Begala's weird quote about torture...as seen in a post at DailyKos.

[madfloridian]

The diarist quotes an interview from NPR with Lehrer and Begala. He links to the audio as well.

I don't like Paul Begala, and I don't like James Carville. I think they hurt us all very badly on Crossfire. I will never forget how they called Howard Dean crazy, day after day. They often attacked other candidates as well..they used talking points a lot.

Now Begala cedes the torture issue to McCain. He has no real opinion on it. They are still spokesman for the party, so is this the prevailing wisdom? Is the word coming down from on high...cede to McCain on torture?

Good Lord, what has happened to our morality?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/26/8544/47727

Lehrer: So Paul Begala, let me test you on a couple specifics here. Should Democrats vote for or against the Geneva convention's detainee compromises announced the other day. Human rights groups are against it; Bush and McCain and Lindsey Graham are for it, what should the Democrats in congress do?

Begala: You know, you gotta, you'll have to ask the people who really understand detainee policy. I think it's very hard for Democrats or Republicans to go against John McCain on this issue. He in fact himself was tortured, he's made himself an expert on it, and when he signs off on it, it's sort of the good housekeeping seal, politically. You know, I can defer this to the Dean of the Yale Law School, Harold Co, who worked on these issues...

Lehrer: Even though there are a lot of experts saying, look this is really vague, it still gives the president almost all the powers that he sought...

Begala: And so what you need to do is change commanders in chief. It's very, very difficult for the congress of the United States, to set, in that kind of detail, interrogation policy for the executive brance. The executive has to set it, the president has to set it, and if Americans, and if Democrats are concerned that President Bush goes too far, (and I'm one of them who is) you've got to replace the president. I mean, they gotta get out there and make their case and put a new president in office in 2008 because you just can't have the congress writing the army field manual.

In a comment to that post, someone mentions this part of the Constitution, that it is the job of Congress, not the president.

The US Constitution Article I, Section 8;

The Congress shall have Power...

::snip::

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court

::snip::

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water

::snip::

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces

I feel sick. Is the comment correct? I am no constitutional scholar, but it sounds like Begala just ceded a lot of power to the president that he does not really hold.

[truebrit71]

1. Begala is a fricking twit....

...and I agree, he and Carville did ALOT of damage in '04...

[wtmusic]

2. That DLC Appeaser doesn't speak for anyone anymore

McCain's having been tortured makes him an expert on policy and the Geneva Conventions? O-keyyyyy... :crazy:

[Totally Committed]

3. DLC Appeasement 101...

You can tell he aced the final exam.

TC

[glarius]

4. Begala's main contribution to any discourse is laughter!

Instead of offering an opposing opinion to some outrageous Republican lie, Begala laughs! He also never offers an opinion on something George Bush has done or said without first prefacing it with what a nice man he thinks Bush! Begala is a joke as a spokesman for the Democrats! Carville is just the other half of the comedy team of Carville and Matlin. IMO.