Text 13670, 63 rader
Skriven 2005-06-21 21:45:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
Ärende: Durbin
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050621/ap_on_go_co/guantanamo_durbin_3

Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks 

By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer 
Tue Jun 21, 6:09 PM ET
 


WASHINGTON - Under fire from Republicans and some fellow Democrats, Sen. 
Dick Durbin apologized Tuesday for comparing American interrogators at 
the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to Nazis and other historically infamous 
figures. 

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"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," the Illinois 
Democrat said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

His voice quaking and tears welling in his eyes, the No. 2 Democrat in 
the Senate also apologized to any soldiers who felt insulted by his 
remarks.

"They're the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them," he 
said.

The apology came a week after Durbin, the Senate minority whip, quoted 
from an     FBI agent's report describing detainees at the Naval base in 
a U.S.-controlled portion of Cuba as being chained to the floor without 
food or water in extreme temperatures.

"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," the senator said June 14.

The comment created a buzz on the Internet and among conservative talk 
radio hosts, but Durbin initially refused to apologize.

"This administration should apologize to the American people for 
abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques 
that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure," he said the 
day after his initial comments.

By last Friday, Durbin was trying to clarify his comments, yet the White 
House and top Republicans including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist 
refused to relent. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in an interview 
scheduled for broadcast Wednesday on Fox News radio's "The Tony Snow 
Show," tried to equate the comment with actress Jane Fonda calling U.S. 
soldiers war criminals during a visit to North Vietnam in 1972.

On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley — a fellow Democrat — added his 
voice to the chorus of criticism, saying, "I think it's a disgrace to 
say that any man or woman in the military would act like that."

Durbin said in his apology: "I made reference to Nazis, to Soviets, and 
other repressive regimes. Mr. President, I've come to understand that's 
a very poor choice of words."


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