Dr. Evil Lives......

"Published: Saturday, November 5, 2005
Cheney urges torture ban exception
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney made an unusual personal appeal to Republican senators this week to allow CIA exemptions to a proposed ban on the torture of terror suspects in U.S. custody, according to participants in a closed-door session."

Apparently Dick doesn't get it. Maybe spending so much time in that secret bunker has kept him too far away from reality or maybe that pacemaker has really replaced his heart.

"Cheney told his audience that the U.S. doesn't engage in torture, the participants added, even though he said the administration needed an exemption from any legislation banning "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment in case the president decided one was necessary to prevent a terrorist attack.".... or in case the interrogators at Abu Ghraib get bored. (?)

This plea to allow the use of torture coming on the heals of the recent disclosure that the CIA has been sending "terror suspects" to secret prisons in Europe does tend to make one wonder if he is trying to protect certain activities that may be uncovered in those prisons. It's not like there aren't already some prisons (or gulags) in eastern Europe that are already set up for that type of thing.

One aspect of this story that might go to the nature of Dick Cheney as a human being is that, in making this plea, he had to look into the face of Senator John McCain. Apparently that posed no great hurdle for our Vice President. Please look again at the headline of the AP story; "Cheney urges torture ban exception". Ask yourself if you ever thought an official representative of the United States, especially at the highest level, would ever have a headline like that associated with his or her name. This cannot stand without loud and repeated dissent!

Americans must demand an end to this. This is not bleeding heart liberalism or even sympathizing with the enemy. There is a reason we should not condone torture as a legitimate tactic. If we become what we despise most in our enemies, we lose the moral high ground. We endanger our soldiers and any who would represent us around the world. We must send a message to Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales, George Bush, and the US Congress; Americans will not tolerate a policy of torture and those would seek to loosen that standard should simply move to a country that might be more to their liking.

Chad (The Left) Shue