Vasko Kohlmayer of FrontPageMagazine.com, one of the best web sites on the Internet has this salient piece which makes a very convincing case for why we need to have aggressive interrogation techniques for enemy terror combatants most notably the technique known as “Waterboarding.”
He quotes John McCain:
Discussing his recent compromise with the White House on detention and interrogation of captured terrorists, John McCain said on the Today show that â??there will be no such thing as waterboardingâ?¦You will never see that again. We stood up and said that cannot be done.â??
With all due respect to liberal Republicans such as McCain and Powell, they are exceedingly wrong on this issue. Aside from McCain’s liberal positions on just about every issue (McCain-Feingold, opposition to the Bush Tax Cuts, pro-global warming, McCain-Kennedy “scamnesty,” heading the “Gang of 14,” etc…)I also believe that his position on this issue (to extend Geneva Conventions/Article 3 to enemy combatant-terrorists and oppose agressive interrogation techiniques which could be construed as “inhumane,” “degrading,” or “Physically uncomfortable” reveals why he is not ready for “prime time” as Commander and Chief. Waterboarding has been a vital tool which has played a major role in our ability to gather vital terror intel which has thwarted numerous terror attacks which could have killed tens of thousands of innocent Americans. For anybody who knows what “waterboarding” entails and who continues to oppose it, in my mind, makes that person inelligible to be president of the United States of America in this day and age.
Waterboarding, unlike sleep deprivation or exposure to cold (air-conditioning):
…is fleeting in duration with the actual discomfort lasting seldom more than a couple of minutes. And since a man can be safely deprived of oxygen for at least twice as long, there is almost no risk of long-term harm. The possibility of injury is further reduced by the fact that the procedure calls for no direct physical contact between the subject and his interrogators. Not even as much as pushing or chest slapping is required at any time, making waterboarding one of the safest and least confrontational among interrogation methods. Involving the lowest risk of long-term harm and the least amount of cumulative discomfort, it is also the most humane. Most importantly, it is the most effective.
I am glad that the House passed the president’s Terror Detainee Act enabling interrogators to utilize agressive interrogation techniques such as Waterboarding if necessary to elicit valuble terror related intelligence (often actionable) to thwart future attacks. It has been invaluable in the past. It is good to see that the president and other Republicans in the Congress have stood strong on this issue.
Yet another reminder why time after time regardless of the poll, Americans trust Republicans on national security to the “cut and run” appeasement oriented liberal Democrats.