Run Against Torture... Tar Them With It... Make Them Own It...
Now That's Amore By Matt Smith:
When Lyndon Johnson ran for Congress, legend says, he wanted to spread the rumor that his opponent was a pig-fucker. Johnson's campaign manager said, "Lyndon, you know he doesn't do that!" Johnson replied, "I know. I just want to make him deny it."
Except in this case the pig is Torture, and they really are fucking that pig....
An example of just how shallow support for torture is:
Embracing torture as an American value by Gen. JC Christian, Patriot
It was manned by a guy in his sixties or early seventies and two women of about the same age. I told them how excited I was about the new torture legislation, and how I hoped we could start "torturing people right and left soon."
That seemed to stun them for a moment. Indeed, one of the ladies looked horrified. Finally, the old guy smiled and said, "yeah, more torture." The lady to his right repeated it, "more torture." And then the horrified one relaxed, smiled and spoke the same words as well, "more torture."
That's when it became a little weird, because they kept repeating it, three or four times each, stuttering "more torture, more torture, more torture," as I stood there in front of them, dumbfounded. I'm not making this up.
It was very strange. It was as if repeating it like a mantra allowed them to embrace the new, albeit horrendous, standard of what it means to be a patriot--that is to embrace torture as an American value.
As one of the most patriotic men in America, I'm a little worried about their reaction. It was a little too slow, and their chant was a tad unconvincing--there just wasn't enough sadistic joy in their facial expressions. I hope that isn't the case in the Senate. Perhaps we need to contact them to ensure they step up to this new level of patriotism.
Even people on redstate are having qualms:
The morality of torture By Dana R Pico
To me, this is precisely the same thing. The prisoners at Guantanamo have been there for more than four years now, and it is implausible that they have any special information that will help in the war against Islamic fascism; what they know is old and stale, and the probability that any of them would have currently actionable information is far too low to justify harsh interrogation.
Where you can have a clear simple coherant, morally unambigious message whereas your opponent has to torturously twist themselves around with caveats and long-winded explanations galore is always the perfect issue to run on... Fer fooks sake it really is that fooking simple.... AAAAaAAAARGH!!!!
Having something to run on which has Moral Clarity is political Manna from Heaven.... Make hay with it dammit!
Even Colin fucking Powell has issues with it...
On becoming 'The Torture President' By Bill Press
As former Secretary of State Colin Powell warns, Bush's call for a green light on torture carries grave consequences for the United States: "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism. To redefine Common Article 3 would add to those doubts."
Retired Brass Are Fucking Horrified:
Why Retired Military Brass Don't Want Torture By Charles Kaiser
Retired Brig. Gen. James P. Cullen was chief judge of the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals. "I grew up in an Army where the rules were very clear and where serviceman and women had no question about what their obligations and responsibilities were under both the Geneva Convention and our domestic law," he said. "When you have a winking-and-nodding policy [as was the case at Abu Ghraib], that just brings about the consequences that we came to view at [the prison]."
What further fuels the officers' outrage is that the policies they believe have undermined the military were mostly formulated by men, like Bush, who have not seen combat.
"[Vice President Dick] Cheney made mention in the days after 9/11 that he wanted to operate sort of on the dark side," Cullen said. "Here was a guy who never served, and now something terrible had happened, and he wanted to show that he was a tough guy.... So he's going to operate outside the rules of law. Bad message."
Does it need to be spelled out like this is fooking Sesame Street? Torture is Morally Wrong... By going on record supporting Torture Republicans have taken the first step all by themselves of being forced into the Mother of all Negative Narratives... Republicans=Torture... Keep them there force them to defend it, force them to own it... The election is yours... At this point what have you got to lose except your chains? For fucks sake!
Religious leaders brains are fucking breaking:
Torture is a Moral Issue
We are compelled to speak again because the just-announced Republican "compromise" threatens to compromise the rule of law and the laws of God. Torture is a moral and legal issue; it is also a profoundly religious issue, for it degrades the image of God in the tortured and the torturer alike. Our moral compass is swinging wildly. To tolerate, or worse decriminalize, torture jeopardizes the soul of our nation.
If we were not to raise our voices in outrage at this time, the very stones would cry out.
It's a simple thing to impugn them on, easy and unambiguous. Best of all if you impugn their Morality to this level and on this basic gut level it "poisons" everything else they say... (Debating rules are for people who don't know how to really debate...)
Also: You want to distinguish your "Brand" that's how "Brands" are made, and that's why they should be fillibusterbing... You don't make a brand by going... "Generic Cola! Just Like Coca Cola, Only Generic!".
Get out ahead and distinguish your brand from Torture Cola... Oh yeah and fire your strategists... That you aren't doing this already is proof that they're overpaid morons sucking up your valuable time and money...
Ignore the polls... Polls are useless...
Strategy is an Art not a Science!
Support for torture is SHALLOW!
Opposition to torture is DEEP!
AAAAAARGH!!!!! *RAGE RAGE RANT RANT*
Victory has been handed to you on a silver fucking platter!
All you have to do is reach out and take it...
IT REALLY IS THAT FUCKING SIMPLE!
FOR FUCKS SAKE! GRAB THAT FUCKING RING AND LET THE CLARION OF MORAL CLARITY SOUND!!
THEY ARE DROWNING IN A SEA OF THEIR OWN FILTH. SO THROW THEM THE FUCKING ANCHOR!
FOR THE SAKE OF G-D, GOD, CHRIST, MUHAMMAD VISHNU, BUDDHA, ALLAH, KRISHNA, AHURA MAZDA, AND ALL ELSE THAT'S HOLY... MAKE THEM OWN IT... THROW THEM THE FUCKING ANCHOR... ARE YOU THAT FUCKING AFRAID OF WINNING?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!!!!!!