Obama’s Cheney Dilemma

Listen horrible, i said there were conditions where i would use torture. You attacked me, read the posts. You have attacked the torture but refuse to say if there is any reason you might agree to it. That old political ploy of refusing to answer because the question isn't beneath you is crap and quite frankly makes you look wishy washy. what distinguishes you from the guy wearing the hair shirt?

Horriblebastard, Here's the reason you've been on the hook for a while now. You are full of crap and even a "hair shirt wearer" like myself can see that You're afraid to admit there might be some circumstance where torture would out weigh the alternative. Would I torture someone who is attampting to commit mass murder? would I do anything to anyone who would attempt to harm my family? Damn straight! Your attempt to portray someone who would resort to torture in those cases as sub-human is unconvincing. i'm done with you..........for now.

"The flaw of the Bush-Cheney administration may have been less in what it did than in the way it did it"
Waa Waa Bush didn't make me feel special Waa Waa. I don't care if he liberated two countries and protected me from a terorist attack he didn't hold my hand and tell me I'm a special person. Thank god for my shrink Waa Waa. - you people are sad

The fundamental error in this shallow piece is that the techniques used in Guantanamo were from the SERE instructors. SERE techniques are torture techniques, used to coerce confessions. They are not interrogation techniques. There is nothing mysterious, secret, spooky, scary that only real men know about. Notice how no real interrogators are quoted? You know, the guys who caught Zarkawi?

Great Presidents have always done what was needed to protect America. FDR sent Japanese 100,000 Innocent Japanese Americans to interments camps in what was perhaps the worst violation of civil liberties since slavery and yet he is still a Democrat Hero. Harry Truman dropped Atomic Bombs ( Only time they have been used in history) on civilians and he is still considered a great Dem President. Waterboarding a few terrorists to save American lives does not bother me and I PRAY OBAMA would do the same if they were holding someone with intel on an imminent Bio-Chem-Nuke attack.
Now that Obama sees the same intel Bush sees he will change his tune,

I'm sick of listening to the BS about the Bush administations infringement on my rights. To all of you whiners out there, how many of you have had phone calls tapped? Unless you were talking to someone in certian countries and said certian words or phrases no one heard anything you said. The facts are, the US congress and the Supreme Court have taken away more of my freedoms in the past 8 yrs than Bush administration ever thought of. Did it ever occur to any of you morons that every time congress passes a new law something you did today is illegal tomorrow? Some may be good laws but be assured some aren't. They only restrict or regulate your life at the whim of politicians and beauracrats. The Supreme Court also does this. The Kelo vs New London case is a perfect point. Five unelected people decided that the government is the sole owner of all property inside the borders of the country. The government for no other reason than is desire for more revene can condem you home, pay you what it likes and then sell it to a developer for a huge profit. Obviously they do this with large tracts of land and at the behest of the developer because there are alway individuals who won't sell to them for any amount of money so the Court has made it easier for the king (government) to seize your home. If you fools want to protest loss of rights and freedoms, perhaps you need to look at those who really take them from you.

Mike M
USN retired

Lovely that our newsmagazines endorse torture. I guess the editors don't have friends or family in the military. If they didn't they wouldn't condemn them to torture at the hands of a hostile regime if they were captured. Having friends and family in the military, I would never endorse torture. I understand that if America tortures, it gives every enemy regime permission to torture our troops. If they choose not to, we give them a propaganda victory. One of George Washington's first orders to the Continental Army was to treat prisoners with dignity and respect, even though captured Americans were not treated well. He sought to distinguish our nation through our actions -- and succeeded. Now George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have done it again. Our nation is reviled throughout the world for the policies they pursued -- and Newsweek has endorsed those policies.
Folks who endorse torture by Americans or having other nations torture on our behalf are traitors to our nation and our troops. They should be treated as such.

There is no reason for the US to sign Non Torture agreements with uncivilized nations. Since Geneva US soldiers and spies have been tortured in every war from Korea to Vietnam. Again in Korea for the USS Pueblo/, Gulf War and even U2 Spy Pilot Francis Gary Powers in the USSR. What advantage does this give? Just to make Liberals feel good?

This article is right. All of you Bush-Cheney haters can only point out all your concerns for due process for terrorists because B-C stopped all terrorist attacks on the US. Had there been another, you'd all be blaming B-C for not doing a better job preventing the attacks, instead of bitching about rights for terrorists -- whatever it takes to get your party into power.

The Bill of Rights was not written for enemy combatants in a time of war. It was written for the express purpose of protecting AMERICAN CITIZENS from possible abuses by their own government. So, get over yourselves.

After all the high-borne rhetoric, Bamby will follow most of Bush's wartime policies (but will simply say that it's different) proof that all you B-C haters are out to lunch.

Interestingly, the U S has MANY police agencies, such as LAPD, NYPD and DPD, where there is virtually no oversight of "interrogation" tactics, and appeals, relative to "questioning violations", are routinely rubber stamped OK by courts. The Obama Hussein crowd AND U S ARMY Field Manual, want to treat terrorists and killers with more respect than our own citizens. The U S should be ashamed'! It is one thing to hate Bush, as this man is a poster child for Human Rights Violation, BUT don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Republicans continue the whiney hate rethoric while Democrats are about the business of rescuing the country from the disaster left by Bush/Cheney. Keep it up. You've got nothing to look forward to except more Senate Seats lost in 2010 and a horrific beating in 2012 that will make 2008 look like a pillow fight. What intelligent Independent voter would have anything to do with the quickly fading GOP? Keep following your leaders like Hannity, Morris and Limbaugh and accelerate the withering of the Republican party of hate.

Love how the wackos come out of the woodwork whenever Cheney's name is brought up. I wish our government were as competent as the media, Hollywood, and the conspiracy theorists believe it to be. Unfortunately, the REAL people in government aren't that bright, and don't keep secrets well. With the new Democratic administration coming onboard, the overall IQ of the government will now drop some more!!!

Any deviation from the harsh line against terrorists is an enormous political risk for Obama. If we then have another 9/11 type incident, no amount of spin from friendly media will save him...the American people will hold the Obama administration accountable. While he could try to escape personal responsibility by throwing some of his appointees under the bus, you can see the campaign commercials now: scenes of conflagration followed by video of Obama condemning harsh treatment for terrorists.