Wes Clark on Torture

John Amato of Crooks and Liars has an audio interview with General Clark on the subject of torture. It's very good and definitely worth listening to.

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Wesley-Clark-interview-10-24-05.mp3

Almost good enough to make me watch Fox News.

imho

He's great on Faux. And believe it or not, they are less overtly hostile to him than people on other networks (most notably Joe Scarborough on MSNBC).

I was wondering where the General was when this interview took place -- there was so much noise and I thought sometimes it sounded like he was eating! But Crooks and Liars explains he was at LAX.

I liked how he said we need to be "bigger and stronger" than people who'd use torture or abuse. It says a lot that these small-minded cowards think it's "tough" to abuse prisoners, while people of real strength know exactly why we can, should, and NEED to stay on the "high road."

How great of the General to do this interview -- and good for John Amato for doing this and posting it! :D

Maybe he was catching some grub at the airport.

But, it was a good interview.

General Wesley Clark is a real patriot! :patriot:

is available here

http://www.blah3.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=395

"I also notice that John at Crooks and Liars has his own audio interview up with Wesley Clark on the subject, and he's pretty clear about what he thinks about this very un-American policy. This is my own partial transcript, so all blame falls to me (sorry, John, but I cut out your questions in between these reponses--excellent job, though):

The American power in the world will not have been based on the barrel of a gun. It’s been based on our economic strength, but also on our values. And the fact is that people in large parts of the world believe that from the American people and the American government they would be treated fairly and generously. When we’ve done that we’ve won friends all over the world. When we’ve behaved like…other powers…and been small-minded and nasty and mean-spirited and run things on an eye for an eye, tit for tat basis, we’ve lost friends, lost influence and generally lost our policies.

I’ve very disappointed that the Vice President is because I know it’s easy for an armchair quarterback to think if you put somebody’s arm behind his back the guy will squeal. But the truth is, and John McCain I think is living proof of this, is that people don’t squeal when you torture them. They may scream and they may talk but they’re not giving you the information that in most cases that you want. If they are, there are other ways to get it.

I think this is one of those issues that goes right to the top of the government. When you have the Vice President advocating the exemption for torture, it’s pretty clear where the guidance came from to abuse and rough up prisoners, and even though this is not the character of the United States Army, the leaders I know or the men and women who serve in the army, they’re nevertheless subject to his control and direction. This has got to be stopped at the political level, the legal level--it’s not a problem inside the armed forces. And that’s been the failure of the investigation so far. Sure, they’re investigating how come these people at Abu Ghraib went too far, they should never have gone that far, but the whole idea of not respecting the Geneva convention, the whole idea of pressuring and abusing and humiliating these prisoners did not originate with sergeants and privates in Abu Ghraib.

We need the moral high ground and our troops need the moral high ground because we’ve always believed we were better, we weren’t like other armies—we didn’t abuse people, we didn’t torture, we didn’t kill them. And to strip that core value from our troops is to strike at the very heart of the patriotism, the morale, the spirit, that animates the force of free men and women fighting for democracy."

of following the Geneva Conventions. He opposed Alberto Gonzalez's appointment as AG for that very reason. Without any of the namy-pamby, 'senate speak' we hear so often from others.

For the sin of suggesting that responsiblity for Abu Grahib should go all the way to the President's office, he was villified in the MSM.

BUT, as Clark has said before. "I love going into the Lion's den."

Such a breath of fresh air!

A national political figure who's not afraid to speak truth to power!

After listening to the usual politicos, I become convinced that saying what seems so easy must be next to impossible.

And then along comes Wes Clark, and ya know what, it really is easy. Telling the truth is much easier than lying or spinning yer arse off.

I noticed that he always focuses on the role of those at "the top" when making his point.

A noisy interview from LAX, but much appreciated.

is available here.

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/2300