Tortura

Que los EE.UU. están promoviendo la tortura de prisioneros sospechados de terroristas a esta altura no quedan dudas. Las discusiones ya son abiertas y sistemáticas como se ve, por ejemplo, este debate abierto que tuvo lugar en la Brookings. Incluso hasta los amigos conservadores de Bush, como The Economist, entienden con razón y humanidad que torturar es inmoral y no debería hacerse (a pesar de los dilemas morales del Dr. Mariano Grondona).

En un reporte de prensa de la Casa Blanca se transcribe una conferencia de prensa en Panamá donde a Bush le preguntaron:

Mr. President, there has been a bit of an international outcry over reports of secret U.S. prisons in Europe for terrorism suspects. Will you let the Red Cross have access to them? And do you agree with Vice President Cheney that the CIA should be exempt from legislation to ban torture?

La respuesta no tiene desperdicio:

PRESIDENT BUSH: Our country is at war, and our government has the obligation to protect the American people. The executive branch has the obligation to protect the American people; the legislative branch has the obligation to protect the American people. And we are aggressively doing that. We are finding terrorists and bringing them to justice. We are gathering information about where the terrorists may be hiding. We are trying to disrupt their plots and plans. Anything we do to that effort, to that end, in this effort, any activity we conduct, is within the law. We do not torture.

And, therefore, we're working with Congress to make sure that as we go forward, we make it possible -- more possible to do our job. There's an enemy that lurks and plots and plans, and wants to hurt America again. And so, you bet, we'll aggressively pursue them. But we will do so under the law. And that's why you're seeing members of my administration go and brief the Congress. We want to work together in this matter. We -- all of us have an obligation, and
it's a solemn obligation and a solemn responsibility. And I'm confident that when people see the facts, that they'll recognize that we've -- they've got more work to do, and that we must protect ourselves in a way that is lawful.

La conferencia de prensa terminó allí, por supuesto.