Bush, Dec 8, 2014

In 1988, Reagan signed the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which stated that torture could never be used under any “exceptional circumstances, whatsoever.” When doing so he concluded by saying, “By giving its advice and consent to ratification of this Convention, the Senate of the United States will demonstrate unequivocally our desire to bring an end to the abhorrent practice of torture.”

George Bush understood that this is how the American people feel about torture, which is why he felt compelled to say “This government does not torture people. We stick to US law and international obligations.” (Fox news clip, 0:52, “Oct 5, 2007).

To lie about this must have been a long-standing policy because he said the same thing two years earlier, “We do not torture” (USA Today, Nov 7, 2005). (Said while opposing a Congressional ban on torture.) And he said it again ten months later Sept 6, 2006. “I’ve said to the people that we don’t torture, and we don’t” (CBS News, Sept 6, 2006).

Just as the Senate report was about to come out, Bush said “We’re fortunate to have men and women who work hard at the CIA serving on our behalf, … These are patriots.” A desperate attempt to change the subject. No one is saying the CIA is not patriotic. The point is George Bush and Dick Cheney deceived the American people for years, because they knew that for the most part Americans from Barack Obama to Ronald Reagan did not approve of what they were doing.