The fact that the USA had become a nation practicing torture on our enemies (real and suspected) was one of the reasons that I voted for Obama. Now this is gratifying:
Our Constitution defines the rules that guide our nation.
It was drafted by those who looked around the world of the eighteenth century and saw persecution, torture, and other crimes against humanity and believed that America could be better than that. This new nation would recognize that every individual has an inherent right to personal dignity, to justice, to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.
We have preached these values to the world. We have made clear that there are certain lines Americans will not cross because we respect the dignity of every human being. That pledge was written into the oath of office given to every president, “to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.” It’s what is supposed to make our leaders different from every tyrant, dictator, or despot. We are sworn to govern by the rule of law, not by brute force.
We cannot simply suspend these beliefs in the name of national security. Those who support torture may believe that we can abuse captives in certain select circumstances and still be true to our values. But that is a false compromise. We either believe in the dignity of the individual, the rule of law, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, or we don’t. There is no middle ground.
We cannot and we must not use torture under any circumstances. We are better than that.
Leon Panetta, Washington Monthly, March 2008 (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)
That’s Leon Panetta, the man Obama wants as the next director of the CIA. Note that Panetta wrote these words in March, 2008. Courageous, unequivocal, and just right.
This device was used to waterboard prisoners in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge. We have become known as unashamed emulators of Pol Pot (and fattened consumers hamburgers and Coca Cola, but that’s another story).
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