US state department flip-flopping on Geneva conventions

[rachmaninoff]

WASHINGTON - The United States rejected a fresh call by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for full access to terror suspects, saying some of those detained were "exceptional" and posed "unique threats" to US security.
...
"The Geneva Conventions covers prisoners of war. The people that were being held and that we're talking about are not prisoners of war, so they are not covered by the Geneva Conventions," Adam Ereli, deputy State Department spokesman, told reporters.

"They are Al-Qaeda, they are terrorists," he said. "For a variety of legal reasons and by a variety of legal definitions they do not qualify as prisoners of war."

But he hastened to add that the United States still treated them "consistent with the Geneva Conventions.

"So we're going the extra mile here," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051209/pl_afp/usattacksjusticeicrc_051209211312;_ylt=AmLczct7v8RvmVbweb_6bc7B4FkB;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl"

So they're claiming they're not bound to the Geneva convention - but because they're nice guys, they'll still abide by it. But they won't accept any monitoring or accountability - they want to police themselves. And the office of the VP wants to let them do exactly that, as well as be able to torture people without any oversight. But the office of the President assures as, "We do not torture!" So there's no problem.

Why do people in this country vote for chronic liars?

 

[russ_watters]

How is that a flip-flop? Did you see the thread about deterrence?

 

[rachmaninoff]

I don't see any other threads about this - if we already have one, feel free to merge them.

 

[Anttech]

might not be a flip flop, but it is anti-democratic and not something that should be condoned by a country like the USA

 

[SOS2008]

On this topic, the Bush administration has been fighting very hard. For example:

Cheney Fights for Detainee Policy
As Pressure Mounts to Limit Handling Of Terror Suspects, He Holds Hard Line

By Dana Priest and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, November 7, 2005; Page A01

Over the past year, Vice President Cheney has waged an intense and largely unpublicized campaign to stop Congress, the Pentagon and the State Department from imposing more restrictive rules on the handling of terrorist suspects, according to defense, state, intelligence and congressional officials.

But since the issue has been made more public, and leaders like McCain have stood up against Bush, et al, they appear to be backing off. Now,

...Rice has emerged as an advocate for changing the rules to "get out of the detainee mess," said one senior U.S. official familiar with discussions. Her top advisers, along with their Pentagon counterparts, are working on a package of proposals designed to address all controversial detainee issues at once, instead of dealing with them on a piecemeal basis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/06/AR2005110601281.html

MSNBC did a good story yesterday evening (Countdown broadcast) as well, and discussed the change...or might one say, the flip-flop? To the OP, people vote for chronic liars if the liar will get them what they want.

 

[Skyhunter]

My understanding of the Geneva conventions was to try and insure that even during the most inhumane acts that humans engage in that a shred of humanity would be left intact, IE once the "enemy" was captured they would not be abused. I guess Bushco wants to discard even the barest shreds of humanity.

Oh and they expect to be taken at their word.

No we don't torture people.

No we are not going to let you look and see.

Trust us.

 

[Burnsys]

Yes, just like the marines here in paraguay...

Hey they are there just to do some exercises.. they aren't going to do nothing bad... but please sign this that says they will be not prosecuted for comiting crimes, and they will have total inmunity...

Thanks.

 

[Polly]

How can people be so cruel?

 

[Blahness]

They're politicians, that's how.