We can stop pretending now

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for the torture of prisoners in US custody overseas. The American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First had brought the case on behalf of nine former prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. The suit said Rumsfeld had tacitly or directly authorized a series of abuses including beatings, stabbings, shocks, burnings and sexual humiliation. In his dismissal ruling, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan acknowledged the men had been tortured. But he said they do not have constitutional rights to seek redress and that government officials are immune.

The court accepted that the nine men who sued had been tortured – and detailed the torture in its ruling.

But Judge Thomas Hogan ruled the five Iraqis and four Afghans did not have US constitutional rights, and also that Mr Rumsfeld was immune from such suits.

In other words, the court recognized that torture had occurred to all nine men and that Rumsfeld was responsible.

U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan threw out a lawsuit brought on behalf of nine former prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said Rumsfeld cannot be held personally responsible for actions taken in connection with his government job.

At least we can put to bed the carnard that Abu Graib was some kind of anomaly perpetrated by poorly trained grunts on night duty. After he left office, Rumsfeld posted a list of his achievements on the Pentagon website, under the heading, “Rumsfeld, six years of accomplishment,” which included developing new methods of interrogation – new methods of getting information from prisoners at Guantanamo.

You couldn’t make this stuff up. Rumsfeld actually regarded implementing torture as an accomplishment.

And they wonder, why do they hate us?

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