Hillary Clinton argued for exceptions for torture during the Bush era of torture

[think]

Then she changed her mind....

Hillary Clinton "actually differed with (John McCain) by arguing for exceptions for torture before changing positions."

Barack Obama on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 in Denver


Clinton changed on torture

By Angie Drobnic Holan on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 12:00 a.m.

Barack Obama made his most direct case for the Democratic nomination at a speech on Jan. 30, 2008, in Denver. He criticized fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's candidacy, arguing that he represents a more dramatic distinction with John McCain, the apparent Republican frontrunner after winning Florida's primary.
In making his argument, Obama attacked Clinton for voting with Republicans on national security issues, among other things.

After naming a number of areas where he said Clinton and McCain had the same positions, Obama attacked Clinton for diverging from McCain on the issue of torture. Clinton "actually differed with him by arguing for exceptions for torture before changing positions when the politics of the moment changed," Obama said.

It sounds a little convoluted, so here's the step-by-step.

In October 2006, Clinton spoke about exceptions to a no-torture policy when speaking to the New York Daily News. Clinton mentioned a "ticking time bomb" scenario in which a captured terrorist has knowledge of an imminent terror attack and interrogators want to use torture.

"In the event we were ever confronted with having to interrogate a detainee with knowledge of an imminent threat to millions of Americans, then the decision to depart from standard international practices must be made by the president, and the president must be held accountable," she said. "That very, very narrow exception within very, very limited circumstances is better than blasting a big hole in our entire law."

Then, on Sept. 26, 2007, Clinton said something different. During a debate, Tim Russert asked her about the ticking bomb scenario and here's what she said: "As a matter of policy, it cannot be American policy, period." She said she met with military generals who told her there is "very little evidence that it works."...

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/feb/01/barack-obama/clinton-changed-on-torture/

[Maedhros]

1. I had no idea Hillary said this:

"In the event we were ever confronted with having to interrogate a detainee with knowledge of an imminent threat to millions of Americans, then the decision to depart from standard international practices must be made by the president, and the president must be held accountable," she said. "That very, very narrow exception within very, very limited circumstances is better than blasting a big hole in our entire law."

So we want to nominate a President that would violate the Geneva Conventions on torture? To what moral depths have Democrats fallen?

[think]

2. Yes. It makes one wonder if she were to be president if she'll just change her mind

and decide torture is OK once again...

[UglyGreed]

3. I was going to post this

glad you did, I hope it gets some traction....

[think]

5. Thanks. Around the same time as this Bernie gave a speech where he intended to vote against an

appointee for States Attorney due to his stance on torture:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)delivers a crisp, clear message on US violations of the Geneva Convention standards on torture in the use of waterboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Yet another "Hard Choice" to be politically expedient.

[Scuba]

6. Yet some still claim she's a progressive.

[think]

7. Torture, death penalty, preemptive wars, the patriot act, Wall street bank supported campaign

How this is the record of a progressive is beyond me...

[Live and Learn]

8. I vaguely remember some of that but by the time she said it, I had already written her off

as anyone to pay any attention to.

Thanks for reminding us!.

[think]

9. I was pretty much the same. It's a disturbing statement coming from a leader in America

And one that really makes one wonder how she'd lead if she were president. Torture is considered a criminal act in the eyes of the international community. She said this while it was known to have taken place under Bush which could be considered to be lending credibility to his actions.

That's important to me at least.

[Live and Learn]

10. Yes. torture is always abhorrent and never justifiable, morally or scientifically.

They have nothing on their side but evil.

[KingCharlemagne]

11. HRC was for torture before she was against it. - nt

[morningfog]

12. There is a noticeable absence of the usual HIllary loyalists in this thread.

[Fumesucker]

14. To be entirely fair, it takes a while to get the talking points from the Mothership

[think]

16. At least no has tried to defend torture so far. That would be very disapointing...

[morningfog]

17. Give it time, they will defend anything for St. HIllary, The Inevitable.

[Hepburn]

13. This makes me ill.

Completely and totally ill.

How can any person with a soul or morals approve of torture????

TORTURE IS WRONG. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. PERIOD.

[riderinthestorm]

15. K&R

Words fail.

[sabrina 1]

18. I remember that well. Despicable for ANYONE to even consider torture as an option for ANY

reason.

And another reason why I support Bernie Sanders.

[think]

19. Yes. There is certainly no excuse for a leader in the free world to be making exceptions for torture

Sanders knows this and his record gives me confidence he'd never allow torture to be used. Considering Hillary was willing to accept it before makes me believe she could be open to it again.

While I'm glad she states she no longer supports torture, her former support basically let Bush & his administration off the hook on the issue of breaking laws for their torture programs. It put America in a precarious position of having leaders from both parties stating that torture was appropriate and justified. Based on everything we know now it is the farthest thing from the truth.

Many Americans still will justify torture thinking it actually worked under Bush. It's deeply regrettable.

[sabrina 1]

21. The country has been 'softened' on torture because there were no consequences for it.

It shows how far gone we are when the evidence was so clear, when people like Cheney publicly ADMIT it, yet nothing happens.

And Hillary most definintely cannot be trusted with such power. Once you support such an awful and UNLAWFUL practice, you are not the person who should be leading this country right now which so badly needs to start fixing all that has gone wrong with it over the past number of decades.

[Comrade Grumpy]

20. That's my Hillary!

[Betty Karlson]

22. The worst part is that some people will believe this shows her strength

rather than her disqualification...