"I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less."
11 May 2004Inhofe weighs in, flabbilySenator James Inhofe (R-OK), at the Senate hearing on the events at and around Abu Ghraib:
I'm probably not the only one up here that is more outraged at the outrage than we are by the treatment. These prisoners, you know they're not there for traffic violations. If they're in cellblock 1-A or 1-B, these prisoners, they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents. Many of them probably have American blood on their hands and here we're so concerned about the treatment of those individuals.
That's so like you, Jim. Considering there's a good chance they were arrested in error — Coalition MI types estimate 70 to 90 percent were — we have even less excuse to treat them badly. A reader, citing the Inhofe quote, writes in:
[C]onsidering what you've said about the issue being overhyped, i certainly hope you won't associate yourself [with] Inhofe's stupidity.
I try not to. I have enough trouble associating myself with my own. I have no doubt that some horrible things are going to happen as this war continues. That's the nature of war, after all. It's part of Jim Inhofe's job to keep an eye on these things. If he's not interested in doing his job — and judging by the querulous quote above, he seems offended by the whole idea — he can, and should, be replaced. TrackBack: 11:41 PM, 11 May 2004 » Inhofe: Hooray for the American torturers! from Awe Contraire Despite the fact that thinking Oklahomans probably didn't vote for James Inhofe, nonetheless today all of them are hanging their heads in shame for being in a state represented by such an ugly, spiritually devoid human being. At this morning's hearing ......[read more] Otherwise, why have a war? :) Posted by: CGHill at 1:30 PM on 11 May 2004agreed, but it is NEVER ok to treat prisoners that way - using the rationale of "well, we're not as bad as Saddam" like Inhofe will ruin the slim chances we have of succeeding in Iraq -- not criticisms of GWB administration policies. The disturbing thing is that Inhofe's statement was actually prepared. these comments weren't off the cuff. Posted by: Josiah at 1:42 PM on 11 May 2004Like I said: "even less excuse." Doesn't necessarily imply we have much of one to begin with. I'm fairly bloodthirsty by nature, but I also have a high regard for playing by the rules. And if you've ever heard Inhofe off the cuff, you know why he has these things written up in advance. True enough, it is never ok to treat prisoners this way. Inhofe danced around the actual outrage. There's that phrase again... Posted by: bruce at 12:59 PM on 12 May 2004You know, if Halliburton could do a quarter of the things of which it's routinely accused, it would rule the world and every city would have a statue of Dick Cheney downtown. React now...http://www.spunmurky.org Spun Murky Posted by: ian at 10:00 PM on 12 May 2004Geez, Ian, I oughta send you a bill for that sneaky ad. Posted by: CGHill at 8:10 AM on 13 May 2004 |