I really wish we would stop torturing people

It now seems that Michael Mukasey is likely to be confirmed by the Senate judiciary committee amid controversy stemming from his refusal to say that the interrogation technique known as "waterboarding" was torture.

I kind of understand the reason he gave for not doing so: it is not the role of Judges to define specific acts as "torture", but merely to interpret law. He did say, "if waterboarding is torture, then it is illegal". Well that seems simple enough. According to the UN Convention on Torture, waterboarding is explicitly defined as torture. The convention also said, "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture." Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The US is signatory to both agreements. If that's not enough for you, THE US HAS PROSECUTED PEOPLE IN THE PAST FOR WAR CRIMES BECAUSE THEY USED THE TECHNIQUE. So it seems pretty clear, based on Agreements that have been agreed upon by the US, that waterboarding is indeed torture. Simple enough? Well nothing surprises me anymore. It is indeed troubling that Mukasy refused to even state an opinion on the matter. After the catastrophe of Alberto Gonzalez, we need someone who will take a stand; neigh, we need someone who will simply enforce existing laws. Wouldn't that be refreshing?

But what bothers me most about this whole debate is that it centers so myopically on waterboarding. Some Democratic Senators have suggested a Congressional Act that would specifically ban waterboarding. Okay, but why stop there? I'm sure US agents are creative enough to devise ways to torture people without using that one technique, right? Personally, I'd much rather be waterboarded than to be stuck in a suitcase for days, or locked in solitary confinement for months on end while being randomly subjected to extremes of heat and cold. If we are serious about enforcing human rights standards, why focus on this one technique? True, laws haven't historically seemed to be very effective, but maybe a Congressional Act would do something. This is starting to look troublingly like grandstanding by certain Democrats.

Uhm, if you feel like banging your head against a wall, here ya go.