Right-Wing Pundits Support Cheney’s Torture Policy, Experts Don’t
Right-Wing Pundits Support Cheney’s Torture Policy, Experts Don’t
Recently, Vice President Dick Cheney and CIA Director Porter Goss visited Congress to argue that the CIA needs an exemption to legislation banning torture to have “maximum flexibility in dealing with the global war on terrorism.â€
Several right-wing talking heads have argued in support of the Cheney proposal:
John Gibson: However, I don’t think Vice President Cheney is out of line asking for an exemption for the CIA from a law that will make torture by the U.S. government agents illegal. [Fox News, 11/7/05]
Bill O’Reilly: Now I agree that the military shouldn’t torture under any circumstances no branch of the military, but I would make the CIA exception because of weapons of mass destruction scenarios. [Fox News, 11/2/05]
CIA experts disagree. In an op-ed today, former CIA general counsel Jeffrey Smith argued forcefully against the exemption:
Americans do not join the CIA to commit torture. Yet that could be the result if a proposal advanced by Vice President Cheney becomes law. … McCain wisely rejected that proposal. So should the [Defense bill] conferees. [Washington Post, 11/9/05]
With both the Senate and intelligence officials coming out against torture, it’s no wonder the White House is dodging questions about its efforts to carve out exemptions.
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Could we get the truth out of Libby through torture? Just asking.
November 9th, 2005 at 11:42 amAlan Not a bad point.If its only to be used in cases of national security, why not torture the scum?
November 9th, 2005 at 11:55 amI jest of course but it points out how we waver from the original intent.
This is a license we can’t give anyone, especially this administration without morals.
These guys repeatedly express that they are above any laws — laws are for everyone else but not them because……tell me why again? Because this is the moral high ground? Because torture works? Because?
November 9th, 2005 at 12:03 pmRun the bastards out of office.
So wait, let me make sure I got this straight, things go wrong for the republicans, so they push the envelope even further towards evil!!
November 9th, 2005 at 12:03 pmIts not bad enough that all of the lies we all knew to lead up to the war are finally coming to light. Now they have to reveal black ops prisons and argue for torture!!!
Who is the sadistic f*ck they are trying to impress? Or is Cheney really this eveil?
Well, it’s fair and balanced when you toe the party line at Fox news, don’t you know? After all, everyone else is just a bunch of radical lefties who want to destroy this country, right?
It’s doesn’t matter who applies the methods of torture, it is WRONG! My god, this is as clear as black and white! Even fundamental conservative christians should be able to udnderstand what is wrong with torture. Of course, it’s difficult to understand when your main source of opinion is at Fox news.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:04 pmIt just occured to me that any democrat speaking his mind will qualify for the torture chamber.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:08 pmBut any Republican who threatens national security will be pardoned!!!
November 9th, 2005 at 12:09 pmGibson & BO? Consider the course. *yawn*
November 9th, 2005 at 12:14 pm*source* Geez…
November 9th, 2005 at 12:14 pmCould it be that their beliefs in torture stem from their religious fanaticism? After all because of their religion they KNOW who is good and who is evil, so they (and their supporters) are simply doing god’s work when they torture those who are obviously evil. Apparently they believe they’re giving these “evil” people what they deserve. Somehow though it doesn’t seem to come through to them that what they’re doing is also evil. Self righteousness goes a long, long, long way.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:32 pmIf you use torture on the enemy, they will use torture on our military. Republican think they are above the law. They have approved this time and again.
November 9th, 2005 at 12:40 pmThey needn’t torture people especially when Sen Coburn R OK says his medical training makes him a great lie detector. That mans talents are a wastin in the senate
November 9th, 2005 at 1:19 pmWar on Terrorism?????
November 9th, 2005 at 1:21 pmI wouldn’t trust this whole crew to plan a small birthday party.
Look how far we’ve come in Iraq.
Arrogance has permeated the GOP to such an extreme they still think they’re running the show. By defending their actions that even to the most ignorant person screams EVIL, they just dig their graves another foot deeper. Keep digging Republicans. The people are ready to bury you once and for all.
November 9th, 2005 at 1:35 pmI am glad that McCain has a bill to stop the torture. Old Bushie and Chaney was not in a war and does not know what it is like to be tortured.
I do not know how McCain could of supported Bush in the 2004 election after what he did to him in the 2000 elections. Totally disgraceful.
November 9th, 2005 at 2:11 pmI like McCain’s push for no torture; however, in the long run, he cannot be trusted because he stumped for Bush in the 2004 election. How he could support Bush after the way Bush/Rove smeared him in 2000 is beyond hard to believe. Normal people do not support those who go out of their way to tear them to shreds. Good message on torture, McCain, but you can forget running for president in 2008. If you can’t defend yourself, you can’t defend our country. He’s just another Republican a–hole.
