Not one Senate Dem backed up their anti-torture rhetoric
Glenn Greenwald rightly blasts every Senate Democrat:
The Post said the vote “reflected an effort by Democrats to register their displeasure with Bush administration policies on torture and the boundaries of presidential power.” Apparently, they wanted to oh-so-meaningfully “register their displeasure” but not actually stop confirmation.
[The most amazing quote was from chief Mukasey supporter Chuck Schumer, who, before voting for him, said that Mukasey is “wrong on torture — dead wrong.” Marvel at that phrase: “wrong on torture.” Six years ago, there wasn’t even any such thing as being “wrong on torture,” because “torture” wasn’t something we debated. It would have been incoherent to have heard: “Well, he’s dead wrong on torture, but . . . ”
Now, “torture” is not only something we openly debate, but it’s something we do. And the fact that someone is on the wrong side of the “torture debate” doesn’t prevent them from becoming the Attorney General of the United States. It’s just one issue, like any other issue — the capital gains tax, employer mandates for health care, the water bill — and just because someone is “dead wrong” on one little issue (torture) hardly disqualifies them from High Beltway Office.]
In addition to Feingold and Boxer and Kennedy and Kerry and Leahy, this means presidential candidates Clinton and Biden and Obama and Dodd fell short of the minimum standard for human rights.
Torture will continue to be tut-tutted by the biddy hens of the Senate but the chance to invest 2 or 3 days to make it absolute that our government will not stand for torture has passed. Along with the bastards who promote torture, our only alternative are cowardly lions who can find neither their feet nor their roar.
Now more than ever, the need for a third party is as strong as it has ever been. The USA has ceased to be and the replacement United Dungeons of America is not a wholesome place for lovers of justice to live.
November 9th, 2007 at 10:31 am
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