Political Quotes

“Thank you very much. I have been a military lawyer for over 30 years. That has been one of the highlights of my life--to serve in the Air Force. During the debate about these techniques, I was very proud of the fact that every military lawyer came out on the side that the techniques in question were not who we are and what we want to be. We are one of the leading voices of the Geneva Convention. We have stood by the Geneva Convention since its inception. I am convinced that the techniques in question violate the Geneva Convention. I am also convinced that they were motivated by fear, fear of another attack. Put yourself in the shoes of the people responsible for defending the country right after 9/11. We had been hit. We had been hit hard. Everybody thought something else was coming. As we rounded these guys up, there was a sense of urgency and a commitment to never let it happen again that generated this program. Who knew what, when? I do not know. All I can tell you is the people involved believed they were trying to defend the country and what they were doing was necessary. Did they get some good information? Probably so. Has it been a net loser for us as a country? Absolutely so. All I can say is the techniques in question were motivated by fear of another attack, and people at the time thought this was the best way to defend the Nation. I accept that on their part.…”