rssLindsey Graham Hunts for a Kitty Dukakis Moment
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 12:06 pm
- 4 Comments
After Philip Zelikow advocates closing Guantanamo Bay, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) — who, earlier in the hearing, praised President Obama for his “responsible view” about Guantanamo — tries to bait Zelikow with a question about Guantanamo’s “recidivism rate.” (The implication being the Bush Pentagon let dangerous terrorists out of Guantanamo to immediately return to the fight, so we have to keep the facility open.)
“There are no reliable statistics on the recidivism rate” at Guantanamo, Zelikow replies, and allows that there are indications that some unknown number of them have returned to fight. Isn’t that a “miscarriage of justice” then, Graham asks?
“Not necessarily,” Zelikow replies.
“What if it was your son or daughter?” Graham demands? How would he feel then?
Zelikow says he wouldn’t feel any different than when a parolee commits a crime. Graham meekly drops the point.
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4 Comments
Comment posted May 13, 2009 @ 9:36 am
As long as the discussion of torture is approached from a strictly legal perspective, there are no legal exceptions or mitigating circumstances than permit it. The Republicans are desperately trying to JUSTIFY it's use by claiming it is was necessary and or effective, while ignoring the fact that their arguments have no legal relevance. Notice that no Republican is citing legal precedents for authorizing and or committing torture. Is robbing a bank legally justified if the robbers needed the money to pay for a life saving operation and or if the gave the stolen money to charity before they were caught?
Comment posted May 22, 2009 @ 12:15 pm
Today Graham wants it, tomorrow he doesn't, vote him out.
Comment posted May 22, 2009 @ 7:15 pm
Today Graham wants it, tomorrow he doesn't, vote him out.
Pingback posted February 15, 2010 @ 8:18 pm
[...] capacity to be reasonable. And yet when he’s faced with people who know more than he does, he acts like a baby, as with his petulant treatment of longtime FBI counterterrorist Ali Soufan last year. He is not [...]
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