President Trump's nomination of Gina Haspel to lead the CIA has reopened a national conversation​ on whether it is ever acceptable to torture people. Haspel oversaw the waterboarding of a prisoner at a CIA black-site prison in Thailand in 2002 and ordered the destruction of records relating to the torture of prisoners in 2005; during yesterday's confirmation hearing, Haspel dodged questions about the utility of torture.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who spent almost six years being tortured as a prisoner of war in Hanoi during the Vietnam War, has notably opposed Haspel's nomination, issuing a statement that says, "Ms. Haspel's role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying."

Even if you disagree with McCain, he's pretty untouchable as a former POW and a current brain cancer patient, right? Not on Fox News, apparently:

…Wow Conversation on Fox about torture: "It worked on John [McCain]. That's why they call him 'Songbird John'" https://t.co/OjCwhv2ZhI pic.twitter.com/WehsgPAqgb — Leanne Naramore (@LeanneNaramore) May 10, 2018

Here you see Fox News military analyst Thomas McInerney saying that torture "worked on John. That's why they call him 'Songbird John.'" In fact, although an unhinged conspiracy theorist tried to smear McCain as a traitor in 2008, there is no evidence McCain ever gave useful information to his North Vietnamese captors. McInerney, a retired Air Force lieutenant general, is probably best known for challenging President Obama's constitutional authority based on the false conspiracy theory that Obama was born outside of the United States. Honestly, we're not sure which of McInerney's pet conspiracy theories is more shameful.

[Media Matters]