Eric Holder Was “Mesmerized” and “Repulsed” by Video of Christopher Hitchens Waterboarding
The Telegraph writes up the soon-to-be-released “Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency” by Daniel Klaidman, focusing on a confrontation the book detailed between Eric Holder and David Axelrod over the placement of politicial apparatchiks in the Department of Justice. “I’m not Karl Rove,” David Axelrod at some point declared, apparently with a straight face. Valerie Jarrett had to break the two up.
But the more interesting anecdote about Eric Holder comes later in the article:
Klaidman also discloses that the work of Christopher Hitchens, the late British author, influenced the decision by Mr Obama's administration to overhaul its rules on interrogating terror suspects.
Hitchens was waterboarded for an article and video titled "Believe me, it's torture" and published by Vanity Fair in 2008. He could bear only ten seconds before asking that it be stopped.
"Watching the video," Klaidman writes, "Holder was both mesmerised and repulsed." The attorney general became "increasingly convinced that he would need to launch an investigation".
Mr Obama banned waterboarding – in which detainees are made to feel they are drowning – and other techniques after coming to office in 2009, while Mr Holder launched an inquiry into past practices.
Someone please send Holder video of drone strikes hitting a funeral in Pakistan or something, pronto.
Reason on drones.
H/T to commenter John for the article, under the A.M. Links
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Someone please send Holder video of drone strikes hitting a funeral in Pakistan or something, pronto.
Can we include the Kerry Thomas murder vid, as well as other choice bits of facestomping?
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How about SWAT raids of suspected users of pot? Maybe this can be a youtube playlist or something.
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Don't forget raw milk raids being performed by heavily armed and armored federal personnel. That's a real kicker.
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Or a Border Agent being murdered with a rifle that the ATF purposely told dealers to sell to known gun runners.
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Yeah. Show him all the videos illustrating the effects of police militarization. The murders of Jose Guerena and Kelly Thomas would be a good start.
Fucking politicians.
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Those are Americans. It's okay for law enforcement to murder Americans. Americans belong to the state.
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Say what you will about Alberto Gonzales, he was able to watch the Hitchens video and 2 girls 1 cup without putting down his sushi platter.
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which one did he find a bigger turn-on?
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Valerie Jarrett had to break the two up.
That's Sotomayor's job. She's the hired muscle around that joint.
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I can't look at that picture without snorting at work.
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Someone please send Holder video of drone strikes hitting a funeral in Pakistan or something, pronto.
Reason on drones.
H/T to commenter John for the article, under the A.M. Links
Am I the only one that sees the irony there?
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Sure but waterboarding is bad while drone strikes are necessary to ensure the safety of our nation... or something.
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Yes. John posted a link about waterboarding, not drones.
I love ya sloops, but you're reaching on this one.
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Yeah, plus we don't know how many slender women were killed in those drone strikes.
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Too skinny for accurate target acquisition.
Doesn't mean they don't try still, just more collateral damage.
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"Mesmerized" and "Repulsed" and "Strangely Aroused."
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But enough about "American Pickers"....
