At the debate between U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert and Darcy Burner in Bellevue on Wednesday, both candidates were asked: “Are enemy combatants confined at Guantanamo Bay entitled to the rights described in the Geneva Convention?”
Reichert said, “To me that’s an easy question. The answer: ‘Yes.'”
Apparently it wasn’t a very easy vote for Rep. Reichert, though.
Reichert voted against the Intelligence Authorization bill in December 2007, which included an amendment that made U.S. intelligence agencies abide by prohibitions in the Army Field Manual against torture, like waterboarding.
The bill passed the House and Senate, though, and Bush vetoed it. Reichert voted against overriding Bush’s veto, preventing Congress from getting the two thirds majority it needed to make the anti-torture bill law.
Reichert’s votes contradicted what he told the Bellevue crowd. Talking about his career as sheriff, he said: “When you talk about torture … when you talk about bullying people into confessions. That’s something I never had to do. I know that all people need to be respected, must be respected. They’re all human beings inhabiting this earth together.”
Burner said the rights guaranteed in the Geneva Conventions, “are guaranteed to all people. Our government should be treating people fairly, even when it’s inconvenient. This is a country that was founded on the idea that every individual has fundamental rights that no government is entitled to abridge. So, do I think the people at Guantanamo have the right to basic protections of the Geneva Convention? Yes.”
They can do whatever they want to the SOBs responsible for 9/11 — I’ll look the other way. But they should stand trial for each innocent person they tortured.
Before you righties begin jumping up and down screaming “terrorists! terrorists!” let me ask why the Busheviks have released hundreds of them without charges. That proves they detained innocent people. In fact, most of the detainees are innocent. The only way the incompetent Bushies would ever catch an actual terrorist is by random chance.
A congressman who doesn’t hug rabbits can’t be trusted. Darcy hugs rabbits! }smooch{ Now that’s my kind of congressperson!!! Reichert … not so much.
Roger, I must ask, I hope you are not saying they can be judge, jury and executioner, as well as getting some torture in before the execution? I don’t think you are saying that, but I want to be sure.
I am sure you would agree that the real problem is that we decided based on the advice of Darth Cheney to ignore about 800 years of evolving civilised jurisprudence and instead go back before Runnymeade and the Magna Carta? Heck, that may not even be fair to the feudal system as even serfs had the right to sue their Lords.
BTW, Reichert’s ads are truly pathetic, and I am very positively surprised and impressed by the quality and clarity of Darcy’s attacks and contrasts.
And, do you notice when they pan the Congress for the least effective members, in WA we have several others down there at the bottom- Duck Hastings, Cathy Whatever, and yes, next to the non-voting American Samoa guy, Larsen? Not impressive.
For all its faults, when we abandoned our justice system we abandoned our core values and principles. That is what should set us apart. It used to do just that Lets get back to those days.
Now, with two Constitutional Law professors and experts in cahrge of our administration, we can again.