Waterboarding

Arlen takes a look at two different stories that put into stark perspective how ridiculous and dishonest the ongoing debate (why is this even an ongoing debate?!) about waterboarding.

First: Don't let pesky facts get in the way, WSJ…

The Wall Street Journal editorial page has no idea what the hell it is even talking about:

Just when you thought someone might be confirmed in Washington without a partisan fight, Senate Democrats are suggesting they may not approve Michael Mukasey as Attorney General after all. The judge's offense is that he's declined to declare "illegal" an interrogation technique in the war on terror that Congress itself has never specifically banned.

Um, Congress does not need to declare it illegal. It already is illegal. Waterboarding is completely and entirely illegal under US domestic law. Completely and entirely illegal. ... Does Congress have to brand beating somebody to death "illegal"? No, of course not, there are already laws against that. The same is true of waterboarding, although the WSJ apparently does not realize this.

Way to best yourselves in being the most frighteningly moronic and evil editorial board in the nation, WSJ.

Next: White House Counselor Ed Gillespie is dirty rotten liar.

White House legal counsel Ed Gillespie is now claiming:

…first of all, this technique [waterboarding], we don't know that it's used by the government or is used by the government. That's never been confirmed by the U.S. government.

Is that true? Of course not.

Of course not.

There are plenty more examples of how utterly mendacious this debate really is (also see: Shamanic as but one example), but, in the end, I just keep coming back to wondering why the fuck there's even a debate in the first place.