Lobbying for Torture
The Emperor made an unaccustomed trip to Congress yesterday in order to bring pressure to bear on a bill he wants passed, one that allows for the torture of prisoners captured in the Global War on Terra. He didn't succeed, which is remarkable. What is more remarkable, however, is that the Washington Post editorial board is glad he didn't succeed. From today's edition:
...Mr. Bush didn't come out and say he's lobbying for torture. Instead he refers to "an alternative set of procedures" for interrogation. But the administration no longer conceals what it wants. It wants authorization for the CIA to hide detainees in overseas prisons where even the International Committee of the Red Cross won't have access. It wants permission to interrogate those detainees with abusive practices that in the past have included induced hypothermia and "waterboarding," or simulated drowning. And it wants the right to try such detainees, and perhaps sentence them to death, on the basis of evidence that the defendants cannot see and that may have been extracted during those abusive interrogation sessions.
That is a pretty good description of what Mr. Bush wants. Fortunately, some of the more conservative members of his own party have reached the limit in their patience with the current regime when it comes to such anti-American behavior. Hopefully, the Emperor's sheep in the full Congress will follow the lead of Senators McCain, Warner, and Graham rather than cave to petulant President. This editorial from the Washington Post (a news outlet which has not exactly been hypercritical of Mr. Bush these past 5+ years) will give them some courage.
Still, to be on the safe side, perhaps Americans who understand that compromising our values in this area makes us just like the "enemy" and justifies the "enemy's" behavior should let their senators and representatives know what is expected. It couldn't hurt.
...Mr. Bush didn't come out and say he's lobbying for torture. Instead he refers to "an alternative set of procedures" for interrogation. But the administration no longer conceals what it wants. It wants authorization for the CIA to hide detainees in overseas prisons where even the International Committee of the Red Cross won't have access. It wants permission to interrogate those detainees with abusive practices that in the past have included induced hypothermia and "waterboarding," or simulated drowning. And it wants the right to try such detainees, and perhaps sentence them to death, on the basis of evidence that the defendants cannot see and that may have been extracted during those abusive interrogation sessions.
That is a pretty good description of what Mr. Bush wants. Fortunately, some of the more conservative members of his own party have reached the limit in their patience with the current regime when it comes to such anti-American behavior. Hopefully, the Emperor's sheep in the full Congress will follow the lead of Senators McCain, Warner, and Graham rather than cave to petulant President. This editorial from the Washington Post (a news outlet which has not exactly been hypercritical of Mr. Bush these past 5+ years) will give them some courage.
Still, to be on the safe side, perhaps Americans who understand that compromising our values in this area makes us just like the "enemy" and justifies the "enemy's" behavior should let their senators and representatives know what is expected. It couldn't hurt.
posted by Diane at 3:58 AM
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