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

[Aquinasfan]

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

Don't be too sure.

[TexasCajun]

...just don't fire a pistol near him!

That might scare him into giving up information that might save soldiers lives!
And get you court-martialed to boot!

[Quix]

She sinks lower on the rank of dispicable critters.

[packrat35]

I hate you
You hate me
I shot Barney gleefully

With a big load roar
As Barney hit the floor
No More Purple Dinosaur

[packrat35]

That's Yoko Ono's Greatest Screeches

[LittleJoe]

Amazing...Not once over the years have I heard Stahl or CBS voice concern about his torture and murder of thousands. Now we should feel sorry for him because he is being deprived of his beauty sleep?

I consider this more proof that the socialist liberals prefer a Saddam or a Hitler over a free capitalist republic!

[Poohbah]

Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs."

[Fire137]

And ther is no bias in the news? This takes the cake!!!

[thinking]

Lets see if I understand the situation....US military find this old tramp sleeping on the bare ground in a six foot hole, no food, no water, no toilet. The guy looks like he hasn't slept in 6 months, and for sure hasn't had a bath...so now we should worry about his jail cell accommodation, give us a break....stupid liberals!!!!

[Fire137]

And there is no bias in the news? This takes the cake!!!

[bert]

How about a tv that gets nothing but CBS news? Real torture.

[Fire137]

Leslie feels sorry for him. She's even more upset that her pipe dream of a Howard Dean Administration just got STOPPED DEAD IN IT's TRACKS

[alnick]

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.

Wasn't that something to behold? I love Rummy.

[breakem]

He seemed like a patient teacher talking to the slowest student in the class.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Lesley Stahl

TV news reporter

Born: 12/16/41

Birthplace: Swampscott, Mass. (no kidding)

Stahl graduated from Wheaton College in 1963. She has been a reporter for CBS News since the early 1970s.

[Spok]

The 173rd Airborne could get VC to talk just by taking them for a helicopter ride. Dangedest thing I ever saw.

[FreedomCalls]

If sleep deprivation is now considered torture there are 100,000 soldiers in Iraq who are being tortured right now. To say nothing of the night shift workers who are stocking shelves at your local grocery, delivering your newspaper in before dawn, patrolling your neighborhood in a police vehicle at 3 am, running the electric power plant, working the ER at your hospital, and the myriad of other things people do with very little sleep to keep the country running while you are sleeping every night.

[Dan from Michigan]

To quote from a Skynyrd song to Stahl.

"If they don't like they can just....GET THE HELL OUT!!

[edwin hubble]

"He seemed like a patient teacher talking to the slowest student in the class."

He looked straight at her like she had lost her mind, and then slowly repeated her previous question to him "Will you torture him?" and his previous answer "We will adhere to Geneva Conventions". He told her he had just answered that question... and said "now don't you think that's a little out of line?"

Admirabile restrain was shown.

[SAJ]

Aw, have a little mercy. At least alternate ''Barney'' with ''You Light Up My Life'' and ''Take a Chance On Me'' (and any other revolting can't-get-out-of-your-head tunes that anyone can think of...)

:^)