This morning NPR is running a lengthy story about Jose Padilla, the American citizen who has been subject to a shifting set of accusations of terrorism since 2002. Originally accused of meeting with Osama and planning to detonate a dirty bomb, NPR notes that "Many of those claims turned out to be untrue, or at least unsubstantiated."
Padilla's rights as an American citizen have basically been set aside, and he's been subject to amazing treatment by our government.
Padilla's lawyers contend that as a result of his isolation and interrogation, their client is so mentally damaged that he is unable to assist in his own defense. He is so passive and fearful now, they maintain, that he is "like a piece of furniture."
While NPR provided some useful background on this case, they left out at least one important point. What really shouldn't go forgotten is the timing of John Ashcroft's announcement of Padilla's arrest back in 2002. The Bush Administration's hallmark achievement has been it ability to control the message in the national press. The Padilla case may very well be an example of this. Check out below the fold for details.
First, here's NPR's update on Padilla's treatment:
According to court papers filed by Padilla's lawyers, for the first two years of his confinement, Padilla was held in total isolation. He heard no voice except his interrogator's. His 9-by-7 foot cell had nothing in it: no window even to the corridor, no clock or watch to orient him in time.
Padilla's meals were delivered through a slot in the door. He was either in bright light for days on end or in total darkness. He had no mattress or pillow on his steel pallet; loud noises interrupted his attempts to sleep.
Sometimes it was very cold, sometimes hot. He had nothing to read or to look at. Even a mirror was taken away. When he was transported, he was blindfolded and his ears were covered with headphones to screen out all sound. In short, Padilla experienced total sensory deprivation.
During length interrogations, his lawyers allege, Padilla was forced to sit or stand for long periods in stress positions. They say he was hooded and threatened with death. The isolation was so extreme that, according to court papers, even military personnel at the prison expressed great concern about Padilla's mental status.
The government maintains that whatever happened to Padilla during his detention is irrelevant, since no information obtained during that time is being used in the criminal case against him.
Its awful to think that an American citizen could be treated this way by our own government. It shows you the stakes of this case.
Now turn back the clock to the media frenzy that ensued with Padilla's arrest back in 2002. The press went wild, understandably, with the suggestion of dirty bombs in the U.S. Stop by USA Today for the flavor: multimedia, chats, graphics, the works.
Ashcroft announced Padilla's arrest on June 10, 2002. What else was going on?
On May 18, 2002, the Washington Post reported that President Bush had received the memo about Osama determined to strike the U.S. and that the FBI had determined that terrorists were looking at using airplanes as weapons. No actions had been taken.
On June 4, 2002, the New York Times reported that
Egyptian intelligence warned American officials about a week before Sept. 11 that Osama bin Laden's network was in the advance stages of executing a significant operation against an American target, President Hosni Mubarak said in an interview on Sunday.
Congress announced hearings to examine what the Adminsitration knew prior to 9/11 and what they did about it. On June 6, 2002, at a Senate hearing, Sen. Specter stated:
My own professional judgment is that it wasn’t a matter of con-
necting the dots before 9/11. I think there was a virtual blueprint.
I think had all of it been put together or leads followed that could
have been put together, I think there was a distinct possibility of
preventing 9/11.
With additional congressional hearings planned in June, this story was not trending the way the Administration wanted it to.
So on June 10, 2002, Ashcroft announced that they had arrested Padilla and thwarted a dirty bomb attack -- an accusation that remains unsubstantiated. But, boy, did it dominate the public discussion that summer. So much so that it wasn't until after the 2002 midterm elections that the public got back to the discussion of how the attacks might have been been prevented
The Administration has created a record that raises serious concern about its use of terror related announcements. Consider the terrorism warning to NY in 2004, and DHS Secretary Tom Ridge's coordination with the Bush campaign.
If an American citizen has been reduced to a "piece of furniture" simply to meet the Bush Administration's press objectives, that is a tragic stain on the U.S. record.