McCain stands his ground on CIA jails
- From: tabbott@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:18:42 -0500
Found at:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14839155/
McCain stands his ground on CIA jails
By Demetri Sevastopulo, Caroline Daniel and Holly Yeager in Washington
Updated: 2:42 a.m. ET Sept. 15, 2006
Financial Times
John McCain, the Republican frontrunner for the 2008 presidential
election,
[I wouldn't say that.]
has dramatically raised the stakes in a fight with the White House
over interrogation techniques permitted for use at secret Central
Intelligence Agency prisons by saying he is unwilling to back down on
the issue even if it ruins his chance of becoming president.
[He *will* ruin his chance of becoming president over this, if he
hasn't already, with some of the other stupid things he has done
recently. He has certainly lost my vote. I no longer feel like I
could trust him.]
The Arizona senator, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam,
strongly opposes Bush administration legislation that he says would
redefine US obligations under the Geneva conventions.
[It would not "redefine" the Geneva conventions. Rather, President
Bush wants it clarified because as it stands now, it is completely
ambiguous and could be interpreted by different people in different
ways.]
The White House played down the escalating dispute yesterday, which
mirrors a similar battle Mr McCain won last year against the
administration.
[Yeah, the Bush admininstration plays down too many disputes with
idiots in and out of its own party.]
"This is not a showdown at the O.K. Corral," said Tony Snow, the White
House press secretary.
[I think you're wrong, Tony.]
But two people briefed on conversations that Mr McCain had with his
staff said the senator told aides he was willing to risk the
presidency, because of possible loss of support from Republican
lawmakers and voters.
[That's just what is going to happen. And McCain is doing all this
for no good reason at all. I'm sure he thinks he is doing it for a
good reason, but he is wrong, as we shall see.]
"His decision to take a stand on this issue is not based on a
political calculation," said Eileen McMenamin, his spokeswoman. "He
believes this is the right thing to do to protect American servicemen
and women, and our values."
[But McCain's position does *not* protect American troops or our
values. No legislation signed into law in the U.S. is going to have
the slightest effect on how American prisoners of war are treated. Our
enemies will be just as brutal to American prisoners as they have in
the past. The Geneva Conventions were in effect while McCain was a
prisoner in North Vietnam and it didn't stop the North Vietnamese from
torturing you, now did it, John. To think that our enemies will go
easy on American prisoners if we go easy on theirs is just wishful
thinking. Dangerous wishful thinking.]
Just hours after a rare visit to Capitol Hill by President George W.
Bush yesterday, the Senate armed services committee yesterday approved
legislation being pushed by Mr McCain that the White House says would
force it to shut down its secret prisons.
[The CIA interrogations have reportedly prevented eight terrorist
attacks in the U.S. I don't think we want to do anything to stop this
most valuable program. Unfortunately, some in Congress don't look at
it that way.]
Mr McCain has received backing from Colin Powell, the secretary of
state during the first four years of the Bush administration.
"The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against
terrorism.
[On what do you base this claim? The only people who want to claim
we have no moral basis for the war on terror are the terrorists
themselves, and their sympathizers. Why should we care what they
think? Why should you care, Colin?]
To redefine Common Article 3 [of the Geneva conventions] would add to
those doubts.
[This article is so ambiguous that it has to be clarified. Without
clarification, the U.S. could be accused of violating the article
merely by holding terrorists in captivity. Certainly someone in the
world would consider this a "violation of human dignity". And they
could say this because "violation of human dignity" is ambiguous and
can mean just about anything someone wants it to mean. John McCain
wants this article to remain ambiguous. Does that make any sense to
you?]
Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk," Mr Powell wrote in
a letter to Mr McCain released yesterday.
[Ridiculous! American troops are *always* at risk regardless of any
law passed by the U.S. government or the Geneva Conventions. Who in
their right mind thinks evil people will abide by some arbitrary law?
Who in their right mind thinks if we treat their prisoners humanely,
they will treat ours humanely? Our enemies will just laugh themselves
silly at our expectations and gullibility, and then do what they want
to do to American prisoners of war without consulting any rules or
laws.]
"We are not saying the CIA cannot carry out a programme," Mr McCain
said yesterday. "We are saying it cannot amend the Geneva conventions,
which calls for the kind of treatment of prisoners that fall under
Common Article 3."
[Yes, but if we can't clarify Common Article 3, then the CIA cannot
interrogate terrorists because someone will charge them with
"violating their human dignity". And who could say the charges are
wrong, since "human dignity" can mean just about anything. I find it
hard to believe that McCain cannot understand this.]
Before the vote, Mr Bush vowed to "resist any bill that does not
enable this [CIA] programme to go forward with legal clarity".
[A veto would be proper if this McCain bill goes forward unchanged.]
The House armed services committee earlier this week easily passed
legislation that more closely mirrors the White House proposal.
[At least some in government have a little common sense.]
In a move widely perceived as an attempt to boost support for
Republicans ahead of the crucial November congressional elections,
["Widely perceived" by whom? The liberal press and the Democrats?
Give me a break, you propagandist.]
Mr Bush announced last week that Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged
mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, and 13 other high-value
al-Qaeda detainees had been transferred from secret CIA prisons ? the
existence of which the administration had refused to acknowledge ? to
Guantánamo Bay for prosecution.
[Refusing to acknowledge a secret program is standard operating
procedure. Otherwise, it wouldn't be secret, now would it. A secret
program does not mean there is something bad or underhanded or evil
about it which is what the liberal press implies.]
Democrats, hoping to avoid being painted as weak on national security,
have stood on the sidelines so far.
[I beg to differ. The Democrats have been doing everything in their
power to undermine President Bush and the war on terror. They never
miss an opportunity.]
But the political cover provided by Republican leaders in the field
such as Mr McCain and Mr Powell are likely to embolden them to join in
opposing the White House proposal.
[No doubt it will, but the Democrats don't really need cover to try
to undermine President Bush. Having no Republican cover has not
stopped them prior to this.]
Mr Snow said that Michael Hayden, the CIA director, had concluded that
under the McCain legislation, "the CIA programme would have to be shut
down".
[Without "rules of engagement", the CIA cannot be expected to
continue this program. Refraining from "violating human dignity" is
not a definitive enough rule to operate from.]
Mr McCain criticised Mr Hayden, saying: "He's trying to protect his
reputation at the risk of America's reputation."
[No, he's telling it straight. You are the one trying to protect a
reputation, and failing badly, I might add.]
Copyright The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved.
end
Another stupid idea McCain got pushed through Congress was his bill
"outlawing torture" of prisoners of war, even though there is NO
evidence that Americans were practicing government-sponsored torture
on prisoners of war. All this idiotic law did was to serve as a
propaganda instrument for our enemies. Our enemies have already cited
this law as proof that the United States tortures prisoners of war. As
I said, it was a stupid thing to do. All it does is play into the
hands of the enemy. And all McCain's new bill does is play into the
hands of our enemies, both foreign and domestic, again.
This stupidity disqualifies you from being president, John.
TA
.
- Prev by Date: Re: Pope calls a spade a spade (Muslim radicals cry)
- Next by Date: Fair Trials & Secret Evidence!
- Previous by thread: Pope calls a spade a spade (Muslim radicals cry)
- Next by thread: Fair Trials & Secret Evidence!
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
