Gingrich Condemned Torture In '97: Violates The "Foundation Of American Values"

[Busted]

Can we say FLIP FLOP? 

One of the more difficult rows to hoe in the ongoing debate over detainee treatment has been the insistence by some conservatives, against countervailing evidence, that these measures not only aren't torture but actually work.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has led the charge, requesting that two specific memos be released showing valuable evidence from detainees who buckled during waterboarding. But outside of the administration as well, various officials who were once absolutists when it came to denouncing torture or humanitarian abuses now find themselves dealing in vagaries when discussing conduct by former Bush officials.

See, for example, these quotes from Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the House and reliable GOP presidential flirt would not definitively define waterboarding as torture during a Friday appearance on Fox News.

    VAN SUSTEREN: But you said a minute ago that it was torture, waterboarding...


    GINGRICH: No, I said it's not something we should do.

    VAN SUSTEREN: OK. Is it torture or not?

    GINGRICH: I -- I -- I think it's -- I can't tell you.

    VAN SUSTEREN: Does it violate the Geneva Convention?

    GINGRICH: I honestly don't know.

Story continues below

Several weeks ago, meanwhile, he insisted that President Obama's decision to close Guantanamo and put an end to interrogation policies had made the United States less safe.

When he was in office, however, Gingrich took one of strongest public postures against detainee abuse, political imprisonment and, yes, torture. A reader sends over the statement Gingrich issued following then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, in which he insisted that there was "no place for torture and arbitrary detention," describing such acts as contrary to "the foundation of American values."






http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/gingrich-torture_n_191803.html

[Purge_WTF]

  Saw that on TV last night. And people wonder why the Republican party is in such disarray.

  Libertarian uprising in 2012.

[The Coach]

Stop making political threads, you look like an idiot. BTW, see Nancy Palosi!

[Deicide]

  Saw that on TV last night. And people wonder why the Republican party is in such disarray.

  Libertarian uprising in 2012.

Fuck yeah!

[Straw Man]

Can we say FLIP FLOP? 

One of the more difficult rows to hoe in the ongoing debate over detainee treatment has been the insistence by some conservatives, against countervailing evidence, that these measures not only aren't torture but actually work.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has led the charge, requesting that two specific memos be released showing valuable evidence from detainees who buckled during waterboarding. But outside of the administration as well, various officials who were once absolutists when it came to denouncing torture or humanitarian abuses now find themselves dealing in vagaries when discussing conduct by former Bush officials.

See, for example, these quotes from Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the House and reliable GOP presidential flirt would not definitively define waterboarding as torture during a Friday appearance on Fox News.

    VAN SUSTEREN: But you said a minute ago that it was torture, waterboarding...


    GINGRICH: No, I said it's not something we should do.

    VAN SUSTEREN: OK. Is it torture or not?

    GINGRICH: I -- I -- I think it's -- I can't tell you.

    VAN SUSTEREN: Does it violate the Geneva Convention?

    GINGRICH: I honestly don't know.

Story continues below

Several weeks ago, meanwhile, he insisted that President Obama's decision to close Guantanamo and put an end to interrogation policies had made the United States less safe.

When he was in office, however, Gingrich took one of strongest public postures against detainee abuse, political imprisonment and, yes, torture. A reader sends over the statement Gingrich issued following then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, in which he insisted that there was "no place for torture and arbitrary detention," describing such acts as contrary to "the foundation of American values."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/gingrich-torture_n_191803.html

Another excellent example of the complete lack of shame and total hypocrisy of the Republican party

here's Gingrich's official statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 30, 1997

SPEAKER'S STATEMENT ON VISIT OF PRESIDENT JIANG
Washington, D.C. -- House Speaker Newt Gingrich released the following statement today following his meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

"As I said in China this spring, there is no place for abuse in what must be considered the family of man. There is no place for torture and arbitrary detention. There is no place for forced confessions. There is no place for intolerance of dissent." "While we walked through the Rotunda. I explained to President Jiang how the roots of American rule of law go back more than 700 years, to the signing of the Magna Carta. The foundation of American values, therefore, is not a passing priority or a temporary trend

[BM OUT]

How does the geneva convention apply to people that arent soldiers?These are not soldiers,they are criminals and terrorists.Sorry, no rules apply to them.

[Soul Crusher]

How does the geneva convention apply to people that arent soldiers?These are not soldiers,they are criminals and terrorists.Sorry, no rules apply to them.

That was also before 3000 citizens were killed in a terrorist attack and the terrorists had plans to get a nuke to blow us up.

[Straw Man]

That was also before 3000 citizens were killed in a terrorist attack and the terrorists had plans to get a nuke to blow us up.

so what?  Pearl Harbor was 50 years before 911

did you catch the last sentence from Gingrich's official statement?

"The foundation of American values, therefore, is not a passing priority or a temporary trend"

or we can go back to the "Father of our Country"

“Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.” - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

[Soul Crusher]

so what?  Pearl Harbor was 50 years before 911

did you catch the last sentence from Gingrich's official statement?

"The foundation of American values, therefore, is not a passing priority or a temporary trend"

or we can go back to the "Father of our Country"

“Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause… for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.” - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775

Again, the terrorists are not the same as a nation state, even under the direct language of the Geneva Conv.

[Straw Man]

How does the geneva convention apply to people that arent soldiers?These are not soldiers,they are criminals and terrorists.Sorry, no rules apply to them.

ok, so let's call them criminals (which is more accurate).  I think we have some "rules" for them too

[tonymctones]

ok, so let's call them criminals (which is more accurate).  I think we have some "rules" for them too

should we go around the world imposing our civilian laws on others as well?  these ppl arent citizens of the US their crimes didnt occur in the US either...

[Dos Equis]

Where is the flip flop?  He didn't give a definitive answer on whether waterboarding is torture. 

[24KT]

should we go around the world imposing our civilian laws on others as well?  these ppl arent citizens of the US their crimes didnt occur in the US either...

Maybe you should simply start by adhering to your own laws first, ...and impeach Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al.

[bigdumbbell]

Can we say FLIP FLOP? 

One of the more difficult rows to hoe in the ongoing debate over detainee treatment has been the insistence by some conservatives, against countervailing evidence, that these measures not only aren't torture but actually work.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has led the charge, requesting that two specific memos be released showing valuable evidence from detainees who buckled during waterboarding. But outside of the administration as well, various officials who were once absolutists when it came to denouncing torture or humanitarian abuses now find themselves dealing in vagaries when discussing conduct by former Bush officials.

See, for example, these quotes from Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the House and reliable GOP presidential flirt would not definitively define waterboarding as torture during a Friday appearance on Fox News.

    VAN SUSTEREN: But you said a minute ago that it was torture, waterboarding...


    GINGRICH: No, I said it's not something we should do.

    VAN SUSTEREN: OK. Is it torture or not?

    GINGRICH: I -- I -- I think it's -- I can't tell you.

    VAN SUSTEREN: Does it violate the Geneva Convention?

    GINGRICH: I honestly don't know.

Story continues below

Several weeks ago, meanwhile, he insisted that President Obama's decision to close Guantanamo and put an end to interrogation policies had made the United States less safe.

When he was in office, however, Gingrich took one of strongest public postures against detainee abuse, political imprisonment and, yes, torture. A reader sends over the statement Gingrich issued following then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to the United States, in which he insisted that there was "no place for torture and arbitrary detention," describing such acts as contrary to "the foundation of American values."






http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/gingrich-torture_n_191803.html

i so much want this Butterball to be the republican party nominee for president in 2012

[Deicide]

i so much want this Butterball to be the republican party nominee for president in 2012

Better Ron Paul than him...