Thank you, Senator. For all of McCainâs weaknesses, and they are legion, he is head and shoulders above anyone else in his party today. (And no, I do not mean to damn with faint praise.)
I wonder how many of his colleagues will listen? And what about Joe Manchin? Iâll be surprised (albeit very pleasantly) if she doesnât get confirmed.
Her refusal to acknowledge tortureâs immorality is disqualifying.
Eight words.
Thatâs eight too many for most Republicans.
Will the moral clarity from McCain on his deathbed sway even single Republican serving with him?
I hope the one Democrat leaning toward voting for Haspel changes his mind and points to this as the reason. I think the public understands the issue clearly.
Haspel vowed to never employ a torture program as head of the CIA, but would not answer questions about its immorality.
previously on âSPICY !â
Well, I think that that kind of comes with the job, right? If you donât believe in the presidentâs agenda, and I think every one of the Cabinet members, every one of the appointees understands that they serve at the pleasure of the president, we talked about this at length during the transition.
Itâs pretty simple; we shouldnât torture people -thatâs what evil governments do. McCainâs words would have more resound in a country that valued this moral clarity. We unfortunately are not that country.
Is it not true that McCain would need to go to DC to vote on Haspel?
In addition, Haspel only sorta kinda promised not to employ torture. She promised not to reopen the black sites that were used for torture before, and probably promised not to open new black sites exactly like the old ones. But iirc thatâs as far as she went. So some other torture program might be fine with her, âextraordinary renditionâ would almost certainly be ok, and so forth.
Seeing how Manchin is likely gonna vote yes, he would prolly have to come back to DC.
I donât find McCainâs anti-torture stance particularly edifying. Given that heâs a GOPer, I canât help but wonder if heâd be fine with it if he hadnât been tortured himself. In other words, he arrived at the right conclusion, but possibly for the wrong reason - experience, instead of morality and an ability to look at the available data and realize torture doesnât work.
Weâll never know, of course.
And she would still be in trouble with â45â.
The resulting high drama would certainly give fat nixon heart burn.
Abu Ghraid was a disgrace to this country and the values we paint ourselves with. Then we have a Senator, well informed as a victim and bearing the visible results of torture trying to guide them to the sense of immorality involved. And the Republicans will embrace even the whisper of the legitimacy of torture.
For all the reasons put to why, the one thing that comes first is they are weak people.
McCainâs vote would be moot, if either Heitkamp, Donnelly or McCaskill join up with Manchin and support Haspel.
However if this is along the lines of a voting oneâs conscious, then Senate leadership is likely aware that McCain is showing for this bout.
Listened to NPR this morning with Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and he made a clear point: Haspel was almost avoiding straight forward answers on some important questions. To King, thatâs reason enough for disqualification, because the last thing you need to worry about from your head of intelligence is whether or not he or she is being truthful or even withholding important information from Congress.
Thereâs always someone to cancel your vote. Sometime itâs my wife but I still vote. I hope McCain can make it to this vote.
I fear you are right.
Yes, he would. And I very much doubt that will happen.
He said as much last night, asserting that she satisfactorily answered questions that she couldnât in the public hearing.