Stahl Worries U.S. May “Deprive” Him of Sleep, Make Him Hot/Cold

Media Research Center ^ | 12-15-03 | Medial Reseach Center

[FlyLow]

CBS’s Lesley Stahl is worried the U.S. might “torture” Saddam Hussein by depriving him of sleep or making him “very cold” or “very hot.” Interviewing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for Sunday’s 60 Minutes, Stahl wanted Rumsfeld to confirm: “The Red Cross can see him soon?” She soon raised the notion of “torture,” demanding to know: “Would we deprive him of sleep, would we make it very cold where he is, or very hot? Are there any restrictions on the way we treat him to get him to cooperate more than he has been?” When Rumsfeld insisted we would we follow the Geneva Conventions, that wasn’t good enough for Stahl who pressed: “Sleep deprivation, that kind of thing. You're ruling it completely out, is that what you're telling us?”

That elicited a classic Rumsfeld response: “I'm not telling you anything other than I have just told you.”

For 60 Minutes, CBS put Rumsfeld on the Face the Nation set in Washington, DC while Stahl quizzed him from a set in New York City.

When Stahl raised the conditions in which Hussein is being held, Rumsfeld assured: “His circumstance is he is at an undisclosed location for obvious reasons. He is being accorded the protections of a prisoner of war and his treatment will be governed by the Geneva Convention.” Stahl wanted to know: “The Red Cross can see him soon?” Rumsfeld: “Those are judgments that will be made by the lawyers as we go along, but one need not worry that he'll be treated in a humane and professional way.” Stahl: “There have been some suggestions that he might try and bargain -- in other words, he'll say okay, 'I'll tell you something about weapons of mass destruction or whatever it is, the insurgency, if you will spare my life.’ Would we engage in a negotiation with this man?” Rumsfeld: “The treatment of a person in his circumstance, it seems to me, is going to end up being discussed by the coalition at a high level, and lawyers will be involved and I think it's a bit early to begin making snap decisions about what might be done. But I think that in the last analysis here's a man who has killed so many tens of thousands of people who will have to be held accountable and brought to justice in some form in some way.” Stahl: “Now, you said that he would be treated as a prisoner of war, but what if-” Rumsfeld: “No, he would be accorded the privileges and as though he were a prisoner of war, not that he necessarily is one. And I say that advisedly.” Stahl: “What’s the distinction?” Rumsfeld: “We don't know yet, but to the extent that he was involved in the insurgency, that one would, a lawyer might say something either different from or in addition to. That's why I just said he would be accorded the protections for the time being of a prisoner of war and certainly his treatment would be governed by the Geneva Conventions.” Stahl bemoaned how Hussein might not get 5 star hotel treatment: “Let me raise the whole question, for lack of a better term, torture. Let's say he's not forthcoming. Would we deprive him of sleep, would we make it very cold where he is, or very hot? Are there any restrictions on the way we treat him to get him to cooperate more than he has been?” Rumsfeld retorted: “You know, to even raise the word torture in terms of how the United States military would treat this person seems to me is a unfortunate. We don't torture people and here's a man who has tortured to death tens of thousands of people, conducted rape and brutality the likes of which it would be difficult to find a more vicious and brutal dictator in our adult lifetimes. And I just told you that he would be treated according to the Geneva Conventions and to suggest that any one would be engaged in torture or conduct inconsistent with the Geneva Conventions seems to me isn't on the mark at all.” Stahl: “Sleep deprivation, that kind of thing. You're ruling it completely out, is that what you're telling us?” Rumsfeld: “I'm not telling you anything other than I have just told you. He'll be treated according to the Geneva Convention and given the protections of a prisoner of war.”

CBS has posted a transcript of the interview, but I noticed some errors in comparing it to what aired: www.cbsnews.com

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

CBS is obviously worried he might spill the beans on WMD.

[razorback-bert]

I will borrow John F-- Kerry's word.

F-- you Lesley Stahl !

[Rays_Dad]

CBS’s Lesley Stahl is worried the U.S. might “torture” Saddam Hussein by depriving him of sleep or making him “very cold” or “very hot.”

__________________
I saw we just beat the tar out of him.

[Rays_Dad]

saw = say

[Dog]

My liberal boss told me about this interview this morning....it even shocked him.

[jonascord]

Why can't we wire HER to a light socket, and ask if it is safe?

[goodnesswins]

Oh, if only Rummy had asked.....shall we keep him as comfortable as he kept some of his own citizens, Leslie???

[reagan_fanatic]

I saw this too.

Leslie would be singing a different tune if her family had been among the victims of Saddam's torturers and killers.

Liberals truly are from another universe.

[taxcontrol]

Ahem, I "observed" an question and answer session of a US Intel officer on the opforces on war games in Germany.

Officer was tied with his hands behind the tree in a kneeling position. Two buckets of water were provided one of warm water, one of cold. Outside temp was about 38 degrees.

Questions were asked. Cooperative answers or correct answers earned a 1/4 cup of warm water that was poured over the officers head. Uncooperative answers or down right lies were treated with a splash of 1/4 cup cold water.

Again I "observed" the Intell officer provide full details of enemy forces operations in less than 1 hour. He was very cooperative very quickly.

[68skylark]

Thanks for posting this -- I really couldn't believe her attitude.

And while we're on the subject of bad attitudes, what was up with Peter Jennings last night and the way he kept cutting off Sec. Rumsfeld's answers?

[Ima Lurker]

Lesley's an idiot.

[breakem]

After Rummy said we'd follow the Geneva Accords, she asked if we would torture Saddam. I thought he was going come throught the screen and choke her.

[dead]

Give him... the comfy chair!

Not the comfy chair!!

[newgeezer]

Saddam Hussein knew the Leslie Stahls of this sometimes overly-civilized (-feminized) nation would take very good care of him. He knew there was no way he'd be uncomfortable -- especially compared to that hole in the ground -- much less "tortured."

Thus, the coward had no qualms about surrendering.

[Poohbah]

No, we'll just play the Barney song into his cell 24/7.

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Give me 10 minutes, a blowtorch and some rusty pliers and it'll not be sleep he's worried about losing.

[Digger]

We are seeing where America is going. The people must take back the country or these idiots will take it. Best thing would be an all out revolution - from kicking out illegals to the Supreme Court. This pontific goofball needs a few films of the tortures SH did. Better yet, she needs a few of the survivors of tortured families having a visit with her. What she really needs is a pink slip, then she can go work for the Red Cross & pontificate some more.

[Lucky2]

Leslie Stahl is a traitor along with katie couric, matt lauer, alan combs, and the rest of the deck of weasels. Maybe leslie would have preferred to be a victim of one of Sadham's tourture chambers, then she's sing a different toon.

[The Raven]

There going to put him back in the hole