enough with the primaries, already.

If the democrats are not careful, the obama/clinton divide might seriously damage the (admittedly fragile) unity the party had going after the 2006 elections.  While the different candidates and their supporters are squabbling over minute differences in proposed health care reform or economic stimulus packages, outrages continue in the current administration.  Take Bush's most recent decision to veto a proposed bill that would have banned the CIA from using "coercive interrogation" techniques not explicitly mentioned in the Army Field Manual, including waterboarding.  Bush's explanation for the veto?  He did not want to limit the CIA in its ability to set up separate, covert interrogation operations to extract "critical information" regarding imminent plots against the United States.  Interestingly enough, we have yet to hear of an instance where using these techniques actually elicited information that stopped an attack.  So not only is the administration going to allow torture methods (yes, waterboarding is torture according to international law and the Geneva Conventions) that are not historically proven effective, but that diminish America's image and international prestige (as if it was not in a precarious enough position before). First, are there any credible, specific instances of "enhanced interrogation" techniques, including waterboarding, eliciting important information that has successfully stopped terrorist attacks?  According to President Bush, secret CIA interrogation programs helped stop plots to fly planes into buildings in Los Angeles and London.  Not exactly the most credible of statements, in my opinion.  The truth is, we have yet to see cold, hard facts verifying the effectiveness of these kinds of techniques in interrogation.  What's more, these usually lead to false confessions, as victims will say anything to make the torture stop.  Bob Baer, a former CIA officer, says waterboarding is "bad interrogation. I mean you can get anyone to confess to anything if the torture's bad enough."  What's more is that some of these false confessions were linked with decisions made involving US operations in Iraq.   To address the second point, techniques like waterboarding are torture.  This is undeniable given the description, which comes from the CIA itself: "the prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner’s face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt."  America cannot profess to be a moral power, a bastion of freedom and democracy, if it does not respect basic human rights.  However, image actually matters, particularly in the war on terror.  America's eroded credibility is one of the main factors influencing Western animosity in the Middle East and elsewhere.  Terrorist organizations and groups that seek to destroy America and its allies emphasize the duplicity of the US in its condemnation of countries that deny certain human rights to their citizens, while it uses specifically identified torture techniques on terrorist suspects.  We will never be able to end violence and animosity against America while are known as "that country" that routinely practices torture.   Just saying no to torture- finally, something that the Democrats can agree on.