Moral Failure in the Bush Administration

After watching Michael Mukasey obfuscate on the issue of whether waterboarding is legal, we now know why. Not only have we learned that the CIA used it on three detainees, but while supposedly not currently being used, it is considered quite legal. Indeed, not only is it legal, GW claims the right to reinstitute it should it be needed. This is a sign of great moral failure by our president and undermines the nation's moral credibility.

Current GOP front runner, John McCain is a former POW who understands toruture and he has been clear that waterboarding is torture. I haven't heard whether he's spoken out on this revelation, but I hope he does. If he doesn't then he has let political expediency overwhelm his good sense.

But, back to the legality issue, according to the LA Times story:

Congress has passed two laws -- the Detainee Treatment Act in 2005 and the Military Commissions Act in 2006 -- that ban the use of harsh interrogation methods and require all U.S. agencies to comply with the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions in their treatment of detainees.

In addition, the Pentagon published a new Army field manual in 2006 that limits interrogation techniques and bans harsh methods, including waterboarding, hoods and mock executions. And the Supreme Court in 2006 struck down the Bush administration's system for holding and prosecuting detainees, saying it failed to provide protections under the Geneva Conventions.

Additionally, Lindsay Graham was apparently assured that waterboarding was covered here. Not so, it seems. And the reasoning given is beyond comprehension. It is time to raise a voice of protest and hold this administration accountable. Otherwise, our nation will lose all moral authority in the world.