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MSNBC Wrongly Calls Torture a “Political” Question |
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A half hour ago, Norah O’Donnell spoke with Sen. Joe Lieberman about torture, including reports that Vice President Cheney’s office suggested waterboarding an Iraqi prisoner (after we had already invaded Iraq) in an attempt to extract bogus “confessions” of a non-existent link between Al Qaeda and Iraq. Lieberman insisted, at least three times, that this is purely an academic question now, since we “now” prohibit torture. He emphasized that Obama’s election, and subsequent actions taken by Obama and Congress, make clear that torture is now prohibited and won’t happen in the future–so why talk about what happened “years ago”, in his words.
Sen. Lieberman suggests that making waterboarding and other forms of torture illegal is something new. It’s not. U.S. statutory law and treaty(ies) have made waterboarding and other forms of torture illegal for decades. In fact, after World War II, Japanese soldiers were prosecuted and convicted for waterboarding Americans.
Sen. Lieberman wants to pretend this is just a political dispute–Bush and Cheney decided to torture, Obama has a different view on the matter, he won the election, now we won’t torture. It’s not a political dispute (though MSNBC helped make Lieberman’s point–the graphic it displayed as Lieberman spoke read “The Politics of Torture). It’s a question of law–can our government violate the law by torturing detainees? Can the Bush/Cheney administration excuse violations of the law, after the fact, by insisting it was necessary to break the law?
Sen. Lieberman’s basic “argument” is: there’s nothing to see here, let’s forget about the past and move on (interesting that he had a very different view 9 years ago–but then, oral sex is a lot more serious than waterboarding). It would be nice if, the next time MSNBC has Lieberman on, they ask a simple question: does the senator believe that torture was legal before Obama took office, and has only recently been made illegal? That’s certainly what Lieberman suggested today, but is’a absolutely untrue.
i am in no way an opponent to your cause, but i think it would serve your writing better if you could maybe include some quotations instead of just paraphrasing everything.
thanks
earth
sorry–I watched Sen. Lieberman’s appearance while I was at home for lunch and had to type this up before I went to work–did the best I could, and did include quotes around some of the specific words Lieberman used
I flip flop on everything.When I say one thing,I mean another.It’s the only way.
I need the votes.I want to sell you daylight at midnight,half off!
Remind of something: how is Lieberman still a Democrat?
good question…though, unfortunately, a number of Democrats have lost their moral bearings when it comes to torture.
The subject of illegal orders was settled at Nuremberg. Who of us would say the concentration camps were in the past and should be just left alone?
quite correct Andrew. I am flabbergasted by those, like Lieberman, and many in the traditional media, who think we should just move past this
Things Joe Lieberman cares about:
Israel
Israel
And Israel
BECAUSE ITS ILLEGAL. Just because it happened “in the past” doesn’t mean that we should just pretend it didn’t happen. If I were to kill someone, I shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it just because “it happened in the past.” Thats a bullshit excuse Joe, and I think everyone but you knows that.
Cheney’s reason for grandstanding now is plain as day: he and his friends are petrified of being tried for WAR CRIMES!!! Sure wish MSNBC would call it what it is.