Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday endorsed efforts by three Republican senators to block President Bush’s plan to authorize harsh interrogations of terror suspects.
The latest sign of GOP division over White House security policy came in a statement that Powell sent to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of the rebellious lawmakers. Powell said that Congress must not pass Bush’s proposal to redefine U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions, a treaty that sets international standards for the treatment of prisoners of war.
[…]
“The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism,” said Powell, who served under Bush and is a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “To redefine Common Article 3 would add to those doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk.”
Again I ask: What treatment is acceptable for American troops and citizens under the same circumstances? If you find repugnant the thought of an American soldier being subjected to the same techniques, then it is unacceptable. Better yet, if it’s something you would find abhorrent were it done to you, it should be marked as an unconscionable action for America to inflict on any other person.
Powell is right. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it as often as is necessary. America no longer has the moral respect it once had; that is crippling our support, alienating our friends and allies, endangering our military personnel, and placing Americans at significantly greater risk of terrorism and violence.
I am mortified that such activities emerged on the list of possible actions, and I am disgusted they were approved. We must uphold the values that set us apart from barbarians with respect to how we treat our enemies.
I’m thrilled to see Powell once again looking to his own laurels and speaking his mind. The cowering puppet he became was horrifying for someone I respected as principled and unwavering in conviction.
Dubya’s plan must not be approved. We are America; we do NOT torture people.
[via Joe at AMERICAblog]