No matter how often waterboarding has been used by the United States, and we know it has been, it's torture. We know that as torture it's banned by the Army Field Manual. We know that we hanged Japanese officers for using it during WW II. We know that we don't want such things done to any American captured by an enemy. Administration doubletalk notwithstanding, it's torture and hypothetical scenarios about saving the world from destruction set aside, it elicits bad and unreliable confessions that can be used to further illegitimate agendas.
The Senate passed a bill yesterday that establishes a uniform standard of conduct which implements the Army Manual interrogation guidelines. John McCain, the Maverick, voted against it. I'm sure that like the rest of the Republican herd, he had his reasons.
4 comments:
Every Senator who voted against that bill, should be given the opportunity to experience the waterboarding treatment, just so that they can then come back, and vote again, based upon their own experience.
MrSleep
* Politics over Principal.
I lost most of my respect for John McCain over the past four years while he's whittled away his principles in order to win the Republican nomination. It's been shocking to watch, really, and I have to say that when he essentially sewed up the Republican nomination, I breathed a slight sigh of relief. While I thought I'd be profoundly disappointed if he won, I knew wouldn't be devastated like I was in 04, because at least this guy has "some" integrity, to wit: his position on torture which showed (the kissing of the Robertson/Falwell rings notwithstanding) that he would still stand up to the most extreme elements of his party. Well, that all changed with this vote. His "maverick" persona has been just that, part of a rehearsed character that he's willing to change with the political exigencies of the moment. I now have zero respect for him. I'll now be devastated if he wins in November.
Fool me once...
Is it me or does it seem like McCain goes slightly further off the deep end with each appearance he makes? By the time November rolls around, he's going to need full-time handlers to keep him from giggling uncontrollably with his hand on the trigger.
"he's going to need full-time handlers to keep him from giggling uncontrollably with his hand on the trigger."
Sort of like George, you mean?
I'll be more than devastated if that twit becomes President, but that sort of idiotic and irrational choice seems to be an American thing.
Post a Comment