Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueK
my radical opinion is that for Bush this wasn't just about terrorism. It was about rewriting the powers of the presidency. If he could get away with throwing people in jail and throwing away the key without due process he could start doing that on American soil as well. Not much different than what third world dictators do, only scaled back a bit.
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Absolutely. The point was never how many individuals were being subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques or whatever else. Nobody but the human rights activists really cares what happens to a seventeen year old from Bangladesh who likely had a shitty life either way.
The concern for Americans was (or should have been) that our government -- theoretically by the people for the people -- was using a fabricated security threat as an excuse to extend executive privilege without popular consent. It has been the defining characteristic of this administration.