Political Quotes

“America is a great and good Nation that has been a beacon to the world on human rights. Nothing should be simpler than for a President of the United States to stand up and say, clearly, that this country does not engage in cruel and abusive interrogation practices such as waterboarding; that those practices are abhorrent and illegal. It saddens me greatly--but does not surprise me--that this President has, once again, refused to make that simple statement. By vetoing the intelligence authorization bill because of a provision that would reemphasize that waterboarding and other forms of torture are illegal, he has added to the shameful legacy of this administration. Let me be clear. This provision should not have been necessary. Waterboarding and other forms of torture are already clearly illegal. Waterboarding has been recognized as torture for the last 500 years. President Teddy Roosevelt prosecuted American soldiers for waterboarding more than 100 years ago. We prosecuted Japanese soldiers for waterboarding Americans during World War II. I supported this provision, despite the fact that there is no question that waterboarding is already illegal, because this administration has chosen to flout the rule of law. They have admitted they have engaged in waterboarding, otherwise known as water torture, and they refuse to say they will not do it again.”