...let's review the basic GOP position. Torture (sorry "enhanced interrogation") is good and saves lives. It does not incite or radicalize the Muslim world or help al Qaeda recruit. Releasing pictures of it, however, does do all of these things. Also, if we stop torturing people, this leads to an al Qaeda recruiting bonanza.
To say that none of this makes any sense is an extreme understatement.
Wednesday, May 13
Succinct distillation of GOP absurdity
Via Andrew, A.L.:
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Looks more like a strawman.
ReplyDeleteMost in the GOP would not say that torture is "good." They might say that it an unforunate necessity that has saved lives -- since some with full access to secret information state that it has.
" It does not incite or radicalize the Muslim world or help al Qaeda recruit."
Is anyone actually saying that? People, including myself, take issue with unfounded assertions about how much it helped Al Qaeda recruit -- as opposed to other factors. But does anyone question that it is useful for Al Qaeda propaganda?
" Also, if we stop torturing people, this leads to an al Qaeda recruiting bonanza."
Or that? Who makes that claim? I guess you could argue that fear of torture discourages some people from joining Al Qaeda. But there would be no way to evaluate that assertion vs. the torture helps recruiting argument.
It's succinct. Replace "good" with "the right thing to do". Insert qualifiers about how much to everything. You're still left with positions that are inconsistent.
ReplyDeleteHere's Rove making the arguments, btw.
ReplyDelete"Here's Rove making the arguments,"
ReplyDeleteThanks, I hadn't seen that. Rove's argument isn't illogical, but it seems to be pure speculation -- whereas I think it is obvious that incidents of U.S. torture are useful propaganda for Al Qaeda.
"You're still left with positions that are inconsistent."
No, because that misses the main point. Those supporting torture see it as necessary and are willing to accept the consequences. Releasing photos, on the other hand, has negative consequences yet is unnecessary. There's no intelligence upside to releasing the photos.