Winger Nonsense

A truly horrific discovery was made today as Marines discovered a prison that had been run by insurgents.

But of course the right-wingers are abandoning all logic surrounding this story and spinning it to make Gitmo not look so bad.

They're right in the sense that what is taking place at Gitmo isn't as bad as what was discovered in Iraq recently, or the Stalin regime, or the Nazi regime, or the Khmer Rouge, etc. But what message are they really sending?

Are they saying it's OK to abuse prisoners, as long the abuse is not as bad as the other guys? Is that really the standard they hold for this country... somewhat better than the Nazis?

On the somewhat brighter side, some Republicans are speaking out against the policies at Guantanamo...

According to Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL), "[Guantanamo has] become an icon for bad stories, and at some point you wonder about the cost-benefit ratio."

Senator Hagel, "[The US is losing] the image war around the world."

Hagel and Martinez miss the point. Sure, the Gitmo policies have hurt our image around the world and as a result are hurting the war on terror. But they miss the most important point, which is that the United States should not condone torture, because that is beneath us.

And to suggest that torture at Gitmo is OK because torture elsewhere was worse is simply un-American. This country used to work to fix injustice in the world. No more. Now we settle for not quite as bad. This attitude is shameful, and does not belong in our country.