Senator Durbin’s Statements: Look Closely at What He Said Before Condemning Him

Democratic Senator Dick Durban’s comments about comparing American prison guard actions to Nazi and Soviet treatment of prisoners isn’t as bad as Fox News and conservatives are making it out to be.

Here is the passage he read from the FBI report from an agent reporting what he saw during his visits to Guantanamo Bay (and this is directly from the Congressional Record):




This is the very next thing that Durban said:

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings. Sadly that is not the case. This was the actions of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."

Now, did he directly say that the American guards were just like Nazi or Soviet guards and their treatment of prisoners?

Read what he said carefully. That’s not what he said at all.

The first sentence is crucial. It says, in brief, that IF we didn’t know that it was an FBI report on how Americans were treating their prisoners, we’d assume that it was a report on Soviet or Nazi conduct toward prisoners due to the brutality of what was happening to the prisoners as described in the report. Or some other regime that is well known for not caring about people, such as Pol Pot.

The second sentence: "Sadly, this is not the case." He's expressing regret that it ISN'T a report from somewhere else about someone else.

The third sentence: "This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners." That's what the FBI report says. Durbin was simply re-emphasizing the content of the FBI report.

Understand: this is political hay, nothing more. And it is those who are Guantanamo's biggest supporters who are making the most noise about the Senator's statements. The Senator's statement was accurate and it's making the Administration and those out on the right really upset. They should get over it.

This is free speech. Any attempt to paint it as something else plays right into the opposition's hands. What are the prison camp supporters going to suggest next, banning free speech of Americans who oppose holding foreign prisoners without trial? Will that be part of Patriot Act III?

With all due respect, go jump in a lake.