Today, the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, which contained a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) establishing one interrogation standard across the government. The bill requires the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and bans waterboarding.It passed the Senate 51-45.
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey voted for the bill and Senator Arlen Specter voted against.
Among the other 45 was former POW and critic of the use of torture, Senator John McCain.
Think Progress has noted that McCain said the Army Field Manual should be the standard for interrogations:
I would hope that we would understand, my friends, that life is not 24 and Jack Bauer. Life is interrogation techniques which are humane and yet effective. And I just came back from visiting a prison in Iraq. The army general there said that techniques under the Army Field Manual are working and working effectively, and he didn’t think they need to do anything else. My friends, this is what America is all about.
And yet he voted in favor of giving the CIA the option to torture. What a MAVERICK! Such STRAIGHT TALK from a NO NONSENSE sort of guy!
From the NYTimes:The Army is such a bunch of whusses, isn't it? I mean what sort of weak-on-terror defeatist wouldn't want to have the option to waterboard a little in the midst of an important interrogation?The Senate voted 51 to 45 on Wednesday afternoon to ban waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods used by the Central Intelligence Agency against high-level terrorism suspects.
Senate Republicans generally opposed the bill, but several of them also did not want to cast a vote that could be construed as supporting torture, and so were relying on President Bush to make good on a threat to veto legislation limiting C.I.A. interrogation techniques.
The prohibition of harsh interrogation techniques is part of a wider intelligence authorization bill and would restrict all American interrogators to techniques allowed in the Army Field Manual, which bars the use of physical force.
McCain's presidency will be very much a Bush third term -- a complete and total disaster for our country.
ReplyDeleteMcCainiac.
ReplyDeleteSo would John have been so sanguine and duplicitous about this during his incarceration? Or is he just too old to remember what that was like?
His apparent ability to sell out is very scary.
And yes, he is attempting to be the "stealth Bush."
Piltdown Man
Nothing stealthy about it, Pilt. McCain's positions on just about everything except immigration match Bush's: More war, more tax cuts for the rich, more infrigements on civil rights, and now more torture.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, his likely opponent -- referring of course to Ms. Clinton -- has similar positions, but IS more stealthy about it.
i used to have great respect for the man and now, i am wondering if he has changed over the years OR has he always been this way and i was taken in by his acting ablity.
ReplyDeleteJohn Mccain is a great man and he will make a great president. He understands how the world works and will do what is necessary to fight the evil that is political terrorism.
ReplyDeleteHowever, should a democrat win, I don't know who would be worse. I like Obama and I have a lot of respect for him, but his views on foreign policy are dangerous. The thought of the Clinton's coming back into the White House frightens me, but I do believe Hillary might take SOME action against terrorism, as opposed to Obama, who could never stand up against Iran, the Taliban, or other foreign threats--like a resurgent KGB in Russia and blood-soaked regimes in Africa.
Yep, Mccain all the way...
I must agree with C.H. Obama would let everyone invade our country Iran, Taliban, Luxemburg, Switzerland,Martians, the keebler elf. I'm so afraid we all should be afraid. Even torture wouldn't hurt the keebler elf. He's too tough. So pull your covers over your head when you go to bed. I'm scared like C.H. We need a tough one like McCain to protect us. I'm just afraid the keebler elf will capture him and make him a POW.Help us.
ReplyDeleteC'mon C.H. Let the negativity go for once and look on the positive side of a Clinton presidency.
ReplyDeleteIf your hyper-conservative amigos decide to stay home -- which is the only way she could possibly win -- there will be scant difference between her presidency and McCain's. Although you folks over there on the Right Fringe are blinded by your hatred of her husband, she is squarely on your side of the political spectrum. She worked for Goldwater, you know. She voted in favor of two Bush invasions (on one of which he was thwarted when his lies were exposed) just as McCain did. She opposes the practice of free speech even more than McCain does. And if her economic policies are reflective of Bill's, she will let the working poor go to hell in a handbasket just as McCain will. I really don't understand why you extreme war-mongering Wingnuts don't flock to her.
Your heroes on AM radio are already rallying behind her, aware that she makes the perfect tool for your team -- her encouragement of more political repression and her spectacular failure would combine to present a perfect atmosphere to elect a complete whacko like Huckabee or Guiliani in 2012.
Get on the Republican bandwagon and get behind the Chappaqua Wannabe Despot. It'll pay dividends immediately and for a generation to come.