Will Romney Zing Obama with Torture?

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Last updated on February 9th, 2013 at 08:10 am

Ever the master of flip flopping, there is one policy area in which Mitt Romney has remained consistent: namely his support of the Bush era torture policy. The prospect of returning to Bush era war crimes has not received much attention, thus far, in the election. Perhaps it will be one of those zingers that Romney has been advertising as his secret plan to win Wednesday’s debate. It would be perfect because no one knows about Mitt’s position on torture. (nod, nod, wink, wink.)

No one knows about the 2011 memo by Mitt’s Bush era advisors recommending that he resurrect the Bush/Cheney waterboarding policy, except the New York Times, Mother Jones, Salon and… well you get the idea.

In one of his first acts as President, Barack Obama issued an Executive Order limiting interrogation techniques to the non-abusive, lawful and effective methods approved in the Army Field Manual.

Since water-boarding is a form of torture, and torture is a war crime , water-boarding is also a war crime. There really isn’t anything Romney can say to change that reality.

President Obama was aware of that which is why he signed the Executive Order. Of course, Republicans denounced the executive order, claiming that torture is necessary to save lives. Never mind the reality that, if anything, Bush’s torture policy puts American lives at risk.

With the exception of Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman, all Republican candidates (including Mitt Romney) endorsed water-boarding during the national policy debate in the Republican primaries. Despite their denials, water-boarding violates national and international law.

But the ever so decisive leader that Mitt Romney is, he is very likely to resurrect Bush’s torture policy because his Bush era advisers told him to.

As noted by the New York Times a few days ago,

Mr. Romney’s advisers have privately urged him to “rescind and replace President Obama’s executive order” and permit secret “enhanced interrogation techniques against high-value detainees that are safe, legal and effective in generating intelligence to save American lives,” according to an internal Romney campaign memorandum.

Seriously though, Romney has remained consistent in his intent to resurrect the Bush/Cheney torture policy following recommendations by his advisers in a 2011 memo so this is probably one of the few things that he really does believe in.

Here’s Mitt back in 2007.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk6CQVvMtNU

In the same New York times article, we are reminded that Mitt hinted he said resurrect the Bush torture policy at a news conference in Charleston, S.C., in December last year.

During the Republican Primary debate on Foreign policy, only Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman condemned the Bush era torture policy. Mitt Romney joined the other also-rans supporting a resurrection of water boarding despite the long legal history in which water boarding was classified as an act of torture and a war crime.

Yes indeed. Romney’s position on torture is one of the few things (aside from his name, putting the Bush tax cuts on steroids and showing contempt for half of the country) that Mitt Romney has stood for consistently throughout this campaign season and even before it.

You just know he has got to be serious when he stands by a position for that long. Since his support for waterboarding is one of the few long policies that Romney hasn’t flip flopped on, it’s the perfect zinger to “surprise” the president with on Wednesday. There is just no way President Obama will see that coming.

Nothing will show leadership like resurrecting a previous President’s policies, as Mitt also plans to do with the economy, taxes, and women’s reproductive rights.

Nothing will show Romney’s love for American values like announcing an intent to resume War Crimes in our name. Yes, resurrecting Bush’s torture policy would definitely be the game changer that Romney so desperately needs run this company.

Image from Salon