BUSH AND CHENEY WON THE TORTURE DEBATE Why would I say such a thing? Because the above headline includes not just the word, “Torture,” but also, “Debate.” Bush and Cheney have won the Torture Debate because now there is such a thing as a Torture Debate. This was confirmed by Dick Cheney’s appearance on Meet The Press. (It must have been quite the sentimental journey for Dick to revisit the TV studio where – with the help of his public relations liaison Tim Russert – he so successfully lied to the American public and led us into War. Good times.) Thanks to the Bush Administration and their stenographers in the media, the idea of Americans torturing people is something “reasonable” and “serious” “journalists” debate the pros and cons of. Remember not so long ago when Torture wasnt a topic of controversy? When the notion that our country was above such barbarous acts was a mainstream idea that everybody agreed on, with the possible exception of Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy? Chuck Todd (or, as he’s also known, David Gregory-with-a-beard) presents himself as a centrist on this issue. Really? Torture is something you can sit on the fence about? My grasp of history might be a little rusty since A&E stopped showing WWII documentaries 24/7, but I’m wondering: if it’s possible to be a centrist on torture, then can you also be a centrist on the Holocaust? Yes, I know that one thing is much, much more extreme and heinous then the other thing, but what Torture and the Holocaust have in common is that they both qualify as answers in the Jeopardy category: “War Crimes We Prosecuted and Punished Nazis For.” But now respected pontificators in immaculately tailored suits come on Sunday news shows and solemnly discuss if rectal feeding has made America stronger. Did these kinds of debates happen in the 40s? “Yes, exterminating six million Jews might be a bit much, but on the other hand, you have to admit that it greatly improved the housing situation for Aryans living in Germany, so I’m just going to be a centrist and stay neutral on this issue.” It seems to me that being a centrist on Torture is the same thing as supporting Torture. It is now inevitable that for the foreseeable future, the pundit class will be debating whether America’s long-held opposition to Torture was just a case of us being a bunch of tight-asses about sticking objects up our enemy’s butts. Bush and Cheney are no longer in office, but to this day they’ve managed to change “Is It Wrong For America To Torture People” from a Yes to a Maybe. They’ve won.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:42:26 +0000
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