Multiple Republicans Calling For Selective Release Of Classified Torture Info

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/torture/multiple-republicans-calling-for-selective-release-of-classified-torture-info/

Multiple Republicans Calling For Selective Release Of Classified Torture Info


This point, which is getting lost in the noise, needs to be stated as clearly as possible:

In the wake of the damaging torture memo revelations, multiple Republicans who strongly oppose any kind of thorough airing of the torture program are now calling for the selective release of classified info for nakedly political reasons. This is essentially the GOP position on torture right now. GOPers aren’t even trying to disguise it.

Yet I haven’t seen a single Republican grilled by reporters on the propriety of this basic point. Meanwhile, Obama advisers are getting hammered daily by the media for the administration’s thoroughly uncontroversial stance that the Attorney General will make final decisions about prosecutions.

The latest GOPer to go down this road is GOP Rep Pete Hoekstra, who is now calling for a probe into whether the release of the torture memos endangered our national security. For his troubles, Hoekstra got a softball interview on this topic from CNN’s Lou Dobbs. House GOP leader John Boehner, meanwhile, is calling on the President to release classified terror info — provided it could bolster Cheney’s claim that torture has worked.

The formal request that Cheney filed for the release of CIA intelligence proves clearly that he’s calling for the selective release of cherry-picked classified info to bolster his political case. Yet Cheney’s request is being treated with extraordinary deference by the traditional news orgs, with no one even questioning its propriety or legitimacy.

The emerging official position of the GOP on torture is that the only classified information about torture that should be released is that which can bolster the political fortunes of the party. When will a single Republican be pressed on this point, and when will this basic fact become part of the media narrative?

[gratuitous]

1. When will the Republicans be pressed on this point?

Uh, I'm thinking never. Unless of course, someone puts the pressure on the media and brings it to their attention. Again and again and again. I really hate that interrogation methods that would give pause to Torquemada have become a "partisan" issue.

[babylonsister]

2. I can't see this as a winning strategery for the GOP. Someone is

bound to take note. Lil ms. optimism over here... :hi:

[gratuitous]

4. I don't see it, either

Unfortunately, there seems to be no shortage of imbeciles parading across my teevee screen to tell me that they don't want to turn torture into a partisan issue. Heaven forfend, and mercy! get my smelling salts. I do believe I feel the vay-pahs comin' on.

Yeah, if one party was in unchallenged power for six years, and torture became the official policy of the United States during that time, it's probably a good bet that that party is sort of, you know, responsible for what happened. It's not a difficult equation, but it seems to baffle the talking chuckleheads worse than a fifth grader in Calculus I.

:hi:!

[Echo In Light]

3. They want most people to think it's 'just' waterboarding, which is trivialized w/that demo video...

...that's shown every five seconds when M$M frames the topic as "Is it torture?"

[ieoeja]

5. Would slavery be okay if we proved it saved money? n/t

[Jim__]

6. Obama should make it very clear ...

... if we're going to release torture info, we're going to release torture info. This includes the torture and/or threats against children, wives, and other clear innocents. Pictures, recordings, whatever is available. If we're going to release torture info, it is not just going to be cherry-picked info of cheney. Cheney has no power, he can't control this.

[babylonsister]

7. By announcing that 100s of pics are going to be released,

I think that's where this admin is going. I doubt Cheney will have any impact on what is released. If anything, with his current regular appearances to bash this admin, he might be encouraging them.