Failing to prohibit in statute the use of waterboarding and other torture undermines our nation's moral authority, puts American military and diplomatic personnel at risk, and weakens the quality of intelligence. Indeed, in 2007, General David Petraeus wrote, "Some may argue that we would be more effective if we sanctioned torture or other expedient methods to obtain information from the enemy. That would be wrong. Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful nor necessary."



Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "In the words of retired Rear Admiral Donald Guter, a former Navy Judge Advocate General: 'There is no disconnect between human rights and national security… they're synergistic. One doesn't work without the other for very long.' Failing to legally prohibit the use of waterboarding and other harsh torture techniques also risks the safety of our soldiers and other Americans serving overseas. In a letter to the Congressional intelligence committee chairmen, 30 retired generals and admirals-- including General Joseph Hoar, the former head of U.S. Central Command-- stated: 'We believe it is vital to the safety of our men and women in uniform that the United States not sanction the use of interrogation methods it would find unacceptable if inflicted by the enemy against captured Americans…'"

"I don't know where to draw the line on some of these issues," Shays said, adding that torture used to involve pulling out fingernails and maiming people with knives.



"I wouldn't be able to go through each item and tell you," Shays said, "because I don't know the sensation. I haven't had anyone do it to me."

"I am appalled that the President vetoed a bill that would have simply forced interrogators to abide by the methods approved by our own military. I am equally appalled that Chris Shays and the Republicans in Congress voted to sustain Bush's veto.



"Chris Shays continues to provide cover for Bush's torture policy-- a policy which has eroded our standing in the world, endangers our own troops in the field, and makes us less safe. That the President and Chris Shays can't say clearly and loudly that Americans do not torture is inexplicable and outrageous."



"Our country was founded on and draws its strength from noble ideals. We are Americans, and we don't torture. It's that simple."

"We need members of Congress who take issues of morality seriously. Instead of a reliable vote for torture like Scott Garrett, we need representatives who recognize that torture inherently generates unreliable information while reducing our standing in the world. Our great strength as a nation is that, to paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while the arc of our history is long, it bends toward justice."

In a largely party-lined vote, the House failed to override Bush's veto of the legislation that would have re-iterated long-standing American policy to not engage in the barbaric use of torture of prisoners. Bush "vetoed the bill over the provision that extends to U.S. intelligence agencies and personnel the current prohibitions in the Army Field Manual against waterboarding and other torture." Senator Double Talk Express (R-AZ), Bush's political heir, supports Bush on the veto while telling the public that he opposes torture. He is a very confused or a very deceptive man-- or both.There were 5 brave Republicans who joined the Democrats in trying to override Bush's veto: Roscoe Bartlett (MD), Wayne Gilchrest (MD, who lost his primary to a wingnut), Tim Johnson (IL), Ron Paul (TX) and Chris Smith (NJ). There were also 2 Democrats who voted with the Republicans because the bill wasn't good enough (Dennis Kucinich and Maxine Waters) and one disgrace to the Democratic Party who joined the GOP today, as he often does: Jim Marshall (GA).Among the Republicans desperately seeking re-election by telling their constituents they are moderates and independent of Bush who voted for torture-- again-- were Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Dave Reichert (R-WA), David Dreier (R-CA), Randy Kuhl (R-NY), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Ric Keller (R-FL), Tom Reynolds (R-NY), and Mr. Moderate himself, crazyman Chris Shays (R-CT).The DSCC is supporting a right-of-center "business Democrat," Kay Hagan for Elizabeth Dole's senate seat in North Carolina. Grassroots support goes to Jim Neal. Jim has been campaigning hard against retroactive immunity and Hagan admits that she favors it. In a brand new poll the under-financed campaign of the guy who knows it pays to emphasize the contrast in positions with right-wing Republicans pulled ahead of the Insider shill.Many people have pointed to the deteriorating state of Chris Shays' mental capacity lately. Even with Attorney General Mukasey and GOP presidential nominee-designate McCain admitting that waterboarding is torture, Chris Shays is still splitting hairs and playing word games . The slippery Liebermanlike Republican, who has voted for virtually every single item on Bush's war agenda from Day One, had this to say about his contemptible pro-torture vote:The progressive Democrat running against Shays in November is Blue America-endorsed Jim Himes. We asked him how he felt about Connecticut's one GOP congressman voting for torture.Several other Blue America stalwarts are facing pro-torture Republicans in November. Dennis Shulman, who is running against the Northeast's last remaining right-wing extremist, New Jersey nutcase Scott Garrett has this to say:And the Scott Garrett of the West Coast is California's most extreme right wing member of Congress, Gary Miller. Ron Shepston, his Democratic opponent doesn't favor torture any more than Dennis or Jim or any rational American. "I find it incredible that anyone would agree to put our soldiers now and in the future in danger by letting us engage in something as unproductive and in fact as counter-productive as torture. In short, it doesn’t work and makes things worse for our troops. Anyone who says that it does is wrong. Those who voted to sustain should be ashamed of themselves."VA-11's incumbent, Tom Davis, is retiring, as his constituents turn more and more against the war and against the entire shameful and disastrous Bush agenda Davis has rubber stamped. Today Davis was still voting for torture. The woman Blue America has endorsed to win in that northern Virginia district is Leslie Byrne and she came straight to the point: "Torture is against our fundamental democratic ideals and our Constitution. We ask our military to defend these rights and principles with their lives. If we disregard these fundamental rights, we dishonor their commitments."If you'd rather see people in Congress like Jim Himes, Leslie Byrne, Ron Shepston and Dennis Shulman, please show them a little love at Blue America Eric Massa, the Democrat running against Randy Kuhl in upstate New York, is a highly decorated ex-military officer with more understanding about military matters than Bush and his 5 closest advisers combined. Like most military officers and retired military officers, he understands why going back to Spanish Inquisition forms of torture are damaging, first and foremost, to our own fighting men and women. Having never been one, Bush, Cheney and their gaggle of Neocons is completely clueles. Here's what Eric toldthis evening after Kuhl voted, again, to rubber stamp Bush's torture policies: "I am terribly disappointed that the roadblocking rubber stamps in Congress have decided to stand with George Bush and against the Geneva Conventions. The topic of 'should we or shouldn't we condone torture' should not even be part of the public discussion. Torture is wrong on every level and I very much look forward to casting a vote against it when I am a part of the 111th Congress."Alan Grayson is running for Congress in Orlando against reflexive rubber stamp Ric Keller, who, naturally voted in favor of torture again today. I asked Alan what the hell is going on with a vote like that. He was as outraged as I was: "We somehow managed to get through two World Wars without torture, but in those wars we were led by the 'Greatest Generation,' not their clueless, AWOL offspring. I'm wondering what else the current Republican leaders hope to revive? Witch-burning? Serfdom? Absolute monarchy?"

Labels: Dennis Shulman, Jim Himes, Leslie Southwick, Ron Shepston, torture, venality of Bush