Some Advice for Marc Thiessen, from Matthew Yglesias
Dude. If you don’t like being mistaken for Torquemada, stop acting like Torquemada (emphasis is in original):
Marc Thiessen, who loves torture, is sad that people think he loves torture:
“The handling of detainee issues is going to be a huge, huge issue in the period ahead,” said Marc A. Thiessen, a former speechwriter for Mr. Bush.
“For six years,” Mr. Thiessen added, “the left has had a field day with this, running around saying we tortured people and comparing us to the Spanish Inquisition.” Now, he said, the politics have turned. “It’s a huge vulnerability for Obama and the Democrats, and Republicans are starting to gather their courage and talking about this.”
I’m fairly certain that I’ve only compared Bush administration interrogation techniques to the Spanish Inquisition while seated. But at the end of the day, the reason the Bush administration’s preferred torture methods get compared to the Spanish Inquisition is that they used techniques cribbed from the Spanish Inquisition[.]
16 Responses to “Some Advice for Marc Thiessen, from Matthew Yglesias”
While I have no doubts that Thiessen and his boss were torturing and should be held accountable, I think its possible that in a sick sort of way, he probably feels vindicated for the continuation of many of these policies. From the same NYT article you linked to Kathy:
Obama is rightly calling out the critics of his approach because its a continuation of the last approach. However, its also valid to note that many of the critics of Bush's approach are now all of a sudden silent (see Glenn Greenwald on this). So, where exactly in government is the moral high ground? We can all pat ourselves on the back with pride knowing that our government no longer waterboards people, but if that's the only thing we can feel good about shedding from the last administration, then we still have a tremendous amount of work to do.
[...] Some Advice for Marc Thiessen, from Matthew Yglesias – The Moderate Voice“The handling of detainee issues is going to be a huge, huge issue in the period ahead,” said Marc A. Thiessen, a former speechwriter for Mr. Bush. “For six years,” Mr. Thiessen added, “the left has had a field day with this, running around … [...]
What Jchem said.
Seems like Thiessen is basically making the same point in the quoted area that Greenwald made in your other post Kathy, that Obama has continued much of the Bush War on Terror policies that many on the left criticized but are now reluctant to do so with a Democrat in the White House.
However, its also valid to note that many of the critics of Bush's approach are now all of a sudden silent.
Or even worse, openly supporting such policies.
I could be wrong, but looking at that quote, I don't think it's coming from Thiessen.
I think you are Kathy, you should read your links more carefully. His name is specifically cited in your posted section from the article.
Its definately a direct quote from Mr. Thiessen.
To say that I am upset that Obama is following a lot of the Bush policies is an understatement. I am extremely disappointed. Good law enforcement and interrogations by experienced interrogators and living up to our ideals as espoused in the Constitution worked well for over 210 years. There is no need to use torture to “protect” our country.
Okay, but how does that quote indicate what you said it did? That “Bush has continued most of the war on terror policies”?
I know that quote is from Thiessen. I have no idea why I said the quote you referred to wasn't Thiessen; clearly it is. I'm very puzzled by that (for myself, why I said that). But I do remember yesterday being confused about what you meant, substantively — in other words, where Thiessen was saying or suggesting that Obama is continuing Bush's policies. I mean, he IS, to a large degree, but that does not seem to be what Thiessen is criticizing him for. The “huge, huge issue” Thiessen is referring to is torture, right? And Thiessen is saying that Democrats attacked Bush for that and called it the Spanish Inquisition, but now the tide of opinion is on Thiessens' and the Republicans' side, and it's going to be an issue against the Democrats.
Yes, but the additional point here is that the Bush administration actually DID follow exactly the policies that Republicans are now attacking Obama for — in the specific context of how they handled arrests of suspected terrorists on U.S. soil. There were something like almost 200 terrorism cases under the Bush administration, all of which were handled in the civilian criminal justice system, NOT in military courts.
all of which were handled in the civilian criminal justice system, NOT in military courts.”
I believe B initiated 20 military trials (there have been three convictions).
However, since as you have often pointed ou, B was often incorrect, shouldn't we do the opposite of what he did (a preponderance of civilian trials) -in other words military trials. (You would know better, but aren't some congressional Dems leaning in that direction anyway?)
The Bush administration prosecuted hundreds of terrorism-related cases in civilian courts, and to my knowledge got convictions in all of them. The exact number ranges from 195 to more than 500, depending on whether you're looking only at Islamist terrorism cases, or whether you include other terrorist groups. Daphne Eviatar explains this in more detail.
Bush”
So, you want to follow B. Is that what you are inferring?
Nope. Not what I'm saying (or inferring) at all. Try again.
Try again.”
Nah, too trying.
Cute.