A Word From Some Republican Grownups

Thomas R. Pickering was co-chairman of the International Crisis Group and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the administration of George H. W. Bush. William S. Sessions became FBI director during the second Reagan administration and held that post until the end of the Bush administration that followed.

Hardly lefties.

This is what they wrote in the Washington Post this week:

The president understands that no democracy can lead if it engages in activities that damage its defenses and undermine its system of government. And that is what torture does.

Investigations by Congress and other bodies have shown that, since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, government officials have encouraged and acquiesced in prisoner abuse by U.S. personnel, and detainees have been transferred to countries that are known to torture. In many cases, the perpetrators of abuse and torture were given the support and encouragement (tacit or explicit) of their superiors, possibly as high up the chain of command as the president himself.

And:

Detainee mistreatment flies in the face of American ideals -- and it strengthens the case of those who fight against us. These methods yield suspect information, and they put our troops, and indeed all Americans, at greater risk of torture and abuse if they are captured by our enemies. When we lower our standards of detainee treatment, others may follow suit; we also provide our enemies with a far better recruiting tool than they could ever produce on their own. And where efforts are made to find legal loopholes and bypass congressional controls, they strain the foundation of our republic by undermining the rule of law.

Again this was Reagan's FBI director and Bush (41)'s UN Ambassador.

(At the very least) investigate the war crimes. Prosecute those guilty of war crimes. It's the law.