Cheney Supports Water-Boarding In Radio Interview; Snow Denies

I love Tony Snow, but he's spinning absurdly here.

Dick Cheney supports water-boarding. And bless 'im for having the stones to say so. (Points deducted for being disingenuous about that now, but there are some things you're not supposed to say, "I support water-boarding" high on the list.)

The White House said Friday that Vice President Dick Cheney was not talking about a torture technique known as "water boarding" when he said dunking terrorism suspects in water during questioning was a "no-brainer."

Human rights groups said Cheney's comments amounted to an endorsement of water boarding, in which the victim believes he is about to drown.

"You know as a matter of common sense that the vice president of the United States is not going to be talking about water boarding. Never would, never does, never will," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said. "You think Dick Cheney's going to slip up on something like this? No, come on.

The vice president replied, "Well, it's a no-brainer for me but for a while there I was criticized as being the vice president for torture. We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in."

Peppered with questions about the remarks, Snow said Cheney did not interpret the question as referring to water boarding and the vice president did not make any comments about water boarding. He said the question put to Cheney was loosely worded.

The administration has repeatedly refused to say which techniques they believe are permitted under the new law. Asked to define a dunk in water, Snow said, "It's a dunk in the water."

A media whore tried to be funny by saying that Dick Cheney wouldn't "slip up" about something like this the same way he wouldn't "slip up" and shoot a guy in the face. Ha, ha.

The media is of course all a-flutter and in full conniptions about this. I wish Cheney and Snow would stop being disingenuous and say, "Fuck yeah, I support the water-boarding of confirmed murderer and terrorist leader Khalid Sheik Mohammad. It saved lives. Any of you gutless pansies got a problem with that? How many lives would you trade, exactly, in exchange for Khalid Sheik Mohammad's personal comfort?"

It also occurs to me that the media only asks questions on this issue from the left. They never ask what I'd like to see asked -- if water-boarding was so effective as claimed, why is this useful tool apparently now ruled out of bounds by the compromise with the McCain Faction? Is the White House willing to trade innocent American life to appease Republican Faint-Hearts?

No one asks that, though, now do they?

Fair and balanced, baby. Objective and neutral. Asking all the tough questions from every political direction, without favor or prejudice.

posted by Ace at 01:38 PM

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