- Daily Photo: Obama Jokes Around at G-20
- Blackwater gets replaced in Iraq
- Daily Photo: U.S. Marines Look Out for Taliban in Afghanistan
- Hillary Clinton the Tomboy and Her "Ah-Ha" Moment
- Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
- Daily Photo: Potential Flashpoint in Iraq
- Clinton Says New Afghanistan-Pakistan Plan Depends on Diplomacy
- Exclusive: Three Israeli Airstrikes Against Sudan
- Additional 4,000 Troops to Be Ordered to Afghanistan
- Daily Photo: Navy Submarine Trains in the Arctic
- Alarm Over North Korea Missile Prep
- Anti-Terror Stimulus? US Offers Rewards for Top Terrorists
- Daily Photo: Pakistani Women in Refugee Camp
- Condoleezza Rice Appears on "The Tonight Show"
- Diplomat and Aid Group Sound the Alarm on Darfur Camp Situation
- auto industry rescue
- Ballotwatch
- Biden, Joe
- Bush, George W.
- Clinton, Bill
- Clinton, Hillary
- Dodd, Chris
- Edwards, John
- Giuliani, Rudy
- Gravel, Mike
- Huckabee, Mike
- Hunter, Duncan
- Inauguration
- Iraq
- Kucinich, Dennis
- McCain, John
- Obama, Barack
- Palin, Sarah
- Paul, Ron
- Romney, Mitt
- Tancredo, Tom
- Thompson, Fred
- Veepstakes
- Vote 2008: Democrats
- Vote 2008: Republicans
- Washington
- White House
« Previous | Main | Next »
McCain Not Sure About Mukasey
Email
ShareOctober 28, 2007 11:32 AM
ABC News' Bret Hovell reports: Senator John McCain indicated Sunday that he would not rule out voting against President Bush’s nominee for attorney general over the issue of torture.
Michael Mukasey, a U.S. district judge and Bush's choice to head the Justice Department, refused to say during his confirmation hearings last week whether or not he considered harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding torture.
McCain, a guest on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, was asked if he would need a more definitive answer from Mukasey before voting to confirm him.
"I can't be that absolute," he said, after a pause. "But I want to know his answer."
McCain continued that he will judge the nominee by his entire record.
"But this is a very important issue to me."
McCain, R-Ariz, spent 5 ½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, during which time he was routinely tortured.
McCain took a swipe at rival Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, on the issue of waterboarding as well. Giuliani, a friend of Mukasey, responded Thursday to the nominee's answer on waterboarding by saying, "I'm not sure it is [torture] either, it depends on how it is done. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on who does it."
"Anyone who says they don't know if water boarding is torture or not has no experience in the conduct of warfare and national security," McCain told Stephanopoulos.
October 28, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (5)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Has it ever been a time when OUR troops or citizens captured, where NOT tortured???
I can understand Sen McCain's point, however the rules as now set up should be sufficient. Situations should dictate what procedures are necessary. Not sure the moral high ground works for me when it comes to terriorist.
Posted by: Homjett | Oct 28, 2007 4:05:38 PM
Torture or not, Congress could forbid the use of waterboarding by the CIA. They won't pass such a law or even a non-binding resolution, because they don't know whether they want coercive interrogation or not.
Posted by: nuanain | Oct 28, 2007 6:01:56 PM
Sen. McCain needs to understand that whether waterboading is legal is a separate question from whether it is ethical. There is presently not a legal definition of the term waterboarding, but there is for torture. Mukasey testified that any form of torture is unacceptable.
Consider this. If the U.S. ever has to defend itself on charges of waterboarding, the Attorney General will be our defense attorney. It would be a terrible mistake if he conceded guilt prematurely.
Posted by: Mike Sorensen | Oct 29, 2007 10:59:09 AM
OUR NATION FOUGHT GERMANY IN WWII TO END THE GERMAN IMPRISONMENT, TORTURE, AND ENSLAVEMENT OF "SUBHUMANS" IN GERMANY AND EUROPE. THE SOVIET UNION USED THESE SAME TACTICS ON THE CITIZENS OF AFGHANISTAN IN ITS ATTEMPT TO SIEZE CONTROL OF THAT NATION IN THE 1980'S. NOW WE HAVE TO DEBATE ON OUR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES AND MILITARY USING THE SAME ON ARABS SUSPECTED OF BEING TERRORISTS? PRESIDENT BUSH AND THE OFFICIALS HE HAS POSTED TO HIS ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BE ASHAMED FOR LOWERING OUR NATION TO ACCEPT THE IMPRISONMENT, ENSLAVEMENT, AND TORTURE OF PEOPLE WHO FIGHT AGAINST OUR NATION. ANY ARAB CITIZENS WHO FIGHTS AGAINST OUR MILITARY OR IS CAUGHT PLANNING ATTACKS AGAINST OUR NATION MUST BE DECLARED TO BE PRISONERS OF WAR AND TREATED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS. THE END NEVER JUSTIFIES THE MEANS!
Posted by: David Norman | Oct 30, 2007 5:21:19 AM
Shame on Bush and all those who quibble over the definition of 'torture', and put cute names to semi-drowning ("waterboarding"). What kind of Police State is our country becoming under the abominable leadership of George W? The true test of commitment to principles and values is when they're tested, as in the 'war' on terrorism. Let's stop acting like The Other Side. Any form of torture is unacceptable, and 'water-
boarding' is torture.
Posted by: yrs_truly | Oct 31, 2007 4:26:14 PM
Post a comment
