McCain Votes Against Torture Ban

Thinkprogress.org:

Today, the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, containing a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that establishes one interrogation standard, requiring the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and banning waterboarding.

Just hours ago, the Senate voted in favor of the bill, 51-45.

Earlier today, ThinkProgress noted that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a former prisoner of war, has spoken strongly in favor of implementing the Army Field Manual standard. When confronted today with the decision of whether to stick with his conscience or cave to the right wing, McCain chose to ditch his principles and instead vote to preserve waterboarding:

Mr. McCain, a former prisoner of war, has consistently voiced opposition to waterboarding and other methods that critics say is a form torture. But the Republicans, confident of a White House veto, did not mount the challenge. Mr. McCain voted "no" on Wednesday afternoon.

Read the whole story: Thinkprogress.org

Comments

[research]

10:43 PM on 02/17/2008

It's not torture IF "no permanent physical damage"?

rape, sodomy, shock, drugs, burns, dogs, hoods, ... torture...

... American?

[RobTornoe]

01:45 AM on 02/16/2008

Here's a political cartoon I did on the subject. Fair or not?

http://www­.politicke­rnj.com/fl­ipflopper-­16453

[Steverino]

10:03 PM on 02/15/2008

Wow. This from the party whose delegates actually held up flip flops and waved them in the air at their last convention­? This is their nominee?

Poetic justice.

[Pleidian]

07:23 AM on 02/15/2008

I wonder if by election day, McCain will have morphed all the way to McSteal...­it's the only way to win for him.

[Steamboater]

10:05 PM on 02/14/2008

I'm glad McCain voted against the bill. Now it will come back to slap him in the face during the general election and show him up for the desperate pandering prick he is.

[Incredulous]

06:35 PM on 02/14/2008

I'm confused. Republican­s are in favor of torture? John McCain, POW, is in favor of torture? Really! The right to lifers and so-called Christians all agree it's cool to torture people? What would Jesus do? Besides puke! What is going on in your fucking country! What next, televised torture during sweeps week? No kidding America is in DESPERATE need of change!!! I know that I can't paint you all with the same brush, but Americans are debating the upside of TORTURE!!! No wonder people hate you! You're a bunch of bloodthirs­ty hypocrites and hateful assholes! You deserve to be nuked!

[lungfish]

08:56 PM on 02/14/2008

careful friend, you are talking about the GOP/neo-ne­ocon/Chris­tian evangelica­l bunch that feel just great about torture. There is a reason we refer to them as Repug and Rethugs... Dems and many Independan­ts are not at all positive about this and torture became officially illegal today (as if it wasn't illegal all along).

You can thank the neocon creeps like Ashcroft (who claims Bush is a great defender of civil liberties) and Gonzales and Rice and co for the novel ideas of circumvent­ing US law and internatio­nal standards with the support of a cadre of spineless GOP (and a bunch of Dem) "statesmen­" who supported them.

If you are really paying attention you can see that the GOP are splintered and many are crossing over precisely because they are sickened by the last 8 years and they understand that after having it their way for the majority of the Administra­tion they have tanked and badly damaged our country in many ways. They had a surplus, a balanced budget, a stable and growing economy and everything they needed to make their turn at bat an awesome commentary on the power of the people but they turned it into a sickening, disgusting power grap that has severly damaged the country and their own credibilty­....
Take it easy on us, we don't want any of this to continue and won't allow it to if we can help it...

[JessWonderin]

09:27 PM on 02/14/2008

Look at the numbers - TOTAL RepubliCON voters was less that either Obama or Hillary . . . so the flip flop McLies Bullshit Express hardly reflects "America" . . .

POW McCain opposed torture, home and safe he says it OK to torture (American POWs, Al Kayduh, Eyewackies­, Pickastand­ees, Hamasses . . . why restrict it to Gitmo?) Gotta a great sense of honor . . .

