Every time I figure that Andrew Sullivan has jumped the shark, National Review comes through and points out why I still read him. Especially the increasingly unhinged Kathryn Jean Lopez. I am a McCain supporter since 1999 and I know that he has done some things that annoyed many in the GOP and conservative base. While I agree with him on immigration, I understand his position he lost him support. I also have come to believe that campaign finance reform has made things worse. Yet McCain is still the guy who has fought earmarks, someone who is not against lowering taxes, just wants to control spending first, and is pro-life.
But Lopez's comment: "But on a whole host of issues — including water boarding, tax cuts, and the freedom of speech — he’s not one of us."
OK, you can argue with him on tax cuts, you can argue with him on campaign finance reform (which is what she means on freedom of speech). But suddenly, support for water boarding is necessary to get the support of conservatives? And if we see McCain as the GOP nominee, does this mean they will not support him? Would they rather see HRC (who is a cynical paranoid) or Senator Obama (who may be honorable, but is too naive to be president) just because they like water boarding?
Is this what the conservative coalition has come too -- water boarding and tax cuts uber alles?
Showing posts with label waterboarding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waterboarding. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Waterboarding
Why can't we just all admit it -- Congress lacks the courage to outlaw waterboarding.
Republicans won't do it because they then will have to admit they were wrong.
Democrats won't do it because they expect the next president to be a Democrat and they do not want to look soft on National Security.
John McCain, however, thinks the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act and the 2006 Military Commissions Act already make it illegal. He even suggests anyone waterboarding after 2006 is guilty of war crimes. (Why is this man not president?)
The red herring in all this is the claim that outlawing torture will put the US at risk. I look at it this way. If something happens in the heat of battle I may look at it differently than if something happens at Gitmo. If a 20 year old sergeant under fire somewhere in Afghanistan threatens a prisoner to reveal a sniper's nest, I view that differently than waterboarding someone captured 6 months ago in a prison. The whole ticking time bomb thing is the creation of t.v. writers (all of whom are now on strike anyway).
Republicans won't do it because they then will have to admit they were wrong.
Democrats won't do it because they expect the next president to be a Democrat and they do not want to look soft on National Security.
John McCain, however, thinks the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act and the 2006 Military Commissions Act already make it illegal. He even suggests anyone waterboarding after 2006 is guilty of war crimes. (Why is this man not president?)
The red herring in all this is the claim that outlawing torture will put the US at risk. I look at it this way. If something happens in the heat of battle I may look at it differently than if something happens at Gitmo. If a 20 year old sergeant under fire somewhere in Afghanistan threatens a prisoner to reveal a sniper's nest, I view that differently than waterboarding someone captured 6 months ago in a prison. The whole ticking time bomb thing is the creation of t.v. writers (all of whom are now on strike anyway).
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