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Home Front: Politix
Dems consider torture show 'n tell at Gonzales hearing
2005-01-03
You had to know this was coming. Hat tip Drudge.
During upcoming confirmation hearings for Attorney General-nominee Alberto Gonzales, senior Democrats want to screen infamous videotapes showing Iraqis being abused at Abu Ghraib prison, top sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

The curtain is raised Thursday for the Senate Judiciary Committee's showdown with Gonzales. The Bush White House counsel will be grilled about his role in formulating the administration's legal policies on coercive techniques in interrogations -- techniques some Democrats believe led to outright torture! Yet it's the grainy prison videos, shot by a soldier's cellphone and never before viewed by the public, that threaten to turn the New Year ugly: A video of a handcuffed prisoner beating his head against a wall; a video of a group of hooded men shown masturbating. The Pentagon and the White House hold the videos in their possession and have not authorized any public release, including to the senate. One top Democrat senate source said over the holiday weekend: "Mr. Gonzales should explain to us, to the public if this was policy. I am demanding we move to full disclosure."
"To hell with the good of the country!" he added.
Republicans counter showing the videos during the Gonzales hearings would jeopardize evidence in trials of the soldiers involved in the abuse. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has said making the videos public might endanger more men and women serving in the armed forces in Iraq. "Normally, I side with disclosure and openness, but in this case, the material is evidence," Sen. Schumer (D-NY) said last year. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the videos should be made public and that they proved to him that there was an organized policy of abusing prisoners to get information -- approved by the White House. Top Hill insiders explain Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) has not ruled out exploring the abuse at Abu Ghraib with Gonzales in open session. But a well-placed Kennedy source said the Attorney General's confirmation hearings will not be turned into a showdown with the military.

They'll be too busy turning it into a circus.
Posted by:Steve White

#13  Can't say "moron" openly, either, but there are plenty of tactful ways to get that message across...mostly by showing the pictures of beheadings with the do-ers names written underneath, or by playing the cute little action videos they're so fond of making.

WRT Gonzalez, AG has in the past been a stepping stone to a seat on the USSC. Final line on the resume', especially if he argues a few cases before the SC, demonstrating his ability at that level.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-01-03 6:58:33 PM  

#12  Jules, I agree, and think the Republicans should go tit for tat on this one.

So every time the Dems show a photo from Abu Ghraib of one of the terrorists with panties on his head, the Republicans should counter with a photo of any one of dozens of beheadings these same guys are guilty of. And so on.

And every time we do counter with such a display the Dems will scream: "What does THAT have to with these hearings?" To which we can reply: "CONTEXT, you fucking morons" (OK, I we may have to drop the "fucking" part) :)
Posted by: Justrand   2005-01-03 6:14:31 PM  

#11  Rumormill:

Gonzalez is a shoo-in for AG because Dems don't want him on USSC.
Posted by: Anon4021   2005-01-03 4:38:04 PM  

#10  And yet we still sit on how many photos of torture of Iraqis (hell, add in non-Iraqis, while we're at it) because our sensibilities are too touchy about exposing such pictures to the public? Well, the public better wake up and grow up.

If this proceeds as described and no contrast is made between a prisoner beating his head against the wall and Saddam chopping off people's hands, between humiliation via masturbation and shredding people live, then we are contributors to our own demise.
Posted by: Jules 187   2005-01-03 2:12:33 PM  

#9  Sarge. How about AC/DC's "Highway to Hell?"
Posted by: John Q. Citizen   2005-01-03 2:00:28 PM  

#8  Amen Mrs D! Bring it on assholes. I really hope they spend an hour-long special on CBS trying to 'connect the dots' from Gonzales to Abu Grabass. No sane individual will watch nor understand the reasoning. Too bad we can't run a list of intelligence victories that started with some loud AC/DC and bright lights. Kind of makes you wonder what side the dhimis are on.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2005-01-03 11:58:30 AM  

#7  Please make an ass of your party, Carl, please, please, please, please, please!
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2005-01-03 7:51:18 AM  

#6  I think you should read up on Gonzales' legal positions, sock, before coming automatically to his defense just because he appears, on first glance, to be an Hispanic going against the grain. This guy, in fact, is the quintessential Democrat Trojan horse. Why would the Democrats not want him as AG? He's pro-AA, pro open bordetrs, pro abortion. What's not to like if you're a leftie? Gonzales'itty bitty conservative stance on being tough on Muslim POW's- like Democrats really care about that - POWs don't vote in US elections, so big deal. The Democrats will love Gonzales but will posture "concern" for good effect. Even the ACLU hasn't taken a position on Gonzales-what does that tell you? Focus, please, on what an AG does.
Posted by: joeblow   2005-01-03 2:44:49 AM  

#5  Gonzales = A powerful Mexican that isn't a Democrat. This about a Mexican being off the N.E./West coast controled Democratic party plantation. All such people of color must be lynched. Same old racist democratic party just a different day. All Mexicans will get the message. You are only safe if you are a democrat look down when you walk past them genuflect and shuffle your feet. It has nothing to do with what is alleged to be torture. It has to do with destroying any mexican or negro that has political power outside of that bestowed by the Democratic party.

Democratic party = racist lynchers.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2005-01-03 2:30:10 AM  

#4  How much worse will things have to get for Carl Levin and the other leading lights of the Democratic Party, before they realize that people are damn sick and tired of seeing them trash our military to gain cheap political points?

I was a Democrat for 31 years, but I will never vote for another one of those slimey bastards again so long as I live-- not even for Dogcatcher.
Posted by: Dave D.   2005-01-03 1:58:22 AM  

#3  Get serious. The Dems may feign "concern" about the Abu torture memos, but Gonzales' confirmation is a walk. He is the best thing that's come along for the Democrats since Bush Sr. appointed David Souter to the Supreme Court bench. Gonhzales is part of the Open Borders crowd, which is swell re: Democrat Party prospective voters. He loves affirmative action ( another biggie plus factor with the Dems)and was in a big struggle with Ted Olson over the gov't's brief with regards to the Uof Michigan case. "Gonzales was part of a majority vote in the Roe v. Wade case that was presented to the Texas Supreme Court. He case granted a 17-year-old girl a waiver to a state law that required a minor to inform her parents for seeking an abortion."

Except for Abu Grau, Gonzales is a Democrat in GOP clothes.
Posted by: joeblow   2005-01-03 1:43:19 AM  

#2  This is indeed truth time for Dems. If you have a problem with Gonzales' memos and the admin's policy-- and I agree that they deserve close scrutiny, esp since Scalia himself spanked the admin on the torture and detainment issues-- then bring it up responsibly, quietly, behind closed doors. There's a war on, remember?
Posted by: lex   2005-01-03 1:08:14 AM  

#1  They must figure since it is early in the 2006 election cycle, they can make political hay out of Gonzalezs' memo.

Wrong.

I think this is an excelent opportunity to split the democratic party even further by painting the democrats as terrorist loving fifth columnists for trying to go after Gonzalez.
Posted by: badanov   2005-01-03 12:41:10 AM  

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