January 7, 2005

At least one Repub not happy with Gonzales

Undiplomatic Immunity - Did Al Gonzales say the president can authorize torture? By Chris Suellentrop: "Sen. Lindsay Graham is the lone Republican to blast Gonzales. His boyish face comes paired with a kindergartner's hyperactivity, as he impatiently rocks his chair while waiting for his turn. During Gonzales' answers to others' questioning, Graham sometimes wears a look of confusion mingled with disgust. 'I think we've dramatically undermined the war effort by getting on a slippery slope in terms of playing cute with the law,' Graham, a reserve Air Force JAG officer, says. He adds later, 'And I think you weaken yourself as a nation when you try to play cute and become more like your enemy instead of like who you want to be.'

Gonzales senses that Graham has made a mistake and seizes on it. 'We are nothing like our enemy, Senator,' he protests. They behead people, like Danny Pearl and Nick Berg. Graham notes that this is a pretty low moral standard for America to aspire to. I agree that we're nothing like the enemy, he says. 'But we're not like who we want to be and who we have been.' (During Graham's second round of questioning, Gonzales tells him that government lawyers did the very best they could when they wrote the memo. 'Well that's where you and I disagree,' Graham retorts. 'I think they did a lousy job.')"

2 comments:

Bruce Prescott said...

Why is it so hard to find a repub who will walk out-of-step with this administration?

If violating the Geneva Conventions isn't reason to challenge your leadership, what is?

The Republican Party is morally bankrupt.

Streak said...

It is hard to come to any other conclusion. If you sanction torture, you are closer to Pinochet than anything Jefferson or Madison envisioned.