High time Americans knew Bush crimes - ex-US Senator

Press TV has interviewed Mike Gravel, former US senator, from San Francisco, to discuss a move by two US senators for the release of a summary of a Senate report which details the CIA’s torture techniques during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Press TV: How important do you think it is that this report should be released?

Gravel: I think it’s extremely important for the American people to realize what their government has been doing all these years, which is the height of immorality. One human being torturing another is beyond the pale.

I’m very encouraged by the fact that Susan Collins and Angus King - now Suzanne’s Republican. Angus King is an independent. He was the governor of Maine. Maine has a very long tradition of independence in its political thinking. So, the fact that these two individuals, who are on the committee, are siding with releasing the report, I think it is very encouraging and increases substantially the chance the American public will get this information finally.

Press TV: Senator, do you believe that if in the hypothetical situation this report is released, that we are now closer to the day when the US government will be held accountable to the torture that it may be responsible for?

Gravel: Well, I don’t think we’re closer to that day. What we need to do is, and there’s no political force right now in the United States, we need to sign the Treaty of Rome about genocide and about criminal activities by political leaders. We brought Milosevich to trial in The Hague. We need to bring American leaders to trial.

But when you saw that when Obama became president, he said ‘we won’t look back,’ which means that he has no intention of investigating through the Justice Department the conduct of the president and vice-president, Bush and Cheney, make them accountable for the invasion of Iraq, which has cost thousands of lives.

That is something that America needs to finally mature to. I hope that somebody would push this too because you won’t see the government punishing these people. You’re going to have to do this at the world court.