Sunday, June 20, 2004

You recently created a stir when you defended the interrogation techniques at Abu Ghraib.

Most of the people in Mississippi came up to me and said: "Thank Goodness. America comes first." Interrogation is not a Sunday-school class. You don't get information that will save American lives by withholding pancakes.

But unleashing killer dogs on naked Iraqis is not the same as withholding pancakes.

I was amazed that people reacted like that. Did the dogs bite them? Did the dogs assault them? How are you going to get people to give information that will lead to the saving of lives?


--interview with Trent Lott in today's New York Times Magazine

Lawmakers who viewed hundreds of images of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners said Wednesday that the photographs were even more graphic than they had expected, and included pictures of forced sexual acts between male detainees, a soldier posing with the body of a dead prisoner, and consensual sex between American soldiers....

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, said he had not seen the pictures and saw no need to. Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, said he felt the same way. "I've already seen enough," Mr. Lott said. "Why would I want to go see a bunch of perverted pictures?"...

Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Republican of Colorado ... said the photographs also showed dogs snarling at cowering prisoners; other lawmakers said some prisoners appeared to have dog bite wounds and abrasions...


--Ndew York Times, 5/13/04

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