It's Torture Listening to Asman Justifying Torture
Reported by Nancy - January 6, 2005 -
Today (1/6) FNL continued the wall-to-wall coverage of what the US military is doing in the SE Asia disaster relief effort. But they still found time to echo the official GOP line about Alberto Gonzalez's confirmation hearings & Barbara Boxer's filing of an objection to the OH electoral count. There was also an interview "exploring" whether Jeb Bush might "someday" run for President.
At 11:13am (all times ET), calling Jeb Bush "Comforter-in-Chief" & showing a clip of Greg Palkot's interview with JBush from yesterday, Brigitte Quinn interviewed Barry Richard (JBush legal counsel) & Tom Fiedler (exec editor, Miami Herald). Quinn started with an obvious question (why did Jeb go to S Asia?) & Richard responded with the obvious answer (because his brother, the President, asked him to). Quinn noted that Jeb "got good reviews in FL" for his handling of the recent hurricanes, & Fiedler agreed, saying he "sure did", & he "made sure he wasn't seen as just doing it for political purposes." Fiedler added that because of his experience with the hurricanes, Jeb "knows it's the hard work of the follow-through" that's important. Quinn wondered if this trip will "help him at all" if he decides to run for Prez, Richard replied that "any success helps" & the "most useful" thing is a "track record," noting that Jeb has such a record with his "first admin in FL" when he "stepped up after the hurricanes." Quinn asked point-blank: "Will he run?" Fiedler said he didn't know, but it would be an "interesting shift in roles for him." Fiedler added that this trip "says as much about" GWBush as it does about Jeb, because "it's the first time he's used his brother on a high-profile mission" & "on the receiving end" that will be "seen as an extraordinary step" that "sends a more meaningful message". Fiedler drew a parallel between this & how JFK "used" Robert Kennedy.
At 11:38am Carl Cameron reported on Alberto Gonzalez's confirmation hearing. Cameron said that Gonzalez "acquitted himself quite well" so far, that Dems "haven't laid a glove on him," noting that "Sen Biden called him ... old buddy" which Cameron interpreted as showing a "lotta love mixed in with critical questions." Cameron said that "Dems want to determine if Gonzalez was culpable" for "abuses at Abu Ghraib" but that Gonzalez "made the point over & over" that he was "merely offering advice" & legal options "to his client [GWBush]." There was a brief clip of Sen Arlen Specter asking "Do you approve of torture?" & Gonzalez answering "Absolutely not", then Specter asking whether Gonzalez "condemn[s] the interrogation techniques used" at Abu Ghraib & Guantanamo. Gonzalez replied "As a human being I am sickened & outraged" by those abuses, but "I don't want to provide a legal opinion" about them. Cameron noted that "Dems didn't let that slide" but added that "even senior Dems say ultimately he's likely to be the 80th AG."
At 11:58am David Asman read the top stories, including: "can the Dems lay a glove on Alberto Gonzalez?"; & a "bump in road" as Boxer files an objection.
At 12:04pm, Cameron updated his report on Gonzalez's confirmation hearings. His tone changed from the report he filed a half-hour earlier, saying there were "pretty harsh accusations that Gonzalez is somehow responsible for" Abu Ghraib & Gitmo, that "Dems say Gonzalez was at the forefront of" admin attempts to "tighten up" interrogation practices. Cameron cited Sen Lindsay Graham (R-NC) as offering "tough criticism;" Cameron reported that Graham said the "US has lost its way," that "any attempts to get around statutes banning torture are a slippery slope" & that "loosening of standards has put US soldiers at risk" & may be a "recruiting tool for terrorists." Cameron repeated his earlier claim that "Biden made it clear that Gonzalez is expected to be confirmed," saying that the confirmation hearing is an "exercise on behalf of Dems & some GOPs" to make it clear that torture is unacceptable to Congress.
When Cameron finished his report, Asman asked "Is it clear that he [Gonzalez] wrote the memos?" & Cameron said "Yes, he wrote the memo" about how 'enemy combatants' wearing 'no uniforms' don't count as POWs. Asman offered the excuse of "as a practical matter" Gonzalez was right. Cameron replied that Gonzalez's critics say it goes against our "humane tradition" & that "bending that rule was counterproductive" while his supporters say he was "merely providing his client with a range of legal options."
At 12:10pm teasers included: "Gonzalez -- will he get burned by the Dems?"
At 12:13pm FNL replayed the clip of Gonzalez saying he was "sickened & outraged", then Asman interviewed Boyden Gray (former legal adviser to Reagan & GHWBush) & Michael Feldman (former Gore adviser) about the "flap" over Gonzalez's nomination. Asman started off by asking "What's wrong with pressure [on subjects being interrogated]?" Feldman started to point out some of the issues involved, & Asman interrupted to ask Gray whether that mattered, since they weren't wearing uniforms. Gray pointed out that the Geneva Conventions provision about uniforms is "different from the torture issue" & that the standard about torture "applies to everyone." Asman cited WaPo & NYTimes editorials as saying that Gonzalez's memo directly resulted in the abuses at Abu Ghraib & Gitmo. Feldman pointed out that it's "more than just the editorials, more than just Dems" saying that, & it's the purpose of these hearings to investigate this whole issue because it "affects our moral standing." Asman persisted, asking again whether the memo caused the abuse, & Feldman repeated that it's the purpose of these hearings to find out. So Asman asked Feldman directly "What do you think?" & Feldman replied "I don't know," pointing out that he doesn't "have access to all the documents." Clearly not satisfied, Asman turned to Gray, again cited the WaPo editorial as saying Gonzalez's role "helped lead to prisoner abuse," & asked "Is that true in any way?" Gray said "I don't see it," claiming that "officials" at Abu Ghraib & Gitmo never approved of it, that the torture memo never had anything to do with Abu Ghraib because that involved "Iraqi prisoners" not enemy combatants, that this "conduct was not condoned or authorized" & that those who engaged in such conduct "will be punished."
At 12:22pm teasers included: "Dems trying to hold up Bush re-election."
At 12:27pm teasers included: "Dems in Congress challenge results of presidential election."
At 12:40pm teasers included: "Dems challenge OH votes."
At 12:51pm, noting that Boxer "joined with House Dems to challenge OH electoral vote" & wondering if this is "just political grandstanding," Asman interview Ken Gross (Prof & election law analyst) & Major Garrett (Fox News reporter). Asman asked "What's she doing?" Gross said "I think she's trying to make a point" that "elections in this country" are "not up to snuff." Asman asked, "Kerry doesn't want to be a part of this protest, right?" & Gross said it's a "sensitive issue" & "we'll have a little civics lesson today." Asman dismissively said "There are problems everywhere with [voting] machines" & asked whether Boxer's action "legitimizes conspiracy theories." Gross said that "depends on how they handle it" & added that he feels it's "positive to say we need to upgrade equipment" & so on. Asman speculated that "Jesse Jackson & John Conyers are hitching their star to Boxer" as a way to "prove that the elecion was stolen" & Gross commented "that may be ill-advised." Asman asked about exit polls, & Garrett said "they did not bring up exit polls," the issues they raised were that "lines were too long," that there was "some miscounting," & that "machines didn't work." Garrettt added that at a press conference, Boxer said "the election is over, Bush is elected," that she is doing this "to have better systems in the future" & that "she was wrong in 2000 not to join objectors."
