Hope you didn't hurt your hip on that flip-flop, John
McCain was against torture before he was for it.
"There is no principle I will not renege on, and no personal values I will not betray in order to get the nomination of the GOP." -- George W. McCain
From Senate debates on torture rules, November 8, 2005:
SEN. JOHN McCAIN: First, subjecting prisoners to abuse leads to bad intelligence because under torture, a detainee will tell his interrogator anything to make the pain stop. Second, mistreatment of our prisoners endangers U.S. troops who might be captured by the enemy, if not in this war, then in the next.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN: If we inflict this cruel and inhumane treatment, the cruel actions of a few darken the reputation of our country in the eyes of millions. American values should win against all others in any war of ideas, and we can't let prisoner abuse tarnish our image.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec05/torture_11-08.html
The United States punished the Japanese (15 years of hard labor) when waterboarding was used against Americans in World War II...we called it a war crime.
Waterboarding WAS torture, IS torture and WILL be torture. Period.
From nytimes.com, 2/14/08: WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 51 to 45 on Wednesday afternoon to ban waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods used by the Central Intelligence Agency against high-level terrorism suspects.
....Mr. McCain, a former prisoner of war, has consistently voiced opposition to waterboarding and other methods that critics say is a form torture. But the Republicans, confident of a White House veto, did not mount the challenge. Mr. McCain voted "no" on Wednesday afternoon."
He supports torture after opposing it...after SUFFERING from it.
He's trying to convince the millions of conservatives who dislike him that he is in fact a conservative candidate. He doesn't get it...he is winning BECAUSE conservatives don't like him...BECAUSE he is/was more moderate.
If he is willing to change his position on this...what else is he willing to change his position on for political convenience?
If his ambition continues to smother his principles, he's going to erode the respect many Democrats have for him...sad, especially since he will probably lose the election anyway.
And after Bush vetoes the bill, McCain will again be faced with a vote to either stand with Bush or stand against torture. By his vote today we all know where he will come down on that issue. That picture of him with his head cuddled to Bush's chest flashes through my mind.
So, let the flipping and flopping begin. But really, it began back when he kissed Jerry Falwell's, uh, ring.
No wonder Romney endorsed him.
Flip McCain/Flop Romney 2008..."Whatever you believe, we'll believe it too."
