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The Presidential Candidates and Torture JOANNE MARINER The US presidential campaign got underway in 2007, and the military detention facility at Guantanamo marked its fifth year. What to do about Guantanamo and, more broadly, how the US government should treat suspected terrorists, were questions that the presidential candidates were repeatedly called upon to address. Below, test your knowledge of the candidates' position on Guantanamo, torture, and habeas corpus. 1. At a Republican presidential debate in May, the moderator asked former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani if he would support the use of waterboarding (simulated drowning) and other so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" on people who were believed to have information about a future terrorist attack. Giuliani responded:
2. The moderator of the debate then turned to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. As part of his answer, Romney defended Guantanamo, saying:
3. At a speech to civic and business leaders in New Hampshire a few weeks later, Romney expanded on his praise for Guantanamo. He said that, having visited Guantanamo, he found that:
4. In December, the Armed Forces Journal published a statement addressed to Rudy Giuliani and Attorney General Michael Mukasey, criticizing their "tacit support of waterboarding." The statement said that:
5. Which Republican presidential candidates have spoken out against waterboarding?
6. Which presidential candidate has strongly advocated repealing the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (which, among other things, stripped the federal courts of jurisdiction over cases brought by detainees at Guantanamo)?
7. A number of presidential candidates have promised that, if elected, they would close Guantanamo. From the list below, name the candidates in favor of Guantanamo's closure:
8. Texas congressman Ron Paul, a straight-talking libertarian, has criticized the phrase "enhanced interrogation technique." To him, it sounds like:
9. Which presidential candidate criticized the Bush administration reluctance to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the CIA's destruction of videotapes of detainee interrogations, saying: "The continuing saga of cover-up and delay by this administration must be stopped before more documents are lost to future investigators."
10. Rudy Giuliani has said that ____ is the defining issue in the upcoming election:
11. Which presidential candidate told a Texas audience in June that: "we're going to close Guantanamo. And we're going to restore habeas corpus .Ö We're going to lead by example -- not just by word but by deed. That's our vision for the future."
Answer key: 1:c; 2:b; 3:c; 4: all of the above; 5: b and d; 6:b; 7: the candidates in favor of closing Guantanamo are Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Kucinich, McCain, Obama, Paul, and Richardson; 8:d; 9:b; 10:c; 11: d. Joanne Mariner is a human rights attorney based in New York.
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