The Workday Liberal

A couple of stories relating to Dick and Lynn Cheney are floating about that piqued my interest today. First we have this laugher from the White House press conference:

You got Dick Cheney, who had been head of an intelligence committee. He's been the Secretary of Defense. He's been the Vice President. He's not a guy who slips up, and he's also not a guy who does winks and nods about things that involve matters that you don't talk about for political reasons. Sorry.

snip

Q To say that Vice President Cheney doesn't make mistakes like this, he did go up and curse a senator to his face on the Senate floor, and accidentally shot his friend, so he's not perfect. (Laughter.)

MR. SNOW: No, I mean, it's just -- that's -- that's a great line, but it's not germane. Yes, Helen.

Indeed it was a great line, and I think it is germane actually. Either Darth doesn't slip up or he does... and I think it's pretty much established that he does. So now we find ourselves asking where that 'slip up' line is drawn. In the case in question (conservative talk show host & Cheney obviously talking about water boarding), Cheney slipped up and affirmed that America tortures detainees. The administration might think it can redefine the word torture to not include this technique just by dint of Orwellian authority to do so all it wants, but the precedent and common sense is clear on this one. Water boarding is torture, and Cheney says it's ok that we do it and will continue to do so.

Next comes Darths wife Lynne. When Wolf Blitzer asks her to consider that her husband thinks torturing detainees is ok, even after several of them have been proven innocent of having any ties to terrorism, she responds with this headshaker:

I think that you might be a little careful declaring someone has 'clean hands.'

I won't bother to go through the litany of people who have been released after being tortured or rendered to foreign nations to be tortured, only to be found innocent of any involvement with terrorism. Indeed the statement by Lynne here is highly instructive of the attitude of these right wing koolaid drinkers. Rather than charging her husband and his boss with being careful about who they round up and torture, she charges Wolf Blitzer with being careful when describing the proven innocents who have had their lives ruined.