
What did George W Bush do about detainees?
President George W. Bush: had the ultimate authority over detainee operations and authorized the CIA secret detention program, which forcibly disappeared individuals in long-term incommunicado detention. He authorized the CIA renditions program, which he knew or should have known would result in torture.
When did President Bush sign the stimulus bill into law?
President Bush signed the bill into law on December 30, 2005. In his signing statement, Bush said:
What did George W Bush order the CIA to do?
Bush ordered CIA secret detention program and approved renditions program. On September 17, 2001, President Bush reportedly signed a memorandum, apparently still classified, authorizing the CIA to kill, capture, detain, and interrogate al Qaeda members and others thought to be involved in the September 11 attacks.
Who was involved in the Bush administration's response to Yoo memo?
Secretary of State Colin Powell met twice with Bush to discuss his concerns about the Yoo memo. Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other military leaders voiced similar concerns. [27]

What was the Bush administration's response to the revelations of detainee abuse, including the Abu Ghrai
The Bush administration’s response to the revelations of detainee abuse, including the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal , which broke in 2004, was one of damage control rather than a search for truth and accountability. The majority of administration investigations undertaken from 2004 forward lacked the independence or breadth necessary to fully explore the prisoner-abuse issue. Almost all involved the military or CIA investigating itself, and focused on only one element of the treatment of detainees. None looked at the issue of rendition to torture, and none examined the role of civilian leaders who may have had authority over detainee treatment policy.
Who met with Bush about the Yoo memo?
Secretary of State Colin Powell met twice with Bush to discuss his concerns about the Yoo memo. Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other military leaders voiced similar concerns. [27] .
How many times was Zubaydah waterboarded?
Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times .
Where was Zubaydah shot?
Zubaydah was shot during his arrest and taken to a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, before being transferred to a secret CIA facility, apparently in Bangkok, Thailand. [49]
How did Rumsfeld create the conditions for members of the US armed forces to commit torture and other war crimes?
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld created the conditions for members of the US armed forces to commit torture and other war crimes by approving interrogation techniques that violated the Geneva Conventions and the Convention against Torture.
What is the 9-11 Commission?
An independent, nonpartisan commission, along the lines of the 9-11 Commission, should therefore be established to examine the actions of the executive branch, the CIA, the military, and Congress, and to make recommendations to ensure that such widespread and systematic abuses are not repeated. [16]
What was the impact of the 9/11 attacks on the US?
The US government’s disregard for human rights in fighting terrorism in the years following the September 11, 2001 attacks diminished the US’ moral standing, set a negative example for other governments, and undermined US government efforts to reduce anti-American militancy around the world.
May 18, 2004: OLC Sends Memo Pertaining to Detainee Treatment Act
Rene Lerner, a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), and Justice Department lawyer Adrien Silas send a memo to Assistant Attorney General William Moschella.
December 13, 2005: Army Pushes Limits of What It Considers Legal Interrogation in New Guidelines
The Army adopts a new, classified set of interrogation methods that some feel may change the nature of the debate over cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees in US custody. The Detainee Treatment Act (DTA—see December 30, 2005 ), which bases its definition of torture in part on Army standards, is currently wending its way through Congress.
December 15, 2005: Bush Accepts Watered-Down Detainee Treatment Act
The Bush administration relents in its opposition to the Detainee Treatment Act (DTA), which would ban torture of prisoners by US personnel (see July 24, 2005 and After and December 30, 2005 ).
February, 2006: Senators Graham and Kyl Attempt to Mislead Supreme Court Over Hamdan Case and Detainee Treatment Act
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) file an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (see June 30, 2006) saying that because of the passage of the Detainee Treatment Act (DTA—see December 15, 2005 ), the Court no longer has jurisdiction over the case.
February 13, 2008: McCain Votes Against Anti-Waterboarding Bill
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican nominee for president, urges President Bush to veto an upcoming bill prohibiting waterboarding and other extreme methods of interrogation after himself voting against the bill. The bill passes the Senate on a largely partisan 51-45 vote.
January 29, 2009: Former Bush Lawyer Says US Must Continue Detaining, Torturing Terror Suspects
John Yoo, the former Bush administration legal adviser who authored numerous opinions on the legality of torture, detentions without legal representation, and warrantless wiretapping (see November 6-10, 2001, December 28, 2001, January 9, 2002, August 1, 2002, and August 1, 2002, among others), writes an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal opposing the Obama administration’s intent to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility (see January 20, 2009 and January 22, 2009 )) and restrict the CIA’s ability to torture detainees (see January 22, 2009 ).
