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Michael Otterman is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, as well as an award-winning journalist and filmmaker.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
McCain's Capitulation
John McCain's speech at Liberty University was a glaring warning of worse to come.
McCain-- who has waged a public fight against American torture-- has now formally pledged to support it. Last week he voted against a bill that would curtail CIA tortures like waterboarding, hypothermia, and standing for 40 hours. The bill forces CIA interrogators to follow the US Army interrogation field manual, which specifically bans:
• Forcing the detainee to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner.
• Applying beatings, electric shock, burns, or other forms of physical pain.
• “Waterboarding.”
• Using military working dogs.
• Inducing hypothermia or heat injury.
• Conducting mock executions.
• Depriving the detainee of necessary food, water, or medical care.
According to McCain, these "additional techniques" are not torture and should not be banned. In his view: “None of those techniques would entail violating the Detainee Treatment Act, which said that cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment are prohibited.”
The about face has sent shockwaves across the net and throughout the human rights community:
A question for McCain: Who will brave soldiers like Ian Fishback turn to now?
--
Note: Mike here. I'm back now from my time in the Middle East, for a small slice of the situation of Iraqi refugees in Syria, check this article I penned for New Matilda. I'd like to thank Valtin for his excellent post on Bush Administration waterboarding admissions-- likely the biggest US torture news to break in my absence.
McCain-- who has waged a public fight against American torture-- has now formally pledged to support it. Last week he voted against a bill that would curtail CIA tortures like waterboarding, hypothermia, and standing for 40 hours. The bill forces CIA interrogators to follow the US Army interrogation field manual, which specifically bans:
• Forcing the detainee to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner.
• Applying beatings, electric shock, burns, or other forms of physical pain.
• “Waterboarding.”
• Using military working dogs.
• Inducing hypothermia or heat injury.
• Conducting mock executions.
• Depriving the detainee of necessary food, water, or medical care.
According to McCain, these "additional techniques" are not torture and should not be banned. In his view: “None of those techniques would entail violating the Detainee Treatment Act, which said that cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment are prohibited.”
The about face has sent shockwaves across the net and throughout the human rights community:
“It’s disappointing,” said Jennifer Daskal, a senior counsel at Human Rights Watch, “that Senator McCain, who has long made it clear that Congress had intended to outlaw abusive interrogation techniques including waterboarding, won’t stand up to an administration that continues to say waterboarding is O.K. in certain circumstances.”
[...]
“We’re very disappointed in his vote,” said [Elisa Massimino, the Washington director of Human Rights First] of Mr. McCain. “Because of his personal history and his leadership on this issue, it sends a terrible message to the rest of the world, to Americans, to the troops.”
A question for McCain: Who will brave soldiers like Ian Fishback turn to now?
--
Note: Mike here. I'm back now from my time in the Middle East, for a small slice of the situation of Iraqi refugees in Syria, check this article I penned for New Matilda. I'd like to thank Valtin for his excellent post on Bush Administration waterboarding admissions-- likely the biggest US torture news to break in my absence.