I just watched Matt Lauer interview George W. Bush on NBC promoting his new book on his Presidency.
By way of a minor preamble, let me state that the interview did little to change my overall impression of the man, but it did change it some. I have for a time believed that he is generally a good man who cares deeply about his country. He did what he thought was best but he made some bad decisions. But I have always thought that even his bad decisions were made for, what he thought, were good reasons.
His decisions on war and peace, spending, and bailouts are all legitimate matters for disagreement. I agreed with some and disagreed with others but I have always thought he came by his decisions, even the bad ones, honestly.
With all that said, I was struck by what I can only classify as a moment of dishonesty. I don’t think that President Bush lied to Matt Lauer or the American people, I think he lied to himself.
The topic, it should come as no surprise, is the water-boarding of three suspected terrorists …
November 12, 2010 at 6:10 am
Our torture is 30% less evil than the leading Saddam brand, so it's ok?
romishgrafitti, that is one of the most stupid questions I have seen. By engaging in asinine moral equivalence, you've missed the whole point.
The point is that the people who complain about "waterboarding" are silent about the torture that Saddam's victims underwent. The same people in the Vatican — including the late Pope — who complained about U.S. military intervention not meeting "just war" criteria didn't do a damn thing when Saddam was torturing his own people.
But most of those people weren't Chaldean Christians, so who really cares, right?
Catholic "moral theology" is a joke. It strains at gnats and swallows camels. It's an utter abomination before a holy, righteous God Who will judge this self-satisfied Church for the way it has mishandled the authority He gave it.
November 14, 2010 at 9:49 pm
romishgrafitti, that is one of the most stupid questions I have seen.
I think you are being hyperbolic.
By engaging in asinine moral equivalence, you've missed the whole point.
It's not moral equivalence. Pointing to someone's worse behavior is simply a distraction.
The point is that the people who complain about "waterboarding" are silent about the torture that Saddam's victims underwent.
That's probably because I've yet to meet anyone that thought Saddam was something less than a brutal dictator. No point in talking about something that no one disputes.
The same people in the Vatican — including the late Pope — who complained about U.S. military intervention not meeting "just war" criteria didn't do a damn thing when Saddam was torturing his own people.
The war wasn't sold to use based on Saddam's cruelty, but on the supposed presence of WMD's. Bush knew he couldn't sell the average American on the war on how bad Saddam was, so he didn't really try.
But most of those people weren't Chaldean Christians, so who really cares, right?
I do. But the topic here is Bush's approval of waterboarding.
Catholic "moral theology" is a joke. It strains at gnats and swallows camels. It's an utter abomination before a holy, righteous God Who will judge this self-satisfied Church for the way it has mishandled the authority He gave it.
You have failed to demonstrate this.