November 9th, 2005 at 2:38 pmJust because Cheney has a thing for whips and chains, does that mean he should push his extreme fetishes on the rest of us?
Well, there are gonna be those over here in San Francisico that would LOVE to lick his thigh high black leather boots. But not me thanks.
November 9th, 2005 at 3:28 pmringo – go to any of the conservative blogs. They hate McCain. He could win if he SWITCHED to become a Democrat.
November 9th, 2005 at 3:30 pmDead Elephant!
Dead Elephant!
November 9th, 2005 at 3:42 pmbut will they support the science agenda…
Today on EWM, a scientific shocker: Study: Euthanizing Right-wing Pundits would Solve Global Warming
November 9th, 2005 at 4:13 pmIs it: “we’re torturing them over their so we don’t have to torture them over here.” I get so confused by Republican talking points that I might have gotten something mixed up.
November 9th, 2005 at 4:36 pmoops, wrong “there”
November 9th, 2005 at 4:37 pmOkay, so there’s this common thread in three incidents.
First, Ahmed Chalbi, the darling of the neo-cons (Vice President Cheney, SecDef Rumsfeld, and others) who pushed us into war, is told that we have broken Iran’s codes and have been interecepting their messages. This information is classified, of course, so there’s no sensible reason why a foreigner would be told this. Chalbi promptly tells the Iranians that we have broken their codes, thus cutting off a crucial line of intel.
Second, An employee of the CIA whose employment status was classified is identified in the press after people associated with the Vice President’s office talk to several reporters.
Third, the possible and calssified existence of secret CIA prisons (which may or may not use torture) is revealed to the press after the Vice President meets with a bunch of republican senators (who also have no business being told this.)
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but it sure looks like Vice President Cheney is a common thread in all of these leaks of classified information.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, just like maybe President George W. Bush really is a man of honesty and integrity.
Somehow, I don’t think so.
It’s time to get rid of both of them.
November 9th, 2005 at 5:07 pmMore on Bush, Cheney, and torture: http://dearkitty.modblog.com/?show=blogview&blog_id=775994
November 9th, 2005 at 8:27 pmIf Goss and Cheney need to have the CIA torture people in order to protect the US, then they are obviously underqualified to perform their jobs.
Throw ‘em out.
November 10th, 2005 at 12:05 pmI do not understand why ‘exemptions’ are necessary. Remember that per this administration’s interpretation: ‘If it doesn’t kill them or cause organ failure, it isn’t torture…’ Whoops, maybe they do want to do that…
November 10th, 2005 at 2:30 pmWow I haven’t even been censored from LGF yet.
Way to go Thinkprogress. Defend your right to refer to the newsworthyness of what Fox personalities have to say on matters of national security by deleting anyone who suggests theyre not.
LMAO seriously I can’t find this many reprints of Fox and Limbaugh on right-wing-christian millblogs. Karl Rove couldn’t run a better joint.
November 11th, 2005 at 8:28 amLETS TORTURE CHENEY TO FIND OUT WHO ORDERED THE OUTING OF CIA AGENT PLAUME OR WHO CONCOCTED THE LIES THAT LED THE CONGRESS TO ALLOWING WAR FOR OIL PROFITS. ONLY A REPUBLICAN OIL MAN COULD DO THESE THINGS AND THINK HE IS ABOVE THE LAW. I SAY LETS PULL OUT HIS FINGERNAILS UNTIL HE ADMITS IT.
November 11th, 2005 at 11:35 amI understand the objection to torture. What I fail to see in this conversation is a substantive alternative. How do any of you propose to get information from snipers and assasins who are not protected by the protocols set forth in the Geneva Convention? For people who are oppossed to war, you sure seem comfortable protecting those who kill and maim Americans. Why?
November 12th, 2005 at 10:38 amRecently a DVD-disc was received in the mail. There was no return address and the postmark was from Nebraska. There was a yellow sticky note with, “W2 Archive,” written on it in block print. The DVD-disc had 6 .AVI files that used the Sequential Logging System time-code. The contents of the video are shocking and disturbing. To assist in viewing, the video files were compiled together with black transitions between the sequences and the audio was boosted for clarity. Two short video clips are currently posted here as MPEGs. The viewing area is small for easy download.
http://www.10641.com/
November 23rd, 2005 at 9:16 amhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1748603366433355311&q=10641
[...] The names and ranks of the five soldiers have not been made public. Cheney and torture: here. [...]
December 26th, 2006 at 1:50 pm