Koppel: "Enhanced Interrogation Technique" is like saying "Rape is an Enhanced Seduction Technique"

[sabra]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2009/05/12/koppel-enhanced-interrogation-technique-rape-enhanced-seduction-techniq

<snip>

In his first commentary for the hour-long, Washington, DC-based newscast run on the BBC America channel and the BBC World News channel, “contributing analyst” Koppel recalled how water-boarding “has a long and notorious history dating back to at least the Spanish Inquisition,” before proposing: “If we object to a technique being used on a captured American, we shouldn't use it, either.” So, he declared: “Let those who violate our stated national principles on torture be put on notice, it is against American law no matter where or under what circumstances it's employed, and violations of that law will lead to prison.”

...

KOPPEL: I think fundamentally that's where my greatest disagreement with Vice President Cheney comes. You know, it's almost the moral equivalent of saying that rape is an enhanced seduction technique. It doesn't change the fact that it is a brutal and violent act, and it shouldn't change the fact when we're talking about torture either. Simply to call it something that sounds less brutal doesn't make any difference. And I would make one other point. If indeed the argument is that we have to employ such techniques because of the danger of what could be threatening thousands, or as the Vice President put it, hundreds of thousands of Americans, then why hesitate at the threshold of the dungeon? You might as well go all the way to the red-hot pokers then.

[Laelth]

1. Good for Ted. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[SpiralHawk]

2. Popping the republicon propaganda balloon

with some plain American speak. Thank you, Ted, for deflating the Homelander propaganda excuses.

[YOY]

3. The good guys don't torture.

Even IF it actually worked as an effective way to get information out of people (and it's not) it's a villainous act. Nobody ever said it was easy to be the good guy. That's why it's called "the high road."

[jaxx]

4. I suppose Liz C will have to go on MJoe again about this.

;-)

[DCKit]

5. Geez, you don't think Ted's still angry or anything?

Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!

Now that they're out of the WH and have loosened their grip on Congress and the M$M, Koppel's in a position to do far more damage to them than they can do to him. You know, the way it SHOULD be.

[Wednesdays]

6. K&R

:kick:

[Muttocracy]

7. K&R. nt

[pleah]

8. K&R

[madokie]

9. Damn this makes me realize how much I miss Ted Koppel

I always seemed to trust what he said

[malaise]

10. Bravo Ted

Talk Cheney talk - you're taking down your party with you.