Duckworth slams Bush on the Iraq War but fails to challenge his torture policies

10.02.06 - Posted by AsiansVote

Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, an Asian American Democrat running for Congress in Illinois, delivered the Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio address on Saturday. From the AP:

An Illinois congressional candidate who lost both her legs during combat in Iraq said Saturday that President Bush has no real strategy for securing the war-ravaged nation, just political talk designed to appeal to voters.

"Instead of a plan or a strategy, we get shallow slogans like 'Mission Accomplished' and 'Stay the Course,"' former Army Capt. Tammy Duckworth said in the Democrats' weekly radio address. "Those slogans are calculated to win an election. But they won't help us accomplish our mission in Iraq."

It's great to see Duckworth getting some national exposure and having the guts to slam the Bush Administration on Iraq.

Less wonderful is this WBBM 780 article, in which Duckworth mistakenly asserts that the recent torture bill passed by Congress actually complies with the Geneva Conventions:

Duckworth also said she hopes the detainee bill sent to the President by Congress gives interrogators the tools they need to protect both U.S. troops and civilians.

"My concern is to definitely make sure that we give our people the told they need to get information that will protect us at home and abroad," she said. Frankly, if I could get information that could keep us from having an aircraft blow up at O'Hare, I'd want that information."

She said she was pleased, though, that U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was able to insist on wording that requires the U.S. continue to comply with terms of the Geneva Convention.

But as the New York Times explains, the bill actually gives the President the right to violate the Geneva Conventions by investing in him the unchallenged authority to interpret the Geneva Conventions however he wants:

The bill, which cleared a final procedural hurdle in the House on Friday and is likely to be signed into law next week by Mr. Bush, does not just allow the president to determine the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions; it also strips the courts of jurisdiction to hear challenges to his interpretation.

Free advice to Democrats everywhere: The American people know that torture is evil. So should you. Please educate yourselves about what the torture bill really says and have the courage to speak out against it.

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10.02.06 | Candidates & Leaders , Civil Rights & Liberties , Issues , Tammy Duckworth , War