Obama is making a wonderful President. If anyone can bring a majority of the nation together, I think it is our current President. Isn't it refreshing to have a President who can so clearly and simply state his policies and back them up with reasoned argument.
I also listened to Cheney. Cheney repeated his unfounded charge of a Saddam Al Qaeda link. He also repeats the right's usual misunderstanding of the position of those of us who oppose his torture/"War on Terror"/Guantanamo policies. He characterizes our opposition as being overconcern for the welfare/rights/discomfort of a "few high-value terrorists". No. I will grimly but without guilt release the cyanide tablet to execute a convicted terrorist. I am not concerned for his rights. I do not mind his "discomfort." I am not concerned for his safety. I am concerned for us. Torture, indefinite detention, unauthorized domestic surveillance undermine who we are. It is for us that I defend the right of even evil men to basic human rights once they are subdued and in the custody of American authorities. Until then they are legitimate prey for our military. Shoot them, bomb them, poison them -- whatever it takes.
Cheney is probably right that the Bush Administration was not directly responsible for Abu Ghraib. But I am convinced that their tolerance of torture and memos defending "enhanced" interrogation, set up an atmosphere that permitted Abu Ghraib to happen.
Cheney also took Obama to task for reserving to himself the right to order extraordinary interrogation in a ticking bomb situation. The difference is that Obama makes it clear that he expects judicial and congressional review of his actions.
Cheney certainly made open use of fear in his speech today.
Under Bush, we did not torture. I suppose if a lie is repeated long enough we will beleive it. Three men with information we needed were waterboarded.
I believe the opinion "Under Bush, we did not torture" is demonstrably untrue. I do not for a moment believe it is a lie. I know, love, and respect the person who wrote it.
I will gladly correct any error of fact found here.
There are no lies on Alone on a Limb.
It's becoming increasingly clear that one of the fears driving the torture of captive human beings was that those with the power to order torture feared political consequences -- for having ignored repeated warnings prior to 9-11, for having invaded a country unnecessarily and under false pretenses, and for having bungled everything in post-invasion Iraq.
Unfortunately, Bush, Cheney and the their cronies were able to lie big enough and repeat their lies enough to get re-elected in 2004. That was the worst mistake U.S. presidential election voters ever made, and the costs and consequences will still pose problems a quarter century from now, perhaps even longer.
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