Frist threatens to join “Talk for Torture” campaign
In a new first, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has threatened to filibuster the McCain-Graham-Warner bill because it doesn’t authorize the CIA to continue torturing detainees, the Washington Post reports. Usually governments torture covertly, while denying all the while that they’re doing so. The U.S. government is notorious for this, as hundreds of thousands of torture victims in Vietnam [Operation Phoenix], Iran, the Philippines, Indonesia, and throughout Latin America can attest. [Oops! Many can't attest as they were conveniently eliminated after their torture.]
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist signaled yesterday that he and other White House allies will filibuster a bill dealing with the interrogation and prosecution of detainees if they cannot persuade a rival group of Republicans to rewrite key provisions opposed by President Bush.
Frist’s chief of staff, Eric M. Ueland, called the dissidents’ bill “dead.”
What is unique about the present moment is that the President, the Vice President, the Attorney General, and now the Senate Majority Leader are openly engaging in a “Talk for Torture” campaign.
The military and intelligence professionals are furious. They know full well that the game is played with winks and nods, combined with turned backs and “plausible deniability.” They just can’t stand these guys talking openly about what is only supposed to be discussed covertly, while enjoying that post-torture martini.
September 20th, 2006