McCain knows firsthand need to limit torture rules

Yahoo News (USA TODAY) ^ | September 20, 2006 | DeWayne Wickham

[John Carey]

Article here

[Wonder Warthog]

McCain is an idiot--pure and simple. I wish his constitutents back home would vote him out of office once and for all.

[submarinerswife]

Is McCain feeling the same hate and discontent from AZ voters the same way that Lindsey Graham is feeling it from those of us in SC?

[NonValueAdded]

Boy, the rules sure protected McCain and our military during the Vietnam war. I shudder to think of what might have happened to them if they didn't. /MegaUltraGigaSarc

[RightOnline]

If memory serves......hasn't there been legitimate questioning of McCain's treatment while in North Vietnamese captivity?

[Bahbah]

siding with these men and against Bush and Cheney, who both ducked active duty military service during the Vietnam War, is an easy call for me.

When the writer resorts to this sort of thing, he loses the argument if his poor reasoning hasn't already lost it.

[mewzilla]

For more of Mr. Wickham's work, click here.

I think his work speaks for itself.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Is McCain feeling the same hate and discontent from AZ voters the same way that Lindsey Graham is feeling it from those of us in SC?"

I certainly hope so.

[bray]

Translation: Terrorist Rights are more important than American Lives!

Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters

[7thson]

This is exactly what Ann Coulter talks about. One or more people have experience in the subject being discussed and thus all debate should be closed, giving them the moral authority. BS is what I say.

[tx_eggman]

But on an even more thoughtful level, McCain's opposition to Bush's legislation makes sense. It's hard enough to get warring nations to adhere to the Geneva Conventions without creating a precedent that would make it possible for other countries to conjure up their own interpretations of them to escape being branded as war criminals.

But since it's not about countries in this case, what is the author talking about?

As I posted a few days ago concerning what the Geneva Convention actually says:

Here are the pesky little facts. Article III (rules for POW's) of the convention states:

they should be treated "humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, color, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria." .,, including behavior such as ... "outrages upon personal dignity, in particular murders of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture."

So far, so good. But here is where McLame is wrong, Article IV defines POW's as follows:

" having a fixed distinctive sign recognizable at a distance . . . of carrying arms openly . . . of conducting their operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war."

Game, set and match ... the folks were are talking about, because of their own behavior and tactics, are disqualified from the provisions of the Geneva Conventions.

In order to get treated under the rules, you've gotta play by 'em.

[Little Ray]

Nah. McCain knows firsthand that torture is effective and works. He just needs the guts to apply it to our enemies rather than letting lawyers torture our soldiers...

[MissAmericanPie]

MaCain..what a nermal.

[conservativecorner]

RINO version of a tough facility:

[mewzilla]

That's close. They've got a La-Z-Boy recliner at Gitmo, not a chaise lounge.

[Steel Wolf]

But a unilateral American interpretation of this clause would open the door for this nation's enemies to come up with their own interpretations of Article 3 - and increase the chances that U.S. troops captured by them will be abused

This, of course, is nonsense.

Our troops can, will and have been tortured any time they are captured. Much of that is due to the fact that we fight almost exclusively against brutal dictators, men won't be negotiated with. To expect them to respect our troops more than they do their own people is idiocy.

There is still a moral case to be made against torture, and if they wish to make it, then they should do so. But the 'concern for the troops' line is historically false and has no bearing in reality.

[stylin19a]

John McCain is always referred to as a "war hero". What makes him a war hero ?
Audie Murphy was a war hero..

John McCain should know about how effective torture is...he gave up his unit,ship and damn near everything else 4 days or so, after he was captured.

[Charlespg]

and how many guys were out running around with possible knowage of a biochemical or nuclear attack

McCain needs to P*** off

[El Gato]

If something is vague, it has to be interpreted. The question is wether the interpretation will be done by the representatives of the people, that is Congress, or by non elected Judges.

For the protection of our troops and agents, not to mention for their moral and effectiveness, it would be best that the law be clear, rather than having judges interpret it.

[mewzilla]

For anyone who missed it, a must read by Richard Miniter on the subject...

A Deadly Kindness