Who was the Undersecretary of Defense for the Bush Administration?
The story of the Bush administration’s interpretation on the applicability of the Geneva Conventions in the War on Terror begins decades earlier with the administration’s Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Douglas Feith, Feith had an extensive background working on national security policy in Washington, and he first gained attention in this area in the 1980’s when he served in the Reagan administration. At the time, he argued that terrorists did not deserve protection under the Geneva Conventions—a decision that was rooted in the passionate Zionist’s desire to oppose protection of anti-Israeli terrorists. 10 His background on the subject made him a valuable player early on in the process, and his significant role throughout the course of the deliberations can be symbolized by his making of the final pitch to the President on the order to vacate the Conventions; which he later recounted to Philippe Sands in the book Torture Team. 11 Feith was one of the “earliest and most ardent supporters” of the new interpretation of the applicability of Geneva; an interpretation which denied POW status to members of the Taliban and al Qaeda on the basis that they were ‘illegal enemy combatants” not covered by the Conventions, and that because Afghanistan was a “failed state” it was no longer a party to the Conventions it had signed. 12
Why did the Bush administration abandon the Geneva Convention?
With the abandonment of Geneva Convention applicability, the Bush administration gained the flexibility to hold detainees for indefinite periods of time, as the United States was no longer required to hold Article 5 tribunals to determine the status of detainees.
What memo authorized a set of techniques to be used on Abu Zubayda?
The August 1 st classified memo that authorized a set of techniques to be used on Abu Zubayda legalized a number of procedures that had been used as torture methods in other countries for decades or, in some cases, centuries.
What was Abu Zubayda's role in the war on terror?
The capture of Abu Zubayda as one of the first high-value detainees in the War on Terror was one of the driving forces behind the formulation of the administration’s policy on harsh interrogation techniques. But his capture and treatment do not tell the entire story. Though the accounts of his and other detainee treatment may be shudder inducing, ...
What was the most important development during the Bush presidency?
Though the accounts of his and other detainee treatment may be shudder inducing, one of the most important developments during the Bush presidency was the outcome from deliberations among senior administration officials just after September 11th on the handling of detainees captured during the War on Terror.
What was the August 1st Memos?
The August 1st Memos. The decision on the Geneva Conventions only provided a limited amount of wiggle room for the administration, and it did not give any specific guidance as to the applicability of domestic law with regard specific “enhanced” interrogation techniques.
What were the principles of the Bush administration?
The executive actions that followed provided the Bush administration’s interpretation of some of the earliest foundational principles of America’s constitutional system, one founded on traditions of separation of powers, due process, and the rule of law. Understanding of these early decisions is crucial to grasping the administration’s reshaping ...

Overview
The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (DTA) is an Act of the United States Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on 30 December 2005. Offered as an amendment to a supplemental defense spending bill, it contains provisions relating to treatment of persons in custody of the Department of Defense, and administration of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including:
Legislative details
The amendment affected the United States Senate Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (DOD Act); the amendment is commonly referred to as the Amendment on (1) the Army Field Manual and (2) Cruel, Inhumane, Degrading Treatment, amendment #1977 and also known as the McCain Amendment 1977. It became the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (DTA) as Division A, Title X of the DOD Act. The amendment prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including pri…
Signing statement by President Bush
President Bush signed the bill into law on December 30, 2005. In his signing statement, Bush said:
The executive branch shall construe Title X in Division A of the Act, relating to detainees, in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch and as Commander in Chief and consistent with the constitutional limitations on the judicial power, which will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the Pr…
Criticism
The Act sets the Army's standards of interrogation as the standard for all agencies in the Department of Defense. It prohibits all other agencies of the U.S. government, such as the CIA, from subjecting any person in their custody to "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment." However, the Act does not provide detailed guidelines that spell out the meaning of that phrase. In an effort to provide clarification, Congress passed legislation in 2008 to similarly …
See also
• United Nations Convention Against Torture
• Ethical arguments regarding torture
• Ticking time bomb scenario
• Unlawful combatant
External links
• Bush, McCain and 'torture' - Robert J. Caldwell, The San Diego Union-Tribune - September 24, 2006
• Text of Amendment Archived 2008-11-27 at the Wayback Machine
• Senators who voted for and against the amendment