[jinjinpinti]

05:05 PM on 02/14/2008

I realize that bumper stickers have become passe', but damn it If I can dissuade even one dumb, greedy repub from voting for McC-anus in November, I will gladly totally "walllpape­r" my car with them!

[jinjinpinti]

04:30 PM on 02/14/2008

Bush and his evil minions have raped this country in EVERY way for 7, plus, long, painful years....N­ow, McCain wants to claim "sloppy seconds" like the inferior man he has always been.

[eahce]

04:20 PM on 02/14/2008

Is this what america really wants? If this moron obtains our highest office I'm pack'in my bags.

[strandwolf]

04:05 PM on 02/14/2008

Quite evident that McCain is a screwball and conceivabl­y quite dangerous, on the level of a Dubya, which is damn serious. He's also a pansy, just like the Beach Boys, except for Dennis, Carl, and maybe Brian on his better days.

[WoodyCPM]

04:33 PM on 02/14/2008

McCain is a psychopath­. And you're right, all these right wing shits are pansies and sissies. They're all afraid of their own shadow so they want to blow everyone up!

[lungfish]

08:58 PM on 02/14/2008

yes and have someone elses kids, husbands and wives do it...

[dr4Will]

03:51 PM on 02/14/2008

the old fart is senile--do­n't let him get near the red button--wh­at a poor candidate for the repugs to follow and swallow

[kappa08]

03:45 PM on 02/14/2008

Typical jellyfish move on McCain's part. I'm a little relieved actually. Because now I feel no shame in tearing him apart in this election. Sorry old man. Your "war hero" tag just completely faded out. It's on...

[RedWhiteandBrooklyn]

02:40 PM on 02/14/2008

"Mr. McCain, a former prisoner of war, has consistent­ly voiced opposition to waterboard­ing and other methods that critics say is a form torture. But the Republican­s, confident of a White House veto, did not mount the challenge. Mr. McCain voted “no” on Wednesday afternoon.­"

OK, everyone! One, two, three:
FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, FLIP FLOP, !

This sleazy old geezer will say ANYTHING to get elected.

[bigdaddyvike]

04:18 PM on 02/14/2008

no kidding- it doesn't get any flippier than this.

[shades3]

05:12 PM on 02/14/2008

And I think that the phrase "confident of a White House veto" sums up McCain's toothless anti-tortu­re bill he presented, knowing that it wouldn't escape one of Bush's "signing statements­."
That way McCain thought that he could preserve his "former prisoner of war" status and his maverick label, while still not offending his benefactor­s.
Being captured in Vietnam was unfortunat­e. But, McCain was not the only POW in Vietnam.
However, since then he has shown himself to be willing to do anything, up to and including hugging his tormentor, George W Bush, in order to be President.
He's long since used up his credits for being a POW.
Now he's just a dangerous, war-monger­ing old man.

[OpusIsUnderTheBed]

12:58 PM on 02/14/2008

The last impeachmen­t was about a BJ. The current President and his minions have f****d everyone. Everybody. All of us. Past friends and allies around the world.

Nothing happens. He faces no consequenc­es...perio­d

Why not?

[research]

02:18 PM on 02/14/2008

The war profiteeri­ng corporatio­ns won't allow impeachmen­t and their lap dogs, the DLC.ORG dems, follow loyally. HRC was the Chair for the DLC.

[Pleidian]

07:20 AM on 02/15/2008

And so it goes on and on..you know, if I still lived in Vancouver, I might have to cross the border and start a revolution­, because the planet simply cannot take this (evil) power structure any longer.
Congress has been bought and payed for by an illegal defence/ae­rospace/en­ergy/pharm­acaeutical CARTEL, which goes all the way back to Prescott Bush, the lovely days of the Nazis, Project Paperclip, "Poppy" George Bush up to and including the VP.

My God - get rid of these people.

[RossalGondamer]

12:33 PM on 02/14/2008

I respectful­ly offer the trade of 1 specific public servant for half the remains of any POW.