George Bush Defends Policies in Memoirs

World | November 9, 2010, Tuesday // 19:51|  views

Copies of former US President George W. Bush's memoir 'Decision Points' are stacked for sale at a Borders book store on the morning of the book's release in Washington, DC, USA, 09 November 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

George Bush left the White House almost two years ago, but now he is back in the spotlight with the release of his memoirs, which defend his "war on terror" and the invasion of Iraq.

In the 500-page book 'Decision Points', Bush defends his decision to invade Iraq, though writes that he 'had a sickening feeling' about not finding weapons of mass destruction there.

In the book, Bush says the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, gave his administration a clear goal and him the resolve to find out who was responsible and "kick their ass."

"In a single morning, the purpose of my presidency had grown clear: to protect our people and defend our freedom that had come under attack," he writes, as cited by CNN.

He describes his reaction when his then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice informed him of the crash of a third airplane into the Pentagon.

"I sat back in my seat and absorbed her words. My thoughts clarified: The first plane could have been an accident. The second was definitely an attack. The third was a declaration of war," the former president writes.

"My blood was boiling. We were going to find out who did this, and kick their ass."

In revealing the decision points that led him to choose waterboarding as an interrogation technique, Bush says, "CIA experts drew up a list of interrogation techniques. ... At my direction, Department of Justice and CIA lawyers conducted a careful legal review. The enhanced interrogation program complied with the Constitution and all applicable laws, including those that ban torture.

"There were two that I felt went too far, even if they were legal. I directed the CIA not to use them. Another technique was waterboarding, a process of simulated drowning. No doubt the procedure was tough, but medical experts assured the CIA that it did no lasting harm."

Bush further declares that the new techniques proved effective, yielding information on al Qaeda's structure and operations, and leading to the capture of Ramzi bin al Shibh, the logistical planner of the 9/11 attacks who was captured on the first anniversary of the attacks.

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Tags: George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, US, Decision Points

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