horse of george

I defended Cheney on torture - not really, but it's being interpreted that way by lefties - bend low and you are necessarily fallen, that is the law of ideological absolutes - I merely wanted to spin Cheney around for a different view - not a venial sin, apparently - who's naive, they chide, enhanced techniques do not work, ya duped fool - well, I don't know if they do or not since I've never interrogated a terrorist - I do know that life is messy and that people make assumptions based on needs and inclinations that have very little to do with the issues at hand - but the point was, and still is as far as I know it, that America can afford to flirt with being seen as unjust and unfair - and even cruel - in fact it may serve its purposes to occasionally be seen as intemperate along these general lines - the go to big ticket example of this is Honest Abe rescinding habeas corpus - there are others - point being, America can look unjust and easily recover from that misstep - its fluidity and creative dynamism and overall guiding animus of freedom and individual rights and responsibilities make it extremely adaptable to unpleasant contingencies - but what it most assuredly cannot afford is to be seen as weak. When I defend Cheney I do so believing that that is the true motive behind his sometimes impolitic musings [and let's understand, that's all I defend Cheney on - most of the flaws that initially undermined the war in Iraq I lay at the feet of Cheney and Rumsfeld].