Are Americans willing to create a grey area which allows torture?

Here we see Neil Livingstone articulating on why the US are in a quandary over whether or not waterboarding constitutes torture.

"We shouldn't be doing a lot of things that we are doing now. Let me preface that, we have sent out people to carry out extreme forms of duress in the war on terrorism and, if we suddenly say this is now torture, we suddenly are going to say perhaps that these people were doing something illegal."

So, the legality of waterboarding should be based on whether or not the US are engaging in it? I can't think of a more morally corrupt argument. "It can't be illegal if we do it". That's what some people think should define US law?

And Trent Franks comes up with the bizarre argument that it is needed because it works. Leaving aside the obvious point that you could get me to say that I was Santa Clause if you tortured me long enough, are some Republicans seriously arguing that torture is needed because it works?

Once again, the Republicans are way out of sync with the views of the American public.

42% of Americans feel that the United States is torturing people with 53% of Americans thinking it should not torture people and only 27% - that magic Bush 30% number again - thinking that they should.






Hat tip to The Largest Minority.

Tags: Waterboarding, Torture, US policy