Think Progress

According to a November 2007 CNN poll, 69 percent of the public believes waterboarding is a form of torture. But yesterday on Meet the Press, CIA director Michael Hayden was dismissive about whether the CIA’s waterboarding constitutes torture. “We have not waterboarded anyone in now over five years,” Hayden said, concluding that it is “an uninteresting question for the Central Intelligence Agency.”

When asked about the broader issue of torture, Hayden referred to it as just a “legal term,” saying that the ongoing public discussion on “torture” per se tends to “cloud the debate”:

Well, first of all, we’re not talking about torture, all right? I mean, torture is a legal term. Now, there are some things that are illegal that are not, that are not torture. And so we cloud the debate when, when we throw the word torture out there, I think, in a far too casual way.

Watch it:

&

Hayden’s claim that torture is largely a “legal term” underscores the administration’s approach to detainee treatment. Instead of considering it a moral or leadership issue, the Bush administration has repeatedly narrowed the legal definition of torture to fit its aims.

Later in the interview, ...   more »

Think Progress

The Dallas Morning News reports that while the Bush library has found a physical home at Southern Methodist University, it is having difficulty finding an online home. “Some of the very best addresses are gone — snapped up for a mere fistful of dollars by squatters who have no connection to the library yet hope to make fun of the president, protect him or simply cash in on his name.” The Bush Foundation has itself to blame for losing one prominent url:

At one time, the Bush Library Foundation owned the easiest Web site to remember: www.GeorgeWBushLibrary.com.

But whether on purpose or because of an oversight — foundation spokesman Taylor Griffin wasn’t sure — it lost that domain name last year. Illuminati Karate, a Web company in Raleigh, N.C., picked it up for less than $10. […]

“We’re just holding onto it for the time being,” said lead Web developer George Huger. “To be honest, I couldn’t believe someone was letting it expire.”

URL: Think Progress

Think Progress

Over in the Wonk Room, Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) guest-blogs and says that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson’s resignation was the “right thing to do.” He also calls on President Bush to appoint a new Secretary “who can devote his full energy to solving our nation’s housing crisis” — without the distraction of ethics investigations:

In this time of economic crisis and instability in the housing market, it is more important than ever that we have a HUD Secretary who is fully committed to addressing the challenges facing our economy. Given that Secretary Jackson is currently the subject of ongoing investigations into alleged misconduct at HUD, it became clear to me over the past few weeks and months that these investigations have been a distraction at a time when the HUD Secretary must devote his undivided attention to helping American homeowners.

Read the full post here.

URL: Think Progress

Think Progress

The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Political Insider writes:

So what, you ask, has Ralph Reed been doing since is unsuccessful ‘06 run for lieutenant governor? Aside from those appearances on Fox and CNN.

Apparently, he’s been at the word processor — moving in the same direction as Newt Gingrich, from large thoughts to fiction. I just got an announcement from the Atlanta Press Club, saying Reed will make a June 12 appearance there.

The communication includes this line:

“He will also sign his first novel, Dark Horse.”

The guess here is that it won’t be a bodice-ripper.

URL: Think Progress

Think Progress

Last week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) bragged about his environmental record while campaigning in California. He insisted that reigning in greenhouse gas emissions “should be a big issue for all of us,” and insinuated that he was stronger on the environment than his Democratic opponents:

“I don’t know what their position is because I haven’t seen them show any particular commitment in the U.S. Senate or elsewhere” on climate change, he told reporters. “I have proposed legislation and fought for amendments.”

Yet just today, McClatchy reports that the climate aide to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) — who endorsed McCain to much fanfare in Feburary — gave McCain a flunking grade on his environmental plans:

Terry Tamminen, an adviser on energy and environmental policy to California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, looked at what the presidential candidates have said they’d do and graded them: She gave Clinton and Obama B’s, but McCain got an F because he hasn’t put out a specific plan.

As the Washington Post’s Juliet Eilperin noted, McCain’s statement bashing the lack of “commitment” by Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) is disingenuous. He sidesteps the fact that the two Democratic senators “back ...   more »

Think Progress

In today’s LA Times, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) sheds light on the staggering number of sexual assaults within the military, stating, “Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq,” and calls on Congress and the military to do more to protect servicewomen:

At the heart of this crisis is an apparent inability or unwillingness to prosecute rapists in the ranks. According to DOD statistics, only 181 out of 2,212 subjects investigated for sexual assault in 2007, including 1,259 reports of rape, were referred to courts-martial, the equivalent of a criminal prosecution in the military. Another 218 were handled via nonpunitive administrative action or discharge, and 201 subjects were disciplined through “nonjudicial punishment,” which means they may have been confined to quarters, assigned extra duty or received a similar slap on the wrist. In nearly half of the cases investigated, the chain of command took no action; more than a third of the time, that was because of “insufficient evidence.” […]

The absence of rigorous prosecution perpetuates a culture tolerant of sexual assault — an attitude that says “boys will be boys.” ...   more »