Bachmann: ‘Absurd’ to waterboard me to prove it’s not torture

[Huey Freeman]

By David Edwards
Friday, November 18, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is pretty sure waterboarding isn’t torture — but she says it would be “absurd” to find out for herself.

During a recent CBS/National Journal debate, the candidate enthusiastically said she supported the interrogation technique.

“It was very effective,” she claimed. “It gained information for our country.”

Speaking to Fox News several days later, Bachmann defended herself by comparing waterboarding to President Harry Truman’s decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan during World War II.

Both then-Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain agreed during the 2008 campaign that waterboarding was torture.

In an interview this week, the Des Moines Register editorial board asked Bachmann about the matter again.

“Is it uncomfortable?” Bachmann asked. “Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but I am more concerned that we would prevent aircraft from going into the Twin Towers, taking them down, and taking out 3,000 innocent American lives, than I am about the comfort level of a terrorist, and what that means for them.”

“Because again, this is done under monitored conditions, where – is it uncomfortable? Yes, I don’t deny that it’s uncomfortable. But a person is not going to lose their life, nor will they be permanently injured or permanently impaired by this. And it’s done on very unique, strict cir stances.”

“You say it’s being done on terrorists, but actually it’s being done as an interrogation technique to determine who are terrorists,” one editorial board member noted. “These people have not been tried. … If you think it’s not that bad, would you ever willingly submit to it just to see what it’s like?”

“Well, I think it would be absurd to have the president of the United States submit themselves to waterboarding,” Bachmann declared, ignoring that she’s not yet president. “There are those that have submitted themselves to it so that they can talk about it and speak about it afterwards.”

In fact, two members of the media who supported the Iraq war — journalist Christopher Hitchens and Chicago radio host Erich “Mancow” Muller — submitted to the technique and came away convinced that it was torture.

“[i]f waterboarding does not cons ute torture, then there is no such thing as torture,” Hitchens wrote following the ordeal.

“I still wish that my experience were the only way in which the words ‘waterboard’ and ‘American’ could be mentioned in the same (gasping and sobbing) breath.”

Watch this video from Des Moines Register, broadcast Nov. 16, 2011.

imbed not working, follow link to see waterboarding part only

Video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4lTY...layer_embedded

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/1...s-not-torture/

"It's very useful! Why, the very first Arab we waterboarded confessed to shooting down Columbia and Challenger, setting fire to the Hindenburg, pushing that ice in front of anic, and being Jack the Ripper!"

[Huey Freeman]

Bachmann intro music: Lyin' what?!
By: Maggie Haberman
November 22, 2011 12:56 PM EST

The folks at CLICK picked up on a story that's getting some buzz, about the music played when Michele Bachmann walked onto Jimmy Fallon's talk show set last night: "Lyin' Ass ."

The song, by Fishbone, was strummed by the "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" house band The Roots, Spin Magazine first reported.

As CLICK noted, Roots drummer Questlove tweeted in advance of the show airing, "aight late night walkon song devotees: you love it when we snark: this next one takes the cake. ask around cause i aint tweeting le.” Fallon, for his part, tweeted today: "@questlove is grounded."

Bachmann has infrequently talked about getting different treatment as a female candidate (an exception being her recent dust-up with CBS News' John erson about the network's debate). Another female politician, Sarah Palin, spoke more often about the biases she felt she was exposed to as a conservative woman from the press.

It's not clear exactly why Questlove went this route. But it's safe to say that had Hillary Clinton walked onto the Fallon set - or any other talk show's set - to "Lyin' Ass ," there would be an outcry from the left. And Bachmann would be within her rights to complain on this.

[baseline bum]

Holy , The Roots play on that bag's show? How did he ever land such a talented band?

[baseline bum]

Honestly, if Hillary came on I would want them to play "One Less "

[Winehole23]

they also did the Friday send up on Fallon, maybe they're regulars?

[DMX7]

Liberal Lame Stream Media at it again.

[Nbadan]

here's the video

[spursncowboys]

Pure class.

[Agloco]

Speaking to Fox News several days later, Bachmann defended herself by comparing waterboarding to President Harry Truman’s decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan during World War II.

