis for up to $5,000. Little or no evidence was produced as to why they had been taken.

"He also claimed that one reason Mr Cheney and Mr Rumsfeld did not want the innocent detainees released was because 'the detention efforts would be revealed as the incredibly confused operation that they were'. This was 'not acceptable to the Administration and would have been severely detrimental to the leadership at DoD [Mr Rumsfeld at the Defence Department]'."

[keith1963]

05:12 PM on 04/09/2010

Folks, Obama is letting everything come out by other sources because he knew, as I did, eventually it would. If he went after BushCo from the onset then folks would've been screaming witchhunt. We all know BushCo are war criminals. Give it time.

[stargazer13]

06:06 PM on 04/09/2010

I hope you are right !!

[taddles]

05:06 PM on 04/09/2010

There's a reason why the Bush administration did everything they could to drag the process out and didn't want any of these people tried in civilian courts. Hard to convict people in a civilian court with no evidence.

[Depression Part Duex]

05:00 PM on 04/09/2010

Why does Holder continue to protect this criminal administration? He is seriously beginning to lack any credibility at this point.

All these politicians do is cover for each other.

[glockman]

05:31 PM on 04/09/2010

Because his own administration is becoming a criminal administration.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/07/assassinations/index.html

[stargazer13]

05:50 PM on 04/09/2010

I believe it is called covering up

[faith]

04:50 PM on 04/09/2010

Shouldn't AG Eric Holder be mentioned since he is responsible to investigate such crimes?
President Obama should fire Holder if Holder is unwilling or unable to pursue such matters.

[S1m0n]

08:37 PM on 04/09/2010

They didn't commit any crimes.

[edwcorey]

04:48 PM on 04/09/2010

I believe Timesonline is a Murdoch pub. He's obviously a guy who manipulates the news to benefit his bottom line. He'd never run that news in the U.S. Here, he appeals to the morons, with lies.

[shadowanddaisy]

04:47 PM on 04/09/2010

NOW can we hand the Three Stooges over to the Hague for prosecution?

[glockman]

05:30 PM on 04/09/2010

You asked for a link to an article earlier in the day, so I tracked you down.

Here it is (it was also in the Times a few days ago)

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/07/assassinations/index.html

[Telemachus]

05:44 PM on 04/09/2010

Good link, thank you. All posters here should read it.

[shadowanddaisy]

07:07 PM on 04/09/2010

Thanks for the link. You are correct, and two credible news organizations confirm the policy.

I am honestly appalled that this practice is continuing. I don't know how the Obama administration is allowing this to proceed. I am deeply disappointed and hope something is done to reverse this order.

The US has no right to assassinate anyone - ANYONE - regardless of who they are. We do not lower ourselves to torturing prisoners, assassinating leaders or invading countries for no good reason, yet this seems to be SOP for our national leaders.

It was abhorrent when Bush did it; it continues to be abhorrent that Obama is continuing to do it. If we do it to others, they will do it to us.

Where is the outrage?

[Helzapoppin]

04:31 PM on 04/09/2010

THIS. . . you idiot wingnuts. . . is why you do not do away with the rules of evidence.

[ThinkCreeps]

04:16 PM on 04/09/2010

`Bush knew...' doesn't sound very credible.

He might have been told, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have picked up the key points.

[Telemachus]

05:28 PM on 04/09/2010

The buck stops at his desk.

[ThinkCreeps]

06:03 PM on 04/09/2010

In principle, I agree.

But I don't remember there being much stationary buck in the oval office in the eight years from early 2001.

[justoverit333]

03:59 PM on 04/09/2010

"We are not going to have any comment on that."
What can they say? sorry? Unbelievable but
eveybody knows the 3 stooges were up to no good.

[OliverTwist]

03:49 PM on 04/09/2010

It would be interesting to ask whether President Obama is comfortable continuing these policies.

[justoverit333]

04:01 PM on 04/09/2010

No he's not Oliver but give it time. There's so many
messes to clean up from the past administration,
you can't do everything in a little over a year. Takes time.
Have patience.

[Helzapoppin]

04:31 PM on 04/09/2010

blah blah blah

[glockman]

05:32 PM on 04/09/2010

He is comfortable with them, and he's expanding the war on terror to do things Bush didn't do.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

04:37 PM on 04/09/2010

Ask who?

Obama? His policy is to ignore this.

Obama apologists? Their policy is to ignore the truth and offer excuses, like he hasn't had enough time or other such nonsense.

The MSM? Their policy is to give us controlled "news" and ignore newsworthy events such as this.

Perhaps the person that you should ask is in the mirror. It may be that you know the answer to this.

[slash77]

03:48 PM on 04/09/2010

Apparently it does not matter what additional new information is discovered with regard to the Bush administration’s blatant disregard for the U.S. Constitution or International law. Even when it can clearly be labeled as ‘crimes against humanity’ or established war crimes’……………..

It is clear that no official action or accountability either by the U.S. or the International community is going to occur…….

This is a really sad day for the Rule of law and Human rights!!!!

[alysheba 3]

03:46 PM on 04/09/2010

Is ANYONE really surprised by this news?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

04:38 PM on 04/09/2010

Obama might be. He might not have expected even a foreign press to cover it.