Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Investigation

I have been interested in recent revelations of the federal government’s involvement in what is known as "enhanced interrogation." In conservative circles that is the politically correct term for torture. My conservative friends go to great lengths to explain to me that methods used under the previous administration were not torture. However, such things as waterboarding were considered torture when the communists used it so it should be considered torture when we use those techniques.

There have been calls from several quarters for an investigation not only of the methods of interrogation used but also of the previous administration’s legal gyrations to make operatives think that such methods were consistent with American law. Republicans are terrified that such an investigation will throw light on what took place during the past eight years.

I find this a bit hypocritical in view of the fact that Republicans insisted on spending $50 million of federal money to investigate Bill and Hillary Clinton’s failed investment in an Arkansas real estate deal. That certainly was no threat to the body politic. Government use of torture in an attempt to extract information from suspects we have captured is certainly a threat to the Republic and the rule of law for which it stands.

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