Red no more had a great diarythis morning outlining the shocking new torture revelations. But, shock and outrage isn't enough. It's time for Condoleezza Rice to go.
Here's the message I just sent to TrueMajority.org members.
Just when you think it can't get any worse, the Bush Administration finds a new way to shock the conscience. Yesterday, ABC News reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chaired explicit White House discussions about which torture techniques should be used on prisoners.
They "were so detailed" that "some of the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed -- down to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic."1 This is the first time that we have evidence that senior officials, "not only discussed specific plans and specific interrogation methods, but approved them". Given these new revelations, Condoleezza Rice can not continue as Secretary of State.
Sign our Petition demanding that Rice resign: http://www.truemajority.org/condi
(Full Disclosure: I am the Online Organizing Manager at TrueMajority.org)
America needs a Secretary of State who can repair relations with countries around the world and stand up for human rights. Instead, we have a Secretary of State who chaired meetings on specific torture techniques. Our international reputation and moral standing are just the the latest in the ever growing costs of this Administration's foreign policy.
This report indicates that officials at these meetings included Vice President Cheney, former National Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft. It is now clear that abusive techniques at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib were not isolated incidents by a few "bad apples". Instead, they were the logical consequence of policies dictated at the highest level of government and led by the current Secretary of State. Her directives to the CIA were unambiguous, "This is your baby, go do it".
Take action right now. Demand Rice resign:
http://www.truemajority.org/...
Resignation is the only option. And, Congress needs to get its act together and launch investigations into whether Secretary of State Rice lied under oath. At a time when our Government is criticizing China for human rights abuses in Tibet, it is beyond the pale to have a Secretary of State approving Torture.