Former Bush Adviser Karl Rove says he’s “proud” the Bush administration used techniques like waterboarding “that broke the will of these terrorists, and gave us valuable information that allowed us to foil plots.”
In an interview with the BBC, Rove was asked about the Bush administration’s interrogation techniques, and whether he is “proud” of its use of waterboarding.
“I’m proud that we kept the world safer,” he replied. These techniques are “appropriate, they’re in conformity with our international requirements and with U.S. law.”
When asked about the fact that waterboarding is torture, Rove scoffed: “No, it’s not. People need to read the memos that outline what was permissible and not permissible.”
Rove also respondedto a recent comment by former MI-5 Chief Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller that top Bush administration officials watched and took cues from Fox’s 24, which frequently shows protagonist Jack Bauer using torture to acquire information.
“That’s laughable,” said Rove, who then explained that President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld rarely watched TV.
About Vice President Dick Cheney, on the other hand, Rove’s answer was not quite as definitive:
“While Vice President Cheney was a fan of 24, he’s fully capable of distinguishing between fact and fiction.”
Video can be seen here.
