It's so annoying to read mainstream press articles where they dance around what the real issue is on "terror suspect interrogations." They use every euphemism in the book. Bush seeks "clarity" on interrogations. Bush wants "wider leeway" in interrogations. Bush wants "tougher interrogations."
Tougher interrogations, my ass. Bush wants to torture people. Every single person writing those stories knows what this is really about. They are so queasy about writing the word down on paper, but they're perfectly willing to have a legitimate debate on whether we should actually do it. That makes no sense. I wish the late Sam Kinison was around now to shout at the reporters, "Say it!!! Just say it!!!!" It's torture.
Tougher interrogations that violate the Geneva Conventions? Come on! I want one reporter to tell me what that is if it isn't torture. You wonder why the American people continue to be misinformed when the media goes out of its way to protect this administration. Tell the American people what this administration actually wants to do. Then if the population buys into, that's fine. Of course, I would be revolted if the American people backed torture, but at least we would have the "clarity" Bush claims he wants.
The worst case scenario is that the media continues to obscure the issue, they continue to allow the administration to trot out their talking points, never challenge them on what they are saying -- and the American people are misled into supporting something they would actually find abhorrent.
How many times does Bush have to fight tooth and nail for torture before we get the message? Remember how hard the Bush administration fought against the original McCain amendment against torture. Then when they lost, Bush signed a "signing statement" saying they could torture detainees anyway. Then the Supreme Court told him that he must abide by the Geneva Conventions -- which is the law of the land (this land!).
Now, he's back at it again. Challenging the Senate to allow him to continue torturing people despite the Senate's earlier bill and the Supreme Court decision. Man, this guy just loves torture. He can't get enough of it. Now, normally someone would be embarrassed to lobby so hard in public for something so clearly despicable. But Bush doesn't have to worry about that, because he has the press to cover his ass. Shhh, don't mention what we're really talking about, let people think Bush is "trying to protect them" with "tougher interrogations."
I know that the detainee interrogation bill is also about other issues, such as secret prisons and secret trials. The existence of these other issues does not justify the obfuscation of the critical torture issue. In fact, it makes it worse. I remember when I was a kid growing in America, we used to be enraged at third world countries that ran secret prisons and held secret trials. We thought it was barbaric. Has America changed so much?
I don't think so. But I do think we have barbaric leadership that the press is trying very hard to normalize (as usual -- for fear that they will be called liberal if they say the emperor has no clothes). If we're comfortable with what we used to abhor, then let's come out and say it. America is for torture, secret prisons and secret courts.
If people will sign off on that, then we can at least know we lost the debate in a functioning democracy. But if people sign off on that while they think they're supporting something else, then once again -- for what seems the one billionth time in this administration -- the press will have failed us. For the love of God, inform people, tell people what's really happening -- do your job!