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Bush Must Apologize for Torture

Don't let subordinates take the fall, Sullivan urges former president

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2009 8:03 AM CDT

(Newser) – The only way to remove the stain of torture from America's name is for the man who authorized it to step up and take responsibility, Atlantic editor Andrew Sullivan writes in an open letter to George W. Bush. Dodging blame while his subordinates take the fall—and watching the country go through the agony of prosecuting them—is dishonorable, Sullivan writes. Worse, it leaves the door open for future presidents to return to the policy in times of war, with the same "polarizing, demoralizing, war-crippling results."

Treating combatants—no matter what their legal status—as human beings with human rights is a principle that lies at the core of Western civilization and the Christian faith, Sullivan argues. It's wrong to let those further down the chain of command take the fall for actions green-lighted by their commander-in-chief, he writes. Taking responsibility, and showing the world an "example of a democratic society confronting its own crimes, led by the man who authorized them, would itself help restore this country’s reputation. And yours."

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"The point of this letter, Mr. President," writes Sullivan, " is to beg you to finally take responsibility for this stain on American honor and this burden on a war we must win." (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President George W. Bush reviews the troops as he attends a military appreciation parade at Fort Myer, in Arlington, Va., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

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Your own former CIA officers and service members do not deserve to take the fall for the policies they were told were legal and authorized by their commander in chief. - Andrew Sullivan

You need finally to own these decisions, to take full responsibility for them, to account for them, to explain them, and, yes, to apologize for their scope and brutality. - Andrew Sullivan

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Bush Must Apologize for Torture