Only from the mind of Bachmann.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

“Is it uncomfortable?” Bachmann asked. “Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but I am more concerned that we would prevent aircraft from going into the Twin Towers, taking them down, and taking out 3,000 innocent American lives, than I am about the comfort level of a terrorist, and what that means for them.”

classic neocon fear mongering

[spursncowboys]

classic neocon fear mongering

Sitting on the intelligence committee, I believe her when she says we got valuable intel from waterboarding.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

She's implying that water boarding preventing another 9/11, something I highly doubt.

She also sits on the right wing bible thumping tea bagger committee so I have a hard time believing anything she says.

[spursncowboys]

the tea party is not bible thumpers. Instead of doubting because she isn't in the same party as you, you should probably research that.

[Blake]

Sitting on the intelligence committee, I believe her when she says we got valuable intel from waterboarding.

so you are ok with torturing others to obtain intel?

[hater]

this stupid still does not know the difference between an interrogee and a terrorist. Stupid thinks they are one and the same.

someone needs to explain this that ppl get held up and interrogated all the time. Does not make them terrorists

[ChumpDumper]

Sitting on the intelligence committee, I believe her when she says we got valuable intel from waterboarding.

So politicians never lie?

[FuzzyLumpkins]

the tea party is not bible thumpers. Instead of doubting because she isn't in the same party as you, you should probably research that.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life...-the-tea-party

According to that article half are biblical literalists. Thats pretty bible thumper if you ask me.

What is with board 'conservatives' making up that just isn't true and inserting if or fact?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

she just has that blank clueless look on her face all the time. i don't know why she's still there.

[spursncowboys]

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life...-the-tea-party

According to that article half are biblical literalists. Thats pretty bible thumper if you ask me.

What is with board 'conservatives' making up that just isn't true and inserting if or fact?

from the article, this is the only thing I could find from your distortions. FTR, it is a christian magazine and the article is about if the tea party is a christian. The author concludes that even if a large amounts define themselves as christian, it is not relevant.

Some have speculated that the Tea Party is actually a new expression of the old Christian right. According to an October 2010 survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Ins ute (PRRI), 47 percent of Americans who support the Tea Party also say they identify with the Christian right. Additionally, the study found that nearly half of Tea Partiers believe America is “a Christian nation” and the Bible is the literal word of God.

from your article posted.

When Tea Partiers were asked what most stoked their passions in a CBS News/New York Times survey, the top four responses were the health care reform bill, the government not representing the people, government spending and the economy.

“What the Tea Party movement is really about—fundamentally—is a desire to return America to its cons utional roots and its form of limited government and self-government,” Farah says. “Having spoken to tens of thousands of Tea Party activists and met hundreds and hundreds of them, I believe the mission statement that best represents this movement can be found in the Declaration of Independence.”

Perhaps the Tea Party agenda is made up of issues that Christians can, in good conscience, rightfully support. That’s a separate debate. But issues historically championed by most Christians have taken a back seat.

[Th'Pusher]

from the article, this is the only thing I could find from your distortions. FTR, it is a christian magazine and the article is about if the tea party is a christian. The author concludes that even if a large amounts define themselves as christian, it is not relevant.



from your article posted.

That does not change the fact that half of the tea bags are bible beaters which was the original assertion.

[spursncowboys]

which is a wrong assertion.

[spursncowboys]

unless to you a bible thumper is anyone who believes in god.

[boutons_deux]

Bible-thumpers for is anyone who thinks all they have to know and live by is in The Bible, they read it every day, everything else is secondary, or more likely just false.

They really nail themselves as BTs by insisting on the literal interpretation and inerrancy of the Bible.

They are very often stupid, ignorant s who are not well educated, and not well read outside of the Christian library.

They are responsible for pulling USA back towards a pre-scientific/anti-scientific Dark Ages dominated by supers ious, magical thinking.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Anyone who is pro-life and/or anti-gay marriage is a bible thumping dominionist in my book

[FuzzyLumpkins]

unless to you a bible thumper is anyone who believes in god.

What part of 47% are biblical literalists is hard to understand. At least i try and support my positions with something. You just spew shi and expeect people to take you at your word. Thats not good enough.