This story abounds with so many ironies, I couldn't add them up with a calculator. During the 1991 Gulf War, some American soldiers -- pilots whose planes were downed -- were beaten and abused by Iraqis. It took place, of course, mainly in Abu Ghraib. Congress passed a law in 1996 saying any country that sponsors terrorism loses its sovereign immunity and can be sued. The quaint Geneva Convetion states that no country who signs on must ever absolve a country of any liability for torturing POWs. The soldiers banded together, sued Saddam Hussein's murderous regime and were awarded nearly $1 billion. Hurrah!
But according to the LA Times, Bush is now standing in the way of those 17 victims of torture to keep them from collecting, saying that the Iraqis are now the good guys and need the money. Of course, they're already well experienced on doing end-runs around the Geneva Convention. But really, trying to stop American soldiers who fought bravely for their country and suffered torture under Saddam Hussein from being compensated? Here's the money quote from Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan.
"No amount of money can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of this very brutal regime and at the hands of Saddam Hussein," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked about the case in November 2003, according to the LA Times.
And now that's exactly what Bush insists they receive: absolutely no money.
Maybe they're being prudent and thinking about the future? After all, how much money would the US lose if all those innnocent people we tortured could sue us?
