Oh, black sites

By the way, those secret CIA prisons the administration would never acknowledge? They're real. As for the details, we're going to have to take the word of George Bush, who avoided acknowledging the prisons' existence for nearly a year and who has lied to the American people repeatedly.

President Bush on Wednesday acknowledged the existence of previously secret CIA prisons around the world and said 14 high-value terrorism suspects — including the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks — have been transferred from the system to Guantanamo Bay for trials.

He said the "small number" of detainees that have been kept in CIA custody include people responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 in Yemen and the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in addition to the 2001 attacks.

Small number? Because detainees at black sites "have no recognized legal rights, and no one outside the CIA is allowed to talk with or even see them, or to otherwise verify their well-being," we're going to have to take his word for it. People who are so certainly guilty of bombings that the United States government can't bring charges against them? We're going to have to take his word for it.

The announcement from Bush is the first time the administration has acknowledged the existence of CIA prisons, which have been a source of friction between Washington and some allies in Europe. The administration has come under criticism for its treatment of terrorism detainees. European Union lawmakers said the CIA was conducting clandestine flights in Europe to take terror suspects to countries where they could face torture.

Defending the program, the president said the questioning of these detainees has provided critical intelligence information about terrorist activities that have enabled officials to prevent attacks not only in the United States, but Europe and other countries. He said the program has been reviewed by administration lawyers and been the subject of strict oversight from within the CIA.

But this critical intelligence information may never be revealed, even on the off chance a detainee comes to trial, becuase the administration is trying to keep evidence against defendants that happens to be classified secret from defendants:

Pushing a hard line with legislation he promoting [sic] for Capitol Hill consideration later Wednesday, Bush was insisting on military tribunals in which evidence would be withheld from a defendant if necessary to protect classified information.

So, once again, we're going to have to take his word for it.

Bush would not detail the type of interrogation techniques that are used through the program, saying they are tough but do not constitute torture.

No reason that claim should be scrutinized, right? Oh yeah, Gitmo. Oh yeah, Abu Grahib. Oh yeah, extraordinary renditions. Oh yeah, Dilawar.

But I guess we're going to have to take his word for it.

"This program has helped us to take potential mass murderers off the streets before they have a chance to kill," the president said. "It is invaluable to America and our allies."

Perhaps this is a window into why the administration is in no particular hurry to try any of its detainees: They're only "potential" criminals. Meaning they haven't done anything yet. But Sherlock Bush knows that it's just a matter of time. The real problem seems to be that the legal system in this country hasn't caught up with George Bush's ability to anticipate future crimes. So, once again, we're going to have to take his word for it.

The president's announcement, which the White House touted beforehand and asked to be televised live on the networks, comes as Bush has sought with a series of speeches to sharpen the focus on national security two months before high-stakes congressional elections.

Right before these high-stakes elections, the administration admits that it sidesteps due process by operating secret prisons that it filled with suspects who have never been charged with anything. And the Democrats are still playing defense. Maybe the reason they never win an election is because they don't want to. That and Diebold.

It doesn't exactly fill one with confidence to take the word of a guy who ostensibly wrote this letter:

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:

(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

(2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Sincerely,

GEORGE W. BUSH

but now says

Q What did Iraq have to do with that?

THE PRESIDENT: What did Iraq have to do with what?

Q The attack on the World Trade Center?

THE PRESIDENT: Nothing