Free long distance on my cell phone allows me to call a lot of congresscritters. Feinstein is on speed dial, but the recent flap about torture has inspired me to start calling the Republican members of the Intel Committee to discuss their thoughts on torture.
As I pointed out in my recent diary, the GOP has had to circle the wagons on the torture issue. They actually have to DEFEND the indefensible practice. They can't call for too much investigation, because that leads in dangerous directions.
I was inspired by Newt Gingrich's inability to say that waterboarding is torture and that torture is a crime. So I call members of congress.
Between them and me, are the staffers.
Staffers answer the phone, and presumably pass along to their bosses the mood of the callers. (I say "presumably," because I called Feinstein's office and told her not to vote for the AUMF, that Hayden was corrupt and that Mukasey was corrupt, but the messages didn't get to her in time to prevent the wrong votes.)
So I perused the websites of the GOP members of the Intel Committee, and I found very little mention of torture. The closest any came was GOP Co-Chair Kit Bond, who sent an impassioned letter to President Obama, begging him not to "politicize" intelligence. You're only eight years too late on that, sir.
Meanwhile, they have time to write press releases congratulating (PDF) the teabag protesters, or
congratulating the Fort Kent city manager for his good work during a flood.
So I call their offices, where I speak with a staffer, and I say something to the effect that I don't see any mention of the recent torture scandal on the website. Since the Senator sits on the Intel Committee, would it be too much to ask for an opinion on torture? Like, is it good or bad?
The staffer won't put words into the Senator's mouth, but it allows me to ask repeatedly how hard it is to come up with a position on the subject of torture.
Apparently it is very hard. There is not yet a talking point to address this inconvenient truth, and I urge any Kossacks with a minute to spare and the inclination, especially if you are a constituent, to call these senators and ask where they stand on torture. Do they feel that it is a crime, or not?
Easy question for me to answer, not so easy for them. Have fun with the contortions. On the serious side however, we need to keep up the pressure on the subject of torture and where the GOP stands on it. We want to make it abundantly clear to America that the GOP is the party of torture.
Kit Bond, Vice Chair (202) 224-5721 or (573) 634-2488 (Missouri Office)
Orrin Hatch (202) 224-5251 or (801) 524-4380 (Utah Office)
Olympia Snowe (202) 224-5344 or (800) 432-1599 (Maine Office)
Saxby Chambliss (202) 224-3521 or (706) 738-0302 (Georgia Office)
Richard Burr (202) 224-3154 or (888) 848-1833 (North Carolina Office)
Tom Coburn (202) 224-5754 or (405) 231-4941 (Oklahoma Office)
James Risch 202-224-2752 or 208-342-7985 (Idaho Ofice)