In an otherwise boring and meaningless speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, George W. Bush, who served as the president of the United States recently, let drop that U.S. authorities had tortured the man they suspected of planning the attacks of 11 September 2001.
“Yeah, we waterboarded…” said Bush, vowing that he would “do it again to save lives.” Of course, he authorized the waterboarding of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after all those lives were lost. But better late than never, right?
For the record, the United States considers waterboarding to be torture now and — officially, anyway — they’re against it, for moral reasons.
For the news story, go to this local report from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he made the remarks.
Or, here’s the report from Al Jazeera.
And one from the U.K. Guardian.
Incidentally, Bush also told the crowd that “being a son of the president is a lot harder than being president.” That’s a warning to all you kids out there who think it’s a picnic being born into a rich and powerful family.
Mr. Bush is shown here with his military advisor, Jar Jar Binks, of Star Wars fame.