Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Vice President for Torture
Last week, Stansfield Turner, a military veteran and former director of the CIA, labeled Cheney the "vice president for torture."
Now an aide of Colin Powell has come forward to admit that Cheney orchestrated the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities: "There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to do so originated -- in the vice president of the United States' office," he said.
He said U.S. officials should realize they are involved in "a war of ideas" that cannot be advanced with torture.
"In a war of ideas, you cannot damage your own ideas, your own position by seeming to do things that are in contradiction of your values," he said.
Unless, like Cheney, your values include torture. Maybe Cheney and the Bush admin are trying to "win the hearts and minds" of the Iraqis by impersonating someone the Iraqi people know all too well: Saddam Hussein.
That's a case of becoming your own worst enemy.
CNN.com - Powell aide: Torture 'guidance' from VP - Nov 20, 2005
Now an aide of Colin Powell has come forward to admit that Cheney orchestrated the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities: "There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to do so originated -- in the vice president of the United States' office," he said.
He said U.S. officials should realize they are involved in "a war of ideas" that cannot be advanced with torture.
"In a war of ideas, you cannot damage your own ideas, your own position by seeming to do things that are in contradiction of your values," he said.
Unless, like Cheney, your values include torture. Maybe Cheney and the Bush admin are trying to "win the hearts and minds" of the Iraqis by impersonating someone the Iraqi people know all too well: Saddam Hussein.
That's a case of becoming your own worst enemy.
CNN.com - Powell aide: Torture 'guidance' from VP - Nov 20, 2005
