THE PLANK SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
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Alan Brinkley--who is the provost and a professor of history at Columbia University, as well as a National Book Award-winning author--will be writing for us throughout the Republican convention.
One more thought from yesterday's convention in St. Paul: The most powerful speech came from Fred Thompson--an energy-less candidate in the primaries who finally seemed to summon some passion last night. He delivered a strong and moving (if slightly mawkish) description of the ordeal John McCain endured as a prisoner in Vietnam, and it was clear that many people in the hall were shaken by his account.
I wonder whether anyone in the hall listening to that speech drew any connection between the terrible and illegal treatment McCain received as a prisoner-of-war and the at least equally terrible and equally illegal treatment our own government now inflicts on hundreds, perhaps thousands of detainees in Guantanamo and the "black sites" around the world.
4 comments
More on this point today from Andrew Sullivan: andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/.../bush-mccain-was.html.
Key Point: "A White House reporter needs to ask the president, quite simply, if he believes that John McCain was tortured in Vietnam. Just ask. Use that specific word. See if he can answer.
The reason he put it this way, I infer, is that if he describes what was done to McCain as torture, he has incriminated himself for war crimes."
- fbacon2
September 3, 2008 at 12:19pm
Would it be terribly out-of-line for Obama to point out the hypocrisy of the previously-tortured McCain flip-flopping on torture all to sate the wishes of torture-approving GOPers? I don't think so.
Not. At. All.
- kevincollins
September 3, 2008 at 12:37pm
"Happy Schlafly"
Try saying that three times.
And share this praise from Schlafly for Palin with three women in your life.
Kiss those Clinton votes good-bye (as if the GOP ever had a chance to get them).
blogs.tnr.com/.../happy-schlafly.aspx
With friends like Phyllis Schlafly....
- fougasseu
September 3, 2008 at 12:38pm
I am in favor of Gitmo being shut down and bulldozed this afternoon, but I don't think that it's either just or intelligent to suggest that what happens there is identical to the treatment of prisoners in North Vietnamese POW camps.
- ironyroad
September 3, 2008 at 1:46pm