Letter: Our president is a bit unclear on dignity

Friday, Sept. 22, 2006 | 7:31 a.m.

During President Bush's press conference last Friday, the subject turned to the Geneva Conventions and the treatment of detainees. The manner in which the president responded to reporters said volumes about the sad state of the present administration and its completely distorted view of the world.

The president said: "This debate is occurring because of the Supreme Court's ruling that said that we must conduct ourselves under the Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions. And that Common Article III says that there will be no outrages upon human dignity. It's very vague. What does that mean, outrages upon human dignity?"

I never thought the day would come when an American president, standing next to an American flag, would claim ignorance of any part of such a phrase.

When George Washington oversaw the installation of our Republic, I'm sure he understood. When Abraham Lincoln saved that Republic and forged a new nation from the ashes of the Civil War, I have no doubt that a clear understanding of the meaning of "human dignity" was foremost in his mind. Following World War I, Woodrow Wilson's "14 Points" showed the world that human dignity had a secure home within our borders. The American heroes of World War II, some of whom are still among us, didn't have to carry around a dictionary as they were liberating the concentration camps.

America's traditions define human dignity. However, it seems George W. Bush couldn't recognize it if its broad stripes and bright stars were flapping in his face.

Gabriel L. Grasso, Las Vegas