Posted on 05/13/2011 6:01:53 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years, has rejected the argument that torture was necessary to successfully combat terrorism - and denied claims that waterboarding detainees provided intelligence that helped end the manhunt for Osama bin Laden.
(snip)
On CBS' "The Early Show" Friday, McCain denied claims made by Rep. Peter King, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who said earlier this week that through the use of such tactics, a courier for the al Qaeda leader was identified.
(snip)
"Through normal, conventional interrogation techniques - and by the way I've seen it in Bagram - and with without these enhanced interrogation techniques, we can get more accurate, more valuable information," McCain continued. "And most importantly, preserve our commitments by our Constitution, by the Geneva Conventions, and by other agreements, that we will not practice cruel and inhumane treatment on people who are in our custody."
McCain said the example America sets for the world - including our treatment of prisoners - is important.
(snip)
"We didn't do it to the Japanese war criminals," he said. "We didn't do it to the Nazi war criminals. And think of what would happen if in another conflict an enemy, not a terrorist organization, takes Americans prisoner, then obviously they will feel that they could do the same thing that we have practiced."
(snip)
"And to somehow think we can now withdraw from Afghanistan and not have to worry any more - we're finding out as recently as yesterday that we are having problems with home-grown terrorists. So the struggle is going to go on for the rest of the 21st century.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
McCain is absolutely right on this one. This is a national morality issue and no information obtained this way, whether you regard it as torture or “enhanced interrogation techniques”, is worth the cost to the soul of our great nation, the risk to our men and women in uniform, or our ability to face ourselves in the mirror.
Palin for prez.
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