Friday, January 16, 2009

It's Not OTorture If He Doesn't Say It Is

Barack Obama preens, and garners this sort of headline: "Sources: Obama ready to ban harsh interrogations":


President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to prohibit the use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques by ordering the CIA to follow military rules for questioning prisoners, according to two U.S. officials familiar with drafts of the plans.


Of course, there is one very big catch:


However, Obama's changes may not be absolute. His advisers are considering adding a classified loophole to the rules that could allow the CIA to use some interrogation methods not specifically authorized by the Pentagon, the officials said. ...

When McCain was asked what he would do in the "ticking time bomb" situation,
his response was that in that case, he would expect the President to do whatever was necessary. That is exactly the position Obama is now taking: we won't torture detainees. Unless, of course, we need to!
Note to the stupid: no change.