Obama's Statement Opposing Torture

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the United Nations’ Convention Against Torture, one of the foremost international human rights documents. The United States was a leader in the document’s drafting, and remains dedicated to supporting its principles at home and abroad.

I continue to believe that brutal methods of interrogation are inconsistent with our values, undermine the rule of law, and are not effective means of obtaining information. They alienate the United States from the world, and serve as a recruitment and propaganda tool for terrorists. They increase the will of our enemies to fight against us, and endanger our troops when they are captured. The United States will not use or support these methods.

Over the past year, the Department of State has, at my request, gathered information from our embassies around the world about effective mechanisms to stop torture and assist its victims. I have asked the Department of State to share this information with interested international and non-governmental organizations, and to develop a system of advice and tools to share with governments and other relevant actors in addressing this problem.

The United States will continue to support the efforts of other nations and international and nongovernmental organizations, to eradicate torture through human rights training for security forces, capacity building, and encouraging robust legislation against such practices. We will also continue our close collaboration with international and domestic groups working to rehabilitate and reintegrate torture victims and offenders. I am sincerely grateful for the efforts of all the men and women around the world who are working to end the scourge of torture.

Cheney Still Slamming Obama Supports Tea Baggers

Fox News Sunday host asks Cheney that if he's asked to speak to the special prosecutor, will he? Cheney: "It depends."

While all the other Sunday shows are honoring Kennedy, Fox interviews Dick Cheney, who's still calling torture "enhanced interrogation." Cheney is like a dark, dark cloud.

He's still supporting all that the Cheney-Bush administration did. What else would he do? What do people expect? Cheney to have a sudden moment of humanness? Sometimes I wonder if Cheney isn't our first robot-human hybrid, a top secret project. He's so cold and so icky.

"It was good policy" Cheney said, and even in cases where it went beyond legal authorization, Cheney says he's okay with that.

Cheney lies and says Obama said there wouldn't be any investigations into torture.

Obama NEVER said that. What Obama said was that he didn't want any investigations. Obama wanted to look forward. Cheney and his ilk wouldn't know a truth if it danced with bells on before their eyes.

Cheney says Obama is playing politics. Obama? It's the Department of Justice, acting independently, that sees a need to investigate.

I say the special prosecutor needs to dig all the way to the top. Keep digging until they get to Cheney. CIA agents shouldn't be punished. They were just following the law, even though that was screwed up under Cheney-Bush. The only people who should be punished are the people at the top.

On health care, Cheney says what you would expect him to say. On town hall violence and craziness, he approves. He says it proves that the Obama administration is failing.

I tuned out early, because Cheney on a Sunday turns my stomach.

Meanwhile, on This Week's roundtable, Liz Cheney can't seem to shut up when she's supposed to. Liz Cheney says waterboarding isn't torture and she's still defending dad. I think she's a stand-by whenever the show's topic is torture.

Cheney Slams Powell on Face the Nation

Cheney would pick Rush over Powell. That says it all.
There are no more words for Mole Man. But I'll try: What a creep. This guy just gives me the willies.

It's obvious he's defending himself. He makes it sound as though Bush signed off on the torture memos but just sorta knew what was going on. He said he has no regrets. The interview from The Man Who Should Not Be Named:

Transcript

Chatty Cathy Strikes Again

Who knew Dick Cheney could be so chatty? While running our country into the ground and promoting torture as an American value, he hardly said a peep.