Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

John McCain 'Very Disappointed' By GOP Candidates' Endorsement Of Waterboarding

The Republican presidential candidates, save former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), announced during Saturday night's GOP debate that they would reinstitute waterboarding if elected president, arguing that it is an "enhanced interrogation technique" and therefore doesn't violate the Geneva Convention's ban against acts of torture.

On Sunday evening, President Barack Obama chastised the candidates for that stance, noting the damage waterboarding has done for America's reputation and its standing in the world.

"It's contrary to America's traditions," he said. "It's contrary to our ideals. That's not who we are. That's not how we operate. We don't need it in order to prosecute the war on terrorism. And we did the right thing by ending that practice."

The Republican senator who is best known for criticizing the practice, and the man who challenged Obama in 2008, expressed his disappointment Monday morning as well.

"Very disappointed by statements at SC GOP debate supporting waterboarding," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tweeted. "Waterboarding is torture."

McCain was vocal in his opposition to waterboarding even during the Bush years. But his tweet Monday is a reminder that the 2012 election will likely raise a new policy dispute that Obama must address: the question of whether or not Bush-era interrogation policies -- policies that were ended by President Bush himself -- should be re-instituted.

Origin
Source: Huff 

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