The Right And Torture, Ctd

You can imagine why Andy McCarthy would explode at the bipartisan Senate report that proves that president Bush authorized the torture and abuse methods used at Abu Ghraib. The case is closed. Sadly, he and a few on the Schmittian right, still gamely insist that there is no truth to what the report says. McCarthy calls it "utterly partisan." Er:

Committee staff said the full report was approved on Nov. 20 in a unanimous voice vote by 17 of the panel's 25 members. The panel consists of 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

There were no dissents. McCarthy then quotes Senator McCain, the Republican presidential candidate who signed the report:

"The committee's report details the inexcusable link between abusive interrogation techniques used by our enemies who ignored the Geneva Conventions and interrogation policy for detainees in U.S. custody," Sen. McCain said in a statement. "These policies are wrong and must never be repeated."

McCarthy splutters:

 

 

So al Qaeda which is not and cannot be a party to the Geneva Conventions, and which has never done anything but torture and kill its captives ignores Geneva and follows its torture/kill practice because of American policy rather than twisted jihadist ideology?  Really Senator?

No, Andy. If you had read the report (and I assume you haven't), you would realize that the enemies McCain was referring to are the Communist Chinese who honed the torture tactics against U.S. prisoners in the Cold War, not al Qaeda. Furthermore, while al Qaeda is indeed not a party to Geneva, Common Article Three requires basic humane treatment of all prisoners, regardless of any affiliation or lack of it. Geneva is about us, not them.