Newt Leads THE TORTURE PARTY: "Waterboarding is by every technical rule not torture." (Applause)

[kpete]

" ... following World War II war crime trials were convened. The Japanese were tried and convicted and hung for war crimes committed against American POWs. Among those charges for which they were convicted was waterboarding."

The Torture Party



Gingrich cements the new orthodoxy of the GOP:

Waterboarding is by every technical rule not torture. (Applause) Waterboarding is actually something we’ve done with our own pilots in order to get them used to the idea to what interrogation is like. It’s not — I’m not saying it’s not bad, and it’s not difficult, it’s not frightening. I’m just saying that under the normal rules internationally it’s not torture.

I think the right balance is that a prisoner can only be waterboarded at the direction of the president in a circumstance which the information was of such great importance that we thought it was worth the risk of doing it and I do that frankly only out of concern for world opinion. But we do not want to be known as a country that capriciously mistreats human beings.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/11/the-torture-party.htm

US government executed Japanese military leaders following World War II for waterboarding. It was judged torture in the 1926 Mississippi Supreme Court case, which Gingrich as a "historian" should know by now. It is featured in Cambodia's Museum of Torture to commemorate the abuses of the Khmer Rouge.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2007/dec/18/john-mccain/history-supports-mccains-stance-on-waterboarding/
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[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

Oh well...

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Um, I tend to look at the torture thing differently, Newtie." - Jesus Christ

"You do know, don't you Newtie, that it was the Republicons of Yesteryear who tortured the everlovin bejabbers out of me, and then hung me on a cross to die. You Republicons totally need to get over your evil satanic Torture fetish. Totally."

- Jesus Christ

[PETRUS]

18. "by every technical rule" - ick. It's just wrong.

[SpiralHawk]

19. It's like the Republicons have lawyers setting their 'moral' standards, with, of course, loopholes

Newtie and the whole Republicon Cabal are ceasely looking for 'legal' loopholes in the Golden Rule: Do unto others...

Sheesh...Republicon Family Values are right out of the freaking ethical cesspool.

[Ohio Joe]

3. Newt you stupid douchebag

Waterboarding IS torture, this is not up for debate except among repugs. What an asshole.

[Vincardog]

4. The Newt likes to make up shit. It is still a lie.

[fascisthunter]

5. Well, to appeal to other Sociopaths, one must state crazy shit

ehhh.... he probably really believes what he says.... sick.

[Erose999]

6. So according to Eye of Newt, mistreating human beings is fine, as long as we don't do it

capriciously.

I bet there isn't a Newt supporter alive who can even fucking pronounce capriciously.

Seriously, fuck Newt.

[teddy51]

7. Well I would like to see Newt, and any others that don't believe

that it's torture, Waterboarded to see if that changes there minds.

[lumpy]

8. I demand that Newt Gingrich man up and that he demand to be

waterboarded to prove to the world that waterboarding is not "difficult and frightning".

[Angry Dragon]

9. Newton has lost his mind and no one can find it

If you find it please call 1-800-dum-shit

1-800-386-7448 give us a call

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. Why was Gingrich denied tenure as a history prof. at West Georgia U

Anyone know the backstory on that?

[Marr]

11. It's not Gingrich's comment that is noteworthy there-- but the applause.

Gingrich is a classic authoritarian leader/con-man. He'll say whatever's convenient at any given moment, has zero regard for morality, and you can almost see the disdain he holds for his own useful idiot supporters.

It's not surprising that a lying con-man like Gingrich would play a tune he knows the crowd wants to hear. What's really sick is that a sizable portion of the country wants to hear it.

[ixion]

12. it's like the 90's all over again

but worse...

[WildNovember]

13. My reaction too. They never give up, they just keep pushing their agenda.

[Uncle Joe]

14. Gingrich you're a lying sack of shit and the people cheering that line might as well be Nazis.

If water boarding; simulated drowning of a prisoner or prisoner of war isn't torture, nothing is.

If an individual elects to voluntarily go through it for training or other purposes, that's not torture.

A little common sense from a so called "historian" would not only be nice but should be mandatory, especially when influencing the base and ignorant in our society.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[Swede Atlanta]

15. Newt...I'll give you the benefit of the doubt......

Let's water board you and see if your assertion this isn't torture holds water (pun intended) then.........

[Major Hogwash]

16. Newt is their only hope because the GOP hates Romney.

The Republican base wouldn't turn out for a Romney candidacy, so Newt is the last anti-Romney hope they have.

Personally, I hope he is their candidate.
Because Obama will have him so flustered by the end of the first debate that Newt would swallow his own tongue.

If the Republicans can only be hypocritical to the extreme like they are now for another 6 or 7 more months, we may see a Newt GOP Presidential candidate.
And then the fur will still flying!!!

[spanone]

17. newt is all about attitude, he abandoned the truth decades ago