Thursday, February 18, 2010

Cheney's Colonel Jessup Moment


I'm sorry, but I'm still sort of reeling from the fact that Cheney actually went on national television and admitted he was a "big supporter of waterboarding". And he didn't even use one of the Orwellian euphemisms (enhanced interrogation techniques); he actually said the word waterboarding. Now waterboarding is illegal according to US law, international law, the ICRC, the Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention Against Torture, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, etc etc. And he had the smug audacity to go on the air and brandish his unabashed support for an illegal, inhuman practice that ought not to be condoned under any circumstances. Why would he do that?

Because Dick Cheney is a ruthless, arrogant son of a bitch who thinks he can do whatever he wants. It kills him to have to silently bear the world's moral condemnation. He wants to say he tortured. He wants the world to know how "tough" he was. He wants the "liberals" and the "soft underbelly of the American left" to know how he sat on that wall and defended America and made the hard choices that the likes of Obama in their "faggoty white uniforms" would never or could never do themselves. Baring his teeth, shaking his fist like he did on Sunday--- it's like he was just daring someone to challenge his right to call a Code Red. He truly sees himself as some sort of martyred patriot.

But you're nothing more than a common criminal, Dick. None of us are impressed with your bluster. Your time will come.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, he sure is an SOB. Now that he has reached "old coot" status, he's really going to make a fool of himself. Thing is, guys like that usually have a tremendous need to make up for what "shortcomings" they have... this element is ALWAYS a huge part of what motivates them.

-SCRN (formerly SCNS)

Andrew_M_Garland said...

The US under Obama's leadership (and Bush's policy) is identifying specific members of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and whoever. We are attacking and killing them by remote controlled aircraft.

Is that acceptable in your opinion?

There is some discussion that the US is not attempting to capture these people, because we couldn't interrogate them effectively, so it is better to kill them than to risk our soldier's lives capturing them for no increased benefit.

Should waterboarding be more favored if it is indeed effective, and would lead to more captures than kills, and greater intelligence about enemy plans?

Anonymous said...

I'm against Water Boarding too...220V to the testicles is much more effective..:)At least Cheney has the Nads to be honest, unlike the Commander in Chief(Peace be upon Him)who is doing pretty much the same thing. BTW, all those groups you listed think holding enemy terrorists at Git-Mo is agin' the law too...think Git-Mo's gonna be closed any time soon??? It'll happen about the time u get that middle class tax cut...

"Your Time will Come"? sounds like a threat..Try sayin that about Your President(Peace be upon Him) and see how long it is before the guys with earpieces and shiny shoes show up at your office...

And I AM impressed with Dick Cheney's bluster.

Guess we'll just have to disagree to disagree,

Oh you did know one of the largest offensive of the Wah's goin on right now??

Frank "I heart Torture" Drackman

Anonymous said...

He is just doing what they all do, he’s ruminating about his career, (he’s done, out of the game). Misses feeling like he’s the top guy. Wanting verification that all his actions were those of historical GREATNESS. Wanting constant accolades to support his professional past life’s validity. Then there’s the other part of needing to get in media and try to be worthy of a sound bite so that he can get some people to pay for speaking engagements, books and all that. After all he’s probably shelling out some serious cash to Sarah Palin for her marketing tips.

-SCRN

ParatrooperJJ said...

Waterboarding is not illegal under US law. In fast it is done every week by the US military in SERE school. Are you suggesting that the military is openly flouting US law?

Jeffrey Parks MD FACS said...

Paratrooper-
Surely you see a difference between subjecting your own soldiers to a training regimen that exposes them to the torture they may receive as POW's at the hands of the enemy and using those same techniques on defenseless, submissive captives? Your straw man arguments don't hold much water around these parts. Waterboarding is illegal. Period.

Andrew-
The drone situation is definitely bothersome. Sending unmanned planes into enemy territory to strafe a village strikes me as being a form of unjust, immoral war. You remove the moral hazard from the equation of war (no risk of loss of life to yourself). So yeah, I agree with you----we need to re-evaluate the drone policy. But waterboarding is not more effective than standard interrogation techniques. It produces unreliable intelliegence. Read about it. It's not an either/or situation between drones/waterboarding. We can do better than both.

Anonymous said...

Dick Cheney would die with in one minute of being waterboarded. As Jessie Ventura said, Dick Cheney is a chicken hawk who would never go to war or send his children to war but has no problem sending your chidren to fight and enrich Haliburton. I will piss on Dick Cheney's grave before I die. I agree with Buckeye we can and must do a lot better.

ParatropperJJ what do you think about these videos? Watch the whole series.
http://www.youtube.com/user/OurBraveNewWorld#p/u/61/GSplYdMcNMA
http://www.youtube.com/user/OurBraveNewWorld#p/u/116/Q5vNerQ0Jtw

Anonymous said...

Buckeye:
Seriously, what difference does it make if its an Unmanned Drone dropping Napalm on you or John McCain in an A-4????
OK, if you shoot down the Drone there's no Pilot to torture/hold hostage/execute, I thinks thats whats called "Progress", like how its better to take out a Gallbag with several little incisions than 1 big one...
Trader Bob: I've actually pissed on a grave, its overrated..

Frank

Andrew_M_Garland said...

To Buckeye,
You wrote: "Waterboarding is not more effective than standard interrogation techniques. It produces unreliable intelliegence. Read about it."

Could you provide a link to your information?

Kelley said...

I'm going to have to agree with Frank Drackman here. I'll probably leave it to that, since I'm not sure I could articulate my thoughts any better.

By the way, I was in Ohio last month for my Papal, and walking up to the surgical waiting room, I saw your picture up on the wall! For some reason I figured you worked out of downtown Cleveland, and I was surprised to see it. Pretty cool wall of fame they have up there. I initially thought we should get you in on a consult, because reading your blog, I certainly know you care about your patients, especially elderly ones, but he was already in pre-op, figured it was a little late, and honestly we liked his surgeon, and with his diagnosis it wouldn't have mattered who operated.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my "celebrity" encounter!

Jeffrey Parks MD FACS said...

Andrew-
I'm not a bibliography service. Take 30 minutes and Google "torture ineffective". It's not the opinion of softy lefties. The ineffectiveness of torture is the opinion of veteran FBI/CIA/military interrogators. There is little debate on the issue; unless you consider yourself a MArk Thiessen acolyte.

Sergiu said...

http://ettf.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/cheney_waterboarding.jpg

tracy said...

Thank you so much for posting this, Dr. Buckeye Surgeon.