After years of lies, it is now incontrovertible that the US employed torture in it’s so-called “war on terror.” I am stunned that there would be defenders of this coverup, and I am frankly appalled that many who I otherwise respect are so blasé about the situation.
Let me be clear: Watergate is NOTHING compared to this. NOTHING. We tortured–hundreds of times–individuals who had no more information to give. We did this to individuals who were held without charges, without legal representation or without judicial oversight. This was both illegal and immoral. It is a stain on American honor, and it greatly increases the risk and odds of torture to American hostages, military and civilian, going forward.
I am appalled further that there is anyone in America who would defend these actions, yet such is the state of the Republican Party, Fox News and right-wing punditry.
Sadly, the Obama Administration’s refusal to investigate (let alone prosecute) these serious allegations highlights how President Obama’s pragmatism is both a great strength and, now, a horrible weakness. That a great many Democrats would undoubtedly be indicted, particularly those on intelligence committees and in leadership positions, along with scores of GOP members from the executive and legislative branches, only solidifies my opinion that we will never see justice in this case.
So let’s dispense with the notion we are a peace-loving, law-abiding, justice-seeking nation and people right now. We are, as pundit Andrew Sullivan says, a banana republic.