The Distinguished Torture Supporter From Texas

by publius

It's touching to see John Cornyn's newfound zeal for executive oversight.  I'm just surprised he remembered how to say "we need more information" -- I would have thought the neurons required to form that sentence had long since shriveled away from years and years of nonuse.

Anyway, I have a bit of free advice for Senator Cornyn.  If you want to prevent prosecutions for torture, there are a couple of ways to go about it.  The first is to attempt to use your power as Senator to essentially obstruct justice after the fact.  An alternative, and arguably better, way is to try harder to prevent torture from happening in the first place.

The whole episode does provide some clarity, as they say, about where the parties stand on one of the key moral issues of our day.  A new Democratic AG clearly and unequivocally says that waterboarding is torture, while a member of the Republican Senate leadership is primarily concerned with forever immunizing people who tortured -- and, at times, murdered -- detainees.

Comments

[AIMAI]

I realize that the one thing they probably told Holder, or anyone appearing before a Senate Committee, is that the "slow double take" and the phrase "are you *&^%$ kidding me?" are probably not the best way to get confirmed. But really, in what universe would it be impossible for Holder to slowly and loudly ask Cornyn:

"Let me get this clear, Senator, rather than being afraid that I might, like your party's previous AG, authorize mass torture, lawbreaking, and the destruction of the constitution you are afraid that I *won't?* Is the price of the vote of the Senator from Texas really my promise to retroactively immunize torture? I just want to be clear what kind of immorality and illegality you want to enshrine in the Department of Justice and for whose benefit?"

aimai

aimai

[Dan]

This is truly disgraceful. I sincerely wonder how some of these people sleep at night.

[NonyNony]

An alternative, and arguably better, way is to try harder to prevent torture from happening in the first place.

Except that Cornyn apparently doesn't have a problem with the torture, he has a problem with people being prosecuted for it. And he apparently has some problem with using his position as a member of the Senate to try to get a bill passed that would legalize the torture he seems to love. I wonder why that is.

[cleek]

i'm a little surprised, but pleasantly so, to see that the GOP wants to have this discussion. i figured that Obama was never going to push the issue, so it would die away on its own. but hey, if the GOP wants to get this front-paged, that's awesome.

coupled with this poll , it gives me hope that maybe Obama won't have to take the lead on this - the GOP will do it for him.

[tomeck]

To be fair, Cornyn would probably be against torturing some groups; Nazis, the Klan, South American Death squads, Joe the Plumber...

[ThatLeftTurnInABQ]

This is truly disgraceful. I sincerely wonder how some of these people sleep at night.

They sleep soundly resting in the knowledge that hard men are toiling ceaselessly to protect us. Or so that is what they say, anyway. Whether a conscience is involved is left up to the imagination of the reader.

Some glorious chapters in this war to protect the Vaterland Homeland are apparently best left out of the history books. Future generations might not understand what was truly necessary.

[Prup (aka Jim Benton)]

The Republicans have already shot themselves in the feet so much they don't have any toes left. Cornyn has started aiming for the kneecaps. (They'll never reach the heart, that was cut out years ago.)

[cleek]

They sleep soundly resting in the knowledge that hard men are toiling ceaselessly to protect us. Or so that is what they say, anyway.

rough men are on the job. rough men. rough, hard, glistening men. men in chaps with little studded leather wristbands like the guy from Judas Priest still wears. rough. rough men.

[rea]

I sincerely wonder how some of these people sleep at night

Cornyn's box turtles keep him warm and comfortable . . .

[Gary Farber]

YM the tortoises he flips over over on their backs. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t, not without your help. But you’re not helping. Why is that, John?

[KCinDC]

Can someone give an explanation of why single Republican senators have such success in holding up legislation and appointments, while single Democratic senators can never manage to do such things? Surely the Senate Democrats can't be 100% spineless. I try to give Harry Reid the benefit of he doubt, Senate rules being as obscure as they are, but it really seems to require that he be not simply incompetent but actively sabotaging his own party.

[Gary Farber]

Senate holds are still available. But anonymity is now temporary.

What's in the minds of Democratic Senators, I couldn't say.

[Itinerant Pedant]

Some glorious chapters in this war to protect the Vaterland...Homeland are apparently best left out of the history books.

ThatLeftTurnInABQ has highlighted something I'd like to see happen. Now that we have a new administration can we please, please, PLEASE rename the Department of Homeland Security to something less Nazi-sounding? I keep looking around to try to find Dr. Strangelove.

[Gary Farber]

I've said all along that if we had to have a massive bureaucratic shuffle, that the new department should be named the Department of Defense, and the current Department of Defense should go back to its original name: the Department of War.

This would be a heck of a lot more honest and non-euphemistic.

[Gary Farber]

More twittery.

[Gary Farber]

Senator Levin:

LEVIN: We’re going to try to complete this investigation, at least on the DoD side, Ok. But on the intelligence, the CIA side, that’s going to be up to the Intelligence Committe. I know I suggested to Eric Holder, who will be the next Attorney General despite the delay that took place today, that he select some people or hire an outside person whose got real credibility, perhaps a retired federal judge, to take all the available information, and there’s reams of it.