Obama and Cheney Speeches Not the End of Torture Discussion

When President Obama and former Vice-president Cheney gave what the press called "dueling speeches" about Bush era war crimes I posted a comment where I said that I'd talk about my reaction to the speeches at a later date. Since that post there have been a lot of people who have commented about the speech so I'm not going to rehash what was said and not said other than to say my overall impression of both speeches and the media coverage was one of disappointment.  The Cheney speech was so full of distortions and lies that it doesn't even merit a response except to say that in my view former V.P. Cheney is a thoroughly dishonorable man. The media coverage was typical establishment media coverage. They stuck to their narrative and ignored any facts that didn't fit the narrative. The one response about Obama's speech that was closest to my own response was this one from Rachel Maddow

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Because of the importance of this issue I know the two speeches given by Obama and Cheney will not be the last word on what happened in the Bush era. In fact, we already have descriptions leaking out about what appeared in the photos that the Obama administration failed to release. The administration is of course denying the reporting.

We also continue to have Cheney's daughter, Liz Cheney, appearing on one political talk show after another claiming waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation" techniques were not torture. We also have President Bush  publicly defending torture again and we have Alberto Gonzales trying to deny his involvement in torture. 

The American people deserve answers, not spin and until that happens this subject will not go away and should not go away. Contrary to what President Obama and others believe, we can't move forward as a country while we still have people who think what was done in the past is appropriate for use in the future. We can't afford to have people like Liz Cheney encouraged to run for office when she is out there actively promoting the use of torture. 

Until we drive a stake through the heart of the idea that torture is a viable option to be used by the U.S. we can't move forward or we risk having the use of torture come back like some vampire in a horror movie comes back to feed on it's victims again and again. 

When Will the Cheneys Finally Admit That Waterboarding is Torture?

Liz Cheney tells Norah O'Donnell that Waterboarding is Not Torture

Dick Cheney claimed in his speech yesterday that Waterboarding is Not Torture

President Obama has banned the harshest tactics that the CIA employed in the interrogation of suspected terrorists captured after 9/11, with his Justice Department labeling waterboarding, a simulated-drowning tactic used in many interrogations, as "torture."

"Torture was never permitted,"

Here's what conservative radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller  says about waterboarding:

If the Cheneys can't even tell the truth about what waterboarding is, why would anyone believe them when they tell us that waterboarding and other methods of torture are essential for our protection?

Swopa has an excellent piece up at Firedoglake about waterboarding and hypocrisy that's a MUST read.

Media Presents False Choice: Protecting Americans vs. Protecting American Values

Here is the video from today's Obama speech.

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And Cheney's speech.

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And of course, Liz Cheney's spin on both speeches

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On CNN, Kyra Phillips sets up the discussion of these two speeches as:

Protecting Americans vs. Protecting American Values.

This is a false choice and the establishment media has been relentless in pushing it. They should be totally ashamed of themselves for pushing Republican talking points instead of reporting facts.

I will post my thoughts on these two speeches and how the media covers them within the next day or two.

Another Pathetic Beltway "Interview" of Former V.P. Dick Cheney

Watch Schieffer/Cheney Interview at CBS

Bob Schieffer provides yet another friendly, national forum for former V.P. Cheney to uncritically make accusations against the current administration and to once again defend torture by distorting the facts and just outright lying.  Schieffer's lack of appropriate follow up to Cheney's self-serving comments leads one to believe that Schieffer is either not up to speed on the most basic of information about this topic and/or he just isn't interested in getting to the truth on this issue. In fact, he actually tells Cheney that he doesn't support calls for investigations into this issue so maybe that includes media investigations, as well. Or maybe it's simply due to the fact that Schieffer is a dyed in the wool "villager"and he mistakenly believes that by ignoring war crimes that he's just protecting "his city." 

Check out the next video where Schieffer dumps on David Souter because Souter didn't show the proper "respect" for Schieffer's city and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Schieffer's comment on David Souter:

I had no problem with the justice’s legal work, but as one who has lived 40 years in Washington I’ll be honest I didn’t care for his attitude. He made it no secret that he hated the city - once describing his work as the best job in the world in the worst city in the world. Another time he called life here akin to an intellectual lobotomy.  Really…our nation’s capitol - one of the most beautiful cities in the world…

[Snip}

I’ve never know anyone who ever saw him outside the court and now he is leaving.  I take it he won’t miss Washington, but my guess is Washington will hardly miss him