WP editorial: Democrats Right on Torture

[DeepModem Mom]

Right on Torture
Hillary Clinton spells out the only acceptable policy -- and the president's responsibility.
Friday, September 28, 2007; Page A18

SEN. HILLARY Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is getting kicked around for her position on torture -- specifically, whether she contradicted both herself and her husband in answering a question on the subject at the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire on Wednesday night. Moderator Tim Russert posed the nightmare scenario for those who, like us, believe that torture is an immoral tactic that yields faulty intelligence and diminishes the United States in the eyes of the world. What would Ms. Clinton do as president, he asked, if the "number three" in al-Qaeda were captured, authorities knew there was a "big bomb going off in America in three days" and the operative knew where it was. "Don't we have the right and responsibility to beat it out of him?" Russert asked, quoting an unnamed guest on "Meet the Press."

"As a matter of policy, it cannot be American policy, period," Ms. Clinton replied. Such "hypotheticals," she added, "are very dangerous because they open a great big hole in what should be an attitude that our country and our president takes toward the appropriate treatment of everyone. And I think it's dangerous to go down this path."

That was the correct answer, and it was also the answer provided by Ms. Clinton's rivals. "America cannot sanction torture," said Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. "It's a very straightforward principle, and one that we should abide by. Now, I will do whatever it takes to keep America safe. And there are going to be all sorts of hypotheticals and emergency situations, and I will make that judgment at that time." Added Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., "It should be no part of our policy ever -- ever."

That stood in marked contrast to a Republican presidential debate in May, when, alone among the contenders, Arizona Sen. John McCain, the only candidate who has been a victim of torture, stood up against the practice....

What a president confronted with that extremely unlikely and equally difficult circumstance would do is something that would have to be decided at the time -- by him or her. What's clear is that torture-when-convenient cannot be U.S. policy. It's to the credit of Ms. Clinton and her Democratic colleagues that they seem to understand what the Republicans, save Mr. McCain, do not.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/27/AR2007092701730.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

[Vincardog]

1. I am no Hillary supporter but this is the correct answer to torture "NO NEVER".

[sandnsea]

2. NOW the media is against torture

Did they finally get some balls and change their stand, so Hillary had to change hers; or since Hillary changes hers, the media has to go along.

Where were they when other Democrats spoke out against torture, or tried to fix the habeas laws. Carrying DLC water is what I remember.

[movonne]

3. Now that we have gone down that slippery slope, we have to ask

that question...not in my lifetime did I think we would condone torture or even ask the question..