Senator McCain has long ago joined ranks with his fellow Democrats (even though he is not officially a Democrat, he may as well be) to tie our American servicemen and women's collective hands behind their back to actually win this war. Associated Press writer Liz Sodoti writes:

A ban on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of foreign terrorism suspects is likely to be included mostly, if not entirely, in a final defense bill, a key House Republican said Tuesday. - Yahoo! News

My first response to this was simply, "What?" Am I mistaken here, or are we now supposed to worry about how humanely we treat terrorists who have absolutely no problem killing as many innocent Americans as they wish by any means necessary?

Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) of California, who is leading negotiations to iron out differences between the House and Senate versions of the measure, said if the ban or another provision limiting interrogation techniques U.S. troops can use are changed, they won't be drastically watered down.

"Nobody wants to do that," Hunter, the House Armed Services Committee chairman, said in an interview. "I expect a good outcome for all parties."

Then why do anything at all, if nothing drastic is going to change? If there should be any change, it should be that when at war, do whatever is necessary to win! I know I might sound a bit too aggressive, but I have this problem with not wanting Americans needlessly dying because we have to be 'civilized'.

Maybe those in the House and the Senate can leave the warfighting to the professionals. No one is telling them how to be professional blowhards; they have already shown their expertise in that field, many times over.

The White House opposes the provisions and has threatened to veto any bill containing them. But President Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, has been negotiating with the chief sponsor, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to find a compromise that would satisfy Bush administration's concerns.

First of all, that 'R' following John McCain's name is for RINO [Republican In Name Only]. Secondly, John McCain does nothing but negotiate. But, when he does, it usually costs the Republicans something and gives the Democrats something. Maybe I am wrong, but the Republicans are in the majority, thus it should be time to play by their rules. Instead, with the likes of McCain, the Republicans keep giving concessions to the party unwilling to concede their losses.

Warner, Levin and Skelton back McCain's provisions, while Hunter has questioned the need for them. Hunter, R-Calf., has argued that the United States already has a law that prohibits torture.

If there is already a law prohibiting torture, why is there a need for McCain's bill? Is McCain just trying to get himself back in the political limelight? If so, why does he always have to do so at the expense of President Bush's efforts to actually do the right thing?

What is most irksome to me is that John McCain knows that torture works. A Newsmax article states:

Sen. John McCain is leading the charge against so-called "torture" techniques allegedly used by U.S. interrogators, insisting that practices like sleep deprivation and withholding medical attention are not only brutal - they simply don't work to persuade terrorist suspects to give accurate information.

Nearly forty years ago, however - when McCain was held captive in a North Vietnamese prison camp - some of the same techniques were used on him. And - as McCain has publicly admitted at least twice - the torture worked!

In his 1999 autobiography, "Faith of My Fathers," McCain describes how he was severely injured when his plane was shot down over Hanoi - and how his North Vietnamese interrogators used his injuries to extract information.

"Demands for military information were accompanied by threats to terminate my medical treatment if I did not cooperate," he wrote.

"I thought they were bluffing and refused to provide any information beyond my name, rank and serial number, and date of birth. They knocked me around a little to force my cooperation." The punishment finally worked, McCain said. "Eventually, I gave them my ship's name and squadron number, and confirmed that my target had been the power plant."

So, Senator McCain, what is it? Does torture work or not? If it does work, why would you not want to allow your American troops use it to keep you safe?

It would be a lot better if you and your fellow liberals quit trying to make this war another Vietnam. Quit criticizing everything our troops do from the comfort of your ivory tower and let them win this war! Maybe you should just say "thank you" to those who give you the right to be so stupid and let them do their job.

Copyright 2005 - John St. Michael.

2. Newsmax. John McCain: Torture Worked on Me 29 November 2005. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/29/100012.shtml

John St. Michael is a regular columnist for J.J. Jackson's American Conservative Daily.

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