Finally, Some Truth

Filed in National by on April 19, 2009

Throughout the Bush Administration, Bush supporters went to great lengths to claim that waterboarding and the other “enhanced” interrogation techniques were not torture, contorting themselves into unbelievable positions to do so. They could never come out and say that “We torture.” Indeed, they did the opposite, with Bush himself saying “America doesn’t torture” even though he knew we did, since he gave the orders.

They did so because they knew deep down that it was Un-American to torture, that is was immoral, and illegal. Well, now with the Obama Administration’s decision to shine the light on the Bush Administration’s crimes by releasing the Torture Memos, it seems like the right is ready to give up the ghost of their denials.

LIMBAUGH: The idea that torture doesn’t work- that’s been put out from John McCain on down- You know, for the longest time McCain said torture doesn’t work then he admitted in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last summer that he was broken by North Vietnamese. So what are we to think here?

Here, Limbaugh is defending torture by saying it does work, because John McCain said so. In Limbaugh’s mind, it is perfectly fine to be just like the North Vietnamese, our enemy during the Vietnam War. Yes, Limbaugh is saying we must become our enemies to beat them.

Finally some truth.

One of the reasons we don’t torture is because we don’t want to become our enemies. For we Americans are better than terrorists, better than the Vietcong, better than the Nazis, better than torturers. Remember all the talk about not changing our principles after 9/11, because that would mean the terrorists win. Well, here, Limbaugh is saying we must change our principles because it works.

Except that it doesn’t. Even when Limbaugh finally reveals the truth of his position, that he is pro-torture, he has to lie to do it. John McCain never said the torture worked, and he never said he broke down under the strain and gave up vital and truthful information. What he said was he gave his captors false information to stop the abuse.

And that reveals that torture in fact doesn’t work, like most, if not all, right wing ideas.

But I am glad Limbaugh has finally admitted he loves torture and hates America, instead of trying that what the Bush Administration was doing was not torture.

Finally, a lot of my liberal friends are upset that the Obama Administration is not pursuing prosecution of those CIA agents who tortured. I am disappointed too, for if a law is broken, there should be consequences. I am pleased with the release of the memos, and with the declaration of “Never Again.” I understand Obama’s reasoning, and can see the practicality of it, since he does not want to see his Administration bogged down in prosecuting the crimes of his predecessor, and I can see the logic of not wanting these prosecutions be declared “politically motivated” by the right, as they most surely would be, if they were initiated by Obama’s own Justice Department.

So the solution is an independent Truth Commission set up by Congress, with a special prosecutor.

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  1. As unappetizing as Jensen or Scarborough’s scoffing at torture may be, torture is also against international law.

    There is a mighty troubling inability by the GOP to recognize and acknowedge the strength, peace and safety inherent in world treaties.

  2. nemski says:

    It would be nice if McCain and his crony Lieberman would step up and do the right thing here.

  3. what amazes me is the intellectual leap that the GOP and others can’t make when you say it could be you being tortured illegally.

    It’s only dirty, crazy muslims

  4. anonone says:

    Anybody – ANYBODY – who says that any torturing by American agents is acceptable is also saying that it is OK for America’s troops to be tortured if captured.

  5. cassandra_m says:

    UI pointed to Marcy Wheeler’s incredible post on the waterboarding evidence earlier and this deserves to be front paged at the NYT.

    “According to the May 30, 2005 Bradbury memo, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003 and Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times in August 2002.”
    Those kind of numbers certainly argue against any real utility of the process, but Marcy also notes that the process by which these two were waterboarded goes beyond the guidelines that the memos gave interrogators.

    In a perfect world these interrogators would be prosecuted. Especially these interrogators who got beyond even the pretty broad guidelines of the memos. But those prosecutions won’t mean much unless the people who gave them the go-ahead are prosecuted. Obama’s statement that he doesn’t want to place the blame for history glosses over the fact that placing the blame for past actions is exactly what the justice system does. And “Never Again” won’t mean much until the justice system has its say. Because “Never Again” becomes a policy choice — not the law of the land.

    So let’s not fool ourselves here — Obama made a political decision here. An understandable one,because prosecuting these folks would certainly be throwing red meat into the shark pool. Because even the few GOP and other party voices who were not supportive of torture would choose to attack the apparent weakness of prosecuting for past GOP crimes.