Bush and Obama, Wars and Economy: Power and People in an Age of Limits and Loss 567reasons for the bombings of the WTC—U.S. support of Israel, the continuing
sanctions on Iran, and the presence of U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia. To Bush,
stopping the attack on American freedom by people abroad included signifi-
cant attacks on others, mostly civilians, and Americans at home. Indeed, the
revelations about the torture program were made worse by what can only be
labeled, charitably, casual lies uttered by the president and others in his admin-
istration. In 2004, Bush told a reporter who asked if torture was ever justified,
“Look, I’m going to say it one more time.... Maybe I can be more clear. The
instructions went out to our people to adhere to law. That ought to comfort
you. We’re a nation of law. We adhere to laws. We have laws on the books.
You might look at these laws, and that might provide comfort for you.” In
November 2005, Bush flatly stated, “We do not torture.” His words evoked
memories of Richard Nixon, during Watergate, saying that actions directed by
the president were not illegal because of his executive power.
FIGuRE 11-5 Detainees upon arrival at Guantanamo Bay, 2002