S1867 - Assaulting Liberty & Codifying Permawar

Dec 1st, 2011
UPDATE: 8:45PM CST - The bill has passed the Senate with the Levin/Mccain provisions intact

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A short time ago, a second attempt to counter a dramatic expansion of military power over U.S. citizens here at home was rebuffed. An amendment to the contentious National Defense Appropriations Act (S 1867) proposed by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) failed in a 45 to 55 vote. The threat to long established freedoms continues.

As I wrote earlier this week, when the the first effort to block this un-Constitutional expansion of power failed, there were other proposals to do so. I also wrote that they were no more likely to succeed. With today's renewed fighting, it's time to look this arch redefinition of our system squarely in the eye.

John McCain Versus Torture

May 15th, 2011

Joe Conason wrote a splendid piece this weekend regarding Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) spirited and righteous condemnation of the liars and criminals (especially Thiessen and Yoo) from the W administration and their crude attempts to capitalize on the death of Osama Bin Laden.

I have published more than a few pieces (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE) since lauching this blog about these sick and depraved violations of American principles. Indeed, this issue was the primary catalyst for me starting The Hand in the first place.

I have also lamented Sen. McCain's silence over the last few years. But now he has, at least to a degree, redeemed himself. Seriously, he shut the FOX lie machine down. That's no small thing in this day and age.

From Conason's piece via Truthout:

"For the longest time, a certain admirable, independent senator from Arizona disappeared from public life, replaced by an irresponsible, opportunistic and occasionally demagogic figure, who seemed to have been warped by his presidential ambitions and his disappointment in losing. But John McCain has now returned, just in time to refute the sinister attempt by his fellow Republicans to justify torture as the instrument of Osama bin Laden's demise.

During the last administration, even as a supporter of the Iraq invasion and the "war on terror," McCain broke ranks with his party to protest the worst excesses of the George W. Bush presidency. In one of the most memorable moments of the otherwise desultory Republican primary debates in 2008, he cited the Constitution, the Geneva Conventions and American military tradition to upbraid Mitt Romney for waffling on the issue of waterboarding. "This is what America is all about," he said indignantly. "This is a defining issue."

With every right-wing enabler from John Yoo to Marc Thiessen to Liz Cheney suddenly stepping forward to suggest that that the death of bin Laden absolves Bush-era criminality, it is refreshing to hear McCain's clear, strong voice of opposition. The torture advocates have claimed that the waterboarding of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a high-ranking leader in al-Qaida and an alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attack, caused him to reveal the identity of a courier whose trail led, almost seven years later, to the hideout in Abbotabad, Pakistan.

McCain is having none of this nonsense."

Neither are we, Mr. Senator. Neither are we.