http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1218montini18.html
Thanks to McCain, we pledge (wink) never to use torture
Dec. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
In a clear and convincing victory for Arizona's very own presidential contender, a deal was struck last week between Sen. John McCain and President George W. Bush in which our nation reaffirmed its promise to never (wink) ever (nod) under any circumstances (fingers crossed behind our backs) torture a prisoner in our custody.
It is a policy that McCain fought for and obtained with complete sincerity. Sort of the same way that many Americans enter into marriage, promising to love, honor and support "until death us do part," knowing full well that things don't work out about half the time.
That doesn't mean that couples who get married plan to break that vow. Unexpected things just sort of happen. Same with the larger world. Terrorism happens. And war. That kind of stuff.
Still, our senator, who is better situated than any other politician to become the next president, said that by promising not to torture prisoners we have "sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists."
Which is true . . . most of the time.
As McCain said, ours is a nation that "upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are."
Unless, of course, we have no other choice. In which case, one of our interrogators can make an honest (wink) mistake, perhaps believing (nod) that his behavior had been legally authorized. Or perhaps he will claim that he didn't realize ("My dog ate the memo") that what he was doing was against the new rules. The government might even pay for the defense.
And even if one of our people seems to knowingly break the law, can you imagine an American jury convicting a defendant who says that he thought he might be preventing a terrorist attack by using nasty tactics to get a suspect to admit where he hid the bomb?
No law is perfect. But given the wiggle room in the McCain ban on torture, did anything significant change?
The answer is: Yes. McCain's chances of becoming president improved.
Perhaps the senator's next crusade will involve getting Congress and the president to agree on a new policy in which the U.S. government promises that it will never spy on its own citizens without first obtaining a legal search warrant.
News reports say that the president authorized the National Security Agency to do such a thing after 9/11 and, near as I can tell, Congress hasn't yet begun impeachment proceedings. Which means that illegally eavesdropping on its own citizens is also something that the United States never does . . . most of the time.
I forwarded questions about all this to McCain's office and his helpful staff sent along copies of the new torture rules as well as a list of "talking points," which are quotes from McCain that news organizations can use in their articles.
Things like: "The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don't deserve our sympathy. But this isn't about who they are. This is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies, and we will never, never allow our enemies to take those values away."
That is so true. Those same values are reflected each time an elected politician is sworn into office. Many of them take oaths that mimic the president's sworn pledge to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." It means that in this country, unlike almost any other, the law is the law. Period.
(Wink. Wink.)
Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8978.