McCain, Warner and Graham: Against Torture Before They Were For It.

[americanstranger]

Okay, so the Republican Minuet has drawn to a close. The three 'renegade' Republicans who were so against Torture In America's Name last week handed over the keys to the Cold Cell and the Waterboard to Bush. Much was made of the Great Compromise what was made.

And it's pretty obvious now that it was all bullshit.

The NYT says they caved. Greater legal minds than I say they caved. Even moderate ol' Kevin Drum says they caved.

Let me paraphrase the last American president who didn't have a hard-on for torture - it depends on what the meaning of 'caved' is.

As was pointed out here earlier tonight, the 'compromise' was all about wording, and the wording contained in the so-called compromise is every bit as vague as Bush was claiming General Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions was just a week ago today. But this new bunch of vague words doesn't bug Bush at all - because it means he can keep overseeing his precious torture mills, he can still grab any foreign (or even American!) citizen and fly them off to wherever they're keeping the waterboards these days, he can still thumb his nose at 60 years of international law and degrade the image of Americans as Good Guys.

Plus, he can 'interpret' the Geneva Conventions however the hell he damn well pleases - and he got a prohibition on American courts even mentioning Geneva in any trials that result from things that will continue to happen in his torture mills.

How can these 'men of conscience,' these 'mavericks,' these proud Americans Who Understood Torture And Stood Up To The President, claim any sort of victory or satisfaction?

They can't. And that's why this all has the stench of a setup about it.

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More at http://www.blah3.com/article.php?story=20060922021803445

- as

[grasswire]

1. STANDING OVATION for that headline

Wow!

Great framing. Great strategy. DU-ers, kick this and get that slogan on the networks by Friday.

Wooo! Kudos to that blogger!

[Nite Owl]

3. Oh yeah,

we gotta run with that headline! The NYT article is going to get a LTE using that one.

[City Lights]

12. A one sentence LTTE!

Very powerful.

[OzarkDem]

2. You nailed it, stranger

It was just another GOP game of 3 card monte, designed to make it look like Bush will now be asking for a more "moderate" proposal on torture.

[hfojvt]

4. Liberal Oasis predicted this on Monday

http://www.liberaloasis.com/2006/09/sunday_talkshow_breakdown_8.php

"In the mainstream media telling, Dubya wants to redefine the meaning of the treaty under US law to allow for "alternative interrogation techniques" (read: torture), while McCain's posse is gloriously defending Geneva's human rights standards.

But while McCain's crew doesn't want to overtly define Geneva's standards down, they do want to severely restrict the ability to prosecute torturers.

That makes Geneva rather meaningless.

Which is why Balkinization deems the McCain position as "torture lite." (More background on the issue from Balkinization here and here.)

Furthermore, both camps stressed on the Sunday shows that they want to keep this "alternative interrogation" program in the CIA."

"Such is the problem when we stand back and let squabbling GOPers set the parameters of debate.

So even though the GOP factions aren't all that far apart, McCain and Graham were able to position themselves on the shows as the brave centrist mavericks.

Which will only bring a perception of legitimacy to any eventual compromise."

The answer is that McCain and Graham never were the maverick that they pretended (and/or the media script made them out) to be.

[OzarkDem]

5. Torture - lite

And the corporate news media would never dream of airing the Dem arguments against Bush's insane attempt to redefine the Geneva Conventions.

[Poll_Blind]

6. Well-said! Thank you for taking the time to write that! n/t

PB

[Change has come]

7. K& F'n R

:kick:

courtesy of Uncle KKKarl

[farmboxer]

8. They just did it to get attention away from Iraq and to make it look

good for their fellow criminals.

[Stinkfoot]

9. Now the Democrats have to come out of Hiding

As it becomes clear that this "compromise" bill allows the administration to continue to detain, torture, opens the way for special courts to use secret evidence, and protects those guilty of such violations of US and international law, what will the democrats do? Will they allow the administration to rush this bill through before the midterm election? There can be no more hiding and waiting for republican "dissidents" to take the lead. If the Democrats aspire to take the leadership of the congress, they must show the moral courage to stand up and lead on this most grave issue.

[newyawker99]

15. Hi Stinkfoot!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Stinkfoot]

17. Greetings from the Peanut Gallery

I have been lurking for a while, but this issue has me so aghast I cannot remain silent.

[DemReadingDU]

10. Flip-floppers!

Against Torture Before They Were For It


K&R

[Eric J in MN]

11. Well said.

Phone your Senators agaisnt this torture bill.

[sutz12]

13. When Repubs make deals with other Repubs we all suffer. nt

[Hubert Flottz]

14. I love it!

K&R

[grasswire]

16. another kick for the day crowd