The Message

May 11, 2004, 11:55 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary, thank you for your hospitality, and thank you for your leadership. You are courageously leading our nation in the war against terror. You're doing a superb job. You are a strong Secretary of Defense, and our nation owes you a debt of gratitude.

and today:

Rumsfeld Backs Iraq Interrogation Methods
Wednesday May 12, 2004 6:01 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld defended military interrogation techniques in Iraq on Wednesday, rejecting complaints that they violate international rules and may endanger Americans taken prisoner.

***

...Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. said some of the approved techniques ``go far beyond the Geneva Convention,'' a reference to international rules governing the treatment of prisoners of war.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: we signed on to the Geneva Convention not to protect the bad guys, but our own soldiers. Poor Nick Berg was a civilian, but let's imagine for a moment he was wearing the uniform. That's what's next.