Torture Ban

Reps. Delahunt and Nadler sent me a press release hailing the decision to include their legislative language extending the congressional prohibition on torture to the CIA in the House and Senate Conference Report on the Intelligence Authorization bill for 2008:

“We need policies that reflect our respect for basic human rights. Waterboarding and other acts of torture are not only ineffective interrogation techniques but are contrary to American core values,” Rep. Delahunt said. “We must make it clear that the use of torture is wrong and will not be condoned.”

“America’s values and our respect for the rule of law must be reaffirmed,” said Rep. Nadler. “Torture, including practices like waterboarding, violates the legal and moral standards of all civilized nations. While the notion that torture works has been glorified in television shows and movies, the simple truth is this: torture has never been an effective interrogation method. We must stand for the principles that define this nation and clarify in the law that we will not torture.”

The Nadler-Delahunt bill, H.R. 4114, the American Anti-Torture Act of 2007, would extend the first part of the McCain Amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to comply with the interrogation standards set forth in the Army Field Manual, to all government agencies. This would include the CIA – the agency reportedly responsible for carrying out the Administration’s “enhanced” or “alternate” interrogation program and for operating secret overseas prisons.

I agree. Both Representatives have done excellent work on this issue, and the leadership is to be congratulated on moving forward with it. A presidential veto is all-but-certain and we'll see where Bush's values lie when he blocks intelligence funding in order to preserve his legal right to order people tortured.

Comments

Go Bill Delahunt, and the Fightin' Massachusetts Tenth!

Posted by Ben Cronin | December 7, 2007 4:42 PM

I think you've misread part of Bush's hysterical defense of torture. I believe some part of it is that he understands his own liability for these crimes, and so he will defend them to his last breath.

Sure, he's no legal scholar, but the statement "we hung Japanese war criminals for waterboarding our POWs" could penetrate even his granite-like skull.

Posted by Travis | December 7, 2007 4:44 PM

Oh, really? Extends it to every branch of the government?

I can't wait to see the Bureau of Prisons reaction to this one!

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | December 7, 2007 6:04 PM

Sure, he's no legal scholar, but the statement "we hung Japanese war criminals for waterboarding our POWs" could penetrate even his granite-like skull.
Posted by Travis

1. Except we didn't hang any Japs for waterboarding. We didn't even hang 1/1000th of those we could have for hanged for rape and murder of civilians from China onwards, the Indonesian famine where 4 million died that the Japs did from confiscating all rice in 1943, the 13 million butchered by Japs...
Or the thousands we could have hung for murder of our Allied POWs.
Compared to that, waterboarding is small potatos.

2. Justice is Victor's Justice. The Japs would have been justified in war crimes trials if they had won for US firebombing if Jap cities, torture of some captured Japs to save American lives, the strafing and sinking of Jap fishing boats whenever we spotted them.

======================

As for Nadler and Delahunt, I don't want another Muslim terror attack to come to the US, but if one comes that could have been avoided by interrogating some of the enemy combatants - then I confess that I will feel LESS BAD if it happens in a Blue Congressional District that prefers enemy rights over US citizen rights.

Especially Nadler, who has the WTC pit in his District and is enabled by the typical NYC liberal/socialist/post-communist Jew.

Not only will I feel LESS BAD if radical Muslims kill their defenders in a terror attack, I will feel EVEN LESS BAD if an enraged Manhattan mob forgets their noble liberal enemy-friendly principals and chases down and takes care of that fat POS Nadler if they learn his Bill hamstrung America from blocking another lower Manhattan terror strike by AQ's soldiers.

Posted by Chris Ford | December 8, 2007 6:43 AM

Oh, Chris, I'm getting such a man-crush on you, you big, brave heroic macho guy, you. I'm swooning as I write this. You give it to those nerdy libs! You and I and every other patriotic, God-fearing American know how effective enhanced interrogation has always been throughout human history. Don't get discouraged by those naysayers--by those NPR-listening, PBS-and-CNN-watching, latte-drinking wimps! Some of us are well aware of your sacrifices on the field of battle, of your multiple degrees in history, of your clandestine connections. Keep it up! You provide us with so much.

Posted by Henderstock | December 8, 2007 11:45 PM