Keeping You in the Dark

Nothing like keeping the ignorant, ignorant. Always a "sound" idea in a Democratic Republic.

AT THE SENATE intelligence committee hearing Thursday on Gen. Michael V. Hayden's nomination to head the CIA, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked the nominee a simple question: Is "waterboarding" an acceptable interrogation technique? Gen. Hayden responded: "Let me defer that to closed session, and I would be happy to discuss it in some detail." That was the wrong answer. The right one would have been simple: No. Last year Congress banned cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment of detainees; one of its explicit aims was to stop the CIA's use of waterboarding, which induces an excruciating sensation of drowning and is considered by most human rights organizations to constitute torture. So why couldn't Gen. Hayden say clearly that the technique is now off-limits?

I want the truth...

You can't handle the truth...

etc.

In actuality, what I can't handle is not having the right to be told a plain and simple fact.

And while the Republicans just gladly allow this sort of secrecy, especially since it would be embarassing to the Administration; the enabling of the Democrats on the committee is about as reprehensible.

We should not fucking torture, and there should be NO problem saying so. But apparently, one can conclude we still are torturing and the Bush Administration will not even mealy mouth about it until they can do so privately. Then they can bind Senators into a covenant not to speak of it openly. For the country to just passively allow such avoidance is a gigantic indictment.