Our Tortured President
Ever since the obscene pictures of Abu Ghraib prisoners being tortured swept across the world, we have been subjected to a barrage of pictures and stories about the mistreatment of prisoners at the hands of American troops. Evidently, torture is part of the system. Senator John McCain, who experienced torture first hand, introduced an amendment to a defense bill to prohibit torture. The amendment passed but unbelievably, the president is threatening to veto it! Is President Bush in favor of torture?
Torture and abuse of prisoners is endemic. John Sifton, in his article "Abuse: Systematic and Chronic," tells us:
"The reality—which was eclipsed by the particular story of Lynndie England and her comrades at Abu Ghraib—is that abuse has been systematic and widespread. Human Rights Watch and other groups have compiled hundreds upon hundreds of allegations of abuse, including serious cases that go well beyond the infamous humiliations at Abu Ghraib."
Andrew Sullivan has been spending the last few weeks talking about torture allegations on his blog. He has been praising Capt. Fishback for telling us the horrible truth. Andrew Bacevich, blogging on Huffington Post, says:
"Captain Ian Fishback, West Point Class of 2001, is a decorated veteran of campaigns in both Afghanistan and Iraq, where he served with the fabled 82d Airborne Division. During his tour with that division in Iraq, he witnessed American soldiers brutalizing Iraqi detainees. By Fishback’s own account the abuse was not an isolated event. It was systematic and widespread. It directly violated the law of war and served little apparent purpose other than as a source of sadistic entertainment."
Senator McCain, who was tortured terribly when he was a prisoner in Vietnam, together with Senator Lindsey Graham, introduced an amendment to the Defense authorization bill that would prohibit all “cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment” of detainees. John McCain said on the floor of the Senate:
“We have to clarify that this is not what the United States is all about. This is what makes us different from the enemy we are fighting.”
The amendment passed by a vote of 90 - 9. This is a bipartisan achievement like very few others. All Americans are disgusted with a policy that allows our armed forces to indulge in torture.
And what does our president say? He is threatening to veto the entire Defense authorization bill to make sure that the anti-torture amendment does not become law. Prospectively, this would be his first veto. And for what? To tell America and the world that Americans favor torture?
I suppose Bush loyalists in the House will get rid of this offensive amendment during the House/Senate Conference. This would put a red badge of shame on all of us.
Why must our tortured president torture all of us by fighting for torture?
