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Dick Cheney believes he is right no matter what. AP Photo Susan Walsh
Vice President Dick Cheney seems to have made it his mission to redeem himself and his role in the war on terror during the Bush years. Unfortunately for Cheney, he seems to be running out of reasonable arguments as more facts are revealed about exactly what occurred with terror suspects during the war.
Cheney's first argument was simply that the GITMO detainees had no protection under international law. Eventually many others in the Bush administration (see Colin Powell) and the Supreme Court of the United States disagreed with him. Cheney's argument was ridiculous on its face. Imagine if North Korea made the same argument about the journalists they detained. Would we really have accepted the North Korean argument that these women were "enemy combatants" not subject to any human rights protections?
The second appeal from Cheney was that terror suspects were not really be "tortured" just interrogated in a harsh manner. Soon after this details began to leak about the widespread use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and even the use of insects in closed spaced on suspects. Now we are finding out that suspects were led to believe their life was in danger or that they could be drilled alive with a power tool. Call these methods "enhanced interrogation techniques" or whatever else you like but the fact is they are also torture.
Finally, Cheney's last claim was that these harsh methods were justified because they gave us crucial information that made the country safer. Cheney even went as far as to ask for the release of classified memos which he said proved his case. The memos have been released but contrary to Cheney's claim they do not prove these techniques made us safer. If anything, the memos have established that whatever information was given by these suspects was given under normal interrogation and not because they were being tortured.
With every failed appeal Cheney makes he continues to lose credibility with the public. Cheney appears to be more and more a man determined to use anything, including disinformation, to prove he was somehow justified in advocating torture.
Comments
You are obviously a young person who has always enjoyed the freedom that America affords everyone. You most likely have never had to serve your country on a battlefield, thus your typical liberal comments. Your definition of torture is a joke. Torture is what foreign enemies do to American soldiers when they are caught. You are probably too young to remember the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me." Telling someone we are going to kill his family is hardly torture. Cheney is right when he says our actions saved lives. I am for whatever it takes to keep terrorists off American soil. It amazes me that people like you take all of the benefits that this country provides, but try to tear down the very institutions that fight to provide them. Hopefully wisdom will eventually find you as you surely will not seek it.
Bruce says 'Torture is what foreign enemies do to American soldiers when they are caught.'
is that a complaint? Don't complain, buddy, we do it too. If we do it and you keep saying its not torture, don't complain when others do it to our soldiers. don't complain when our soldiers are waterboarded, slammed into walls 100+ times and strangled.
Also,Bruce, since you reckon its okay, lets get some of these domestic terrorists, the abortion clinic bombers. Lets waterboard that lady who definitely knows someone who bombed a clinic, she is anti-abortion, so she must know. Strangle her a little. Slam her into a wall. She must know something.
I am independent and voted for obama. I do not agree with some of his policies either. Lets stop trying to stop investigations of criminals. Lets, instead, stop government programs that continue to break US law. Stop the rendition program.
Bruce says "Your definition of torture is a joke. Torture is what foreign enemies do to American soldiers when they are caught."
So you have no objection to waterboarding US soldiers right? After all, waterboarding isn't torture.
And another thing, Bush and Cheney certainly never served the US on the battlefield, thus your typical chickenhawk apologist comments.
Let it go already. If Cheney knew about any torture I say more power to him. Torture the punk terrorist thugs. If it makes our country any safer them torture them! How about changing thier memories and make them allies. Think it can't happen? Guess again, it already has. See for yourself. The GH-4 Effect.
www.thegh-4effect.com
Torture the punk terrorist thugs? I guess you like aiding and abetting terrorist recruitment. If America is attacked again because of wanting to revenge the torture inflicted on their fellow sleazebags, please do us the favor of keeping quiet because revenge attacks are the response to torture. I know I would do such attacks if I was tortured.
Besides, to these fanatics, torture makes them martyrs and heroes meaning that to the minds of these savages, they get a free ticket to heaven with 40 ugly fat women...I mean virgins and isn't heaven where every Muslim, Christian and Jew aspire for?
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