McCain’s Straight Talk Express Needed on Torture

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Where does former Prisoner of War John McCain really stand on the issue of torture? Is the Republican presidential candidate in favor of the use of torture or against it?

When he was recently asked by Marie Claire magazine which celebrity he identifies with most, McCain said:

“Kiefer Sutherland. [laughs, imitates a voice from the show 24] ‘It’s Jack Bauer.’ We have a lot in common because he escapes all the time.”

However, when reminded of Jack Bauer’s use of torture in the show, McCain does a Hollywood Retake. He says:

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s where Jack and I disagree. He believes in torture, but I don’t. He says, “Tell me where the weapons are.” The person says, “I won’t.” Bam! “OK, I’ll tell.”

I’m not sure which is more disconcerting. McCain’s choice of Jack Bauer from 24 as the character he most identifies with. The fact that policymakers like McCain are actually influenced by fictional television characters. (Who said TV doesn’t affect the viewers?) Or maybe McCain’s choice of Bauer was a Freudian slip?

Yet…McCain’s record on torture belies another story. According to his voting record, McCain voted against a bill banning the use of waterboarding by the CIA. And after the bill passed, he asked Bush to veto it.

So, let’s ask the question again. Is McCain for or against torture? Here is a little refresher of McCain’s stance on torture back in February 2008, courtesy of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann.

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The 9/11 News Roundup

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

It’s the anniversary of that fateful day back in 2001. David Dunlap of the New York Times has the before and after of the NYC skyline. As of last week, construction is underway to complete a museum and memorial on the site where the Twin Towers once stood. Although the project has encountered plenty of setbacks thus far—ahem, seven whole years have passed already—the anticipated end date will be September 11, 2011.

Terrorists—what terrorists? A CNN poll reveals that only one in ten Americans say terrorism is the all-important determinant of who they vote for president. Surprise, surprise. All the other crap going wrong in the country has consumed our paranoia.

In honor of 9/11, the presidential candidates will call a truce tonight. Obama and McCain will put aside their difference and shake hands onstage at the ServiceNation Summit in NYC. The two will then tell us what each of their campaigns will do to encourage public service— that is, when their campaigns aren’t busy trying to obliterate each other.

McCain’s spin department is working overtime. Here’s his newest campaign ad. And here’s the truth.

On the trail again: Bill “the first black president” Clinton. Obama announced on Letterman last night that Clinton’s gonna do what Clinton does best—speech it up on the campaign trail (and soak in a little spotlight while he’s at it) for the next eight weeks. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

FACT: When Chuck Norris appears on Larry King Live, there is no debate—because Chuck Norris is always right. Arianna Huffington learned this “fact” the hard way when arguing the Iraq war with Norris on last night’s show.

Sex and The City: The Aftermath. The quickest way to get a crawling baby up and running (away from you) is with . . . da-da-DAH! There’s cute, there’s precocious, and then there’s—oh hell no.

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Secret Series: A Guide to Los Angeles’s Gilded Triptych of Beaches

Thursday, September 11th, 2008 
"They call Los Angeles the City of Angels.  I didn't find it
to be that exactly, but I'll allow as there are some nice
folks there.'Course, I can't say I seen London, and I never
been to France, and I ain't never seen no queen in her damn
undies as the fella says. But I'll tell you what, after seeing
 Los Angeles and thisahere story I'm about to unfold--wal,
I guess I seen somethin' ever' bit as stupefyin' as ya'd see
in any a those other places, and in English too, so I can die
with a smile on my face without feelin'
like the good Lord gy**ed me."
               ---The Big Lebowski
Looking out, Photo by Deborah Stokol (2005)

Looking Out. Photo by Deborah Stokol (2005)

Nominally, summer is drawing to a close. Were folks to use department stores, fashion magazines, and schools as guides, they’d be under the impression that the leaves were on the cusp of turning a brilliant New England russet, that shadows were already lengthening on the sidewalks, and that spending nights and weekends away from mulled cider and the rigor of book-hitting and paper writing would be totally remiss.

But here in Los Angeles (which turned 217 years old last week!), it’s sunny, hot and dry (can’t you just see the tumbleweeds?)‚ and likely to stay that way for quite some time. (That means, for us, the beaches are a destination long after “summer” has ended).

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Brits Back Obama… Begrudgingly

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown backs Obama. Russell Brand (we think, but he didn’t make himself too clear on this one at the VMAs…) is also in the Obama Camp. Now a BBC poll shows that the majority of the world, given the chance, would stamp their hopes next to Obama’s name on the ballot. But do Brits back Obama wholeheartedly, or because there seems no better option?

The results of a BBC survey released Tuesday suggest that presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is the preferred candidate internationally. The poll spanned 22 countries and surveyed 22,500 people to discover that global sentiment leans in Obama’s favor by a four-to-one margin, with 46 percent of participants saying that Obama would improve America’s relationship with the rest of the world if he took office, compared to 20 percent who believed the same of Republican Sen. John McCain. All 22 countries were dominated by a pro-Obama sentiment, but four out of ten survey participants remained undecided.

That’s forty percent of the world not being able to choose between two of the most politically opposed candidates America has ever seen. These guys are the definition of polar opposites: young vs. old, liberal vs. conservative, rookie vs. veteran…Or so it seems.

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KCRW Breaks Down the Situation in Iraq & Afghanistan

Thursday, September 11th, 2008


Photograph Courtesy of Flickr

Ever wonder what it sounds like when people with opposing viewpoints on an issue of gravity have a civil, intellectual conversation about the subject, moderated by someone who actually lives up to the title?

KCRW’s “Which Way, L.A.?” has long been my favorite radio talk show. The host, Warren Olney (who also does “To The Point” in the afternoons), is hands-down the greatest moderator working today. Knowledgeable, doesn’t linger on his own voice, keeps everyone involved.

Sadly, he is absent for the below show, but Lawrence O’Donnell does an amirable job filling in, both in timbre and stoking the flames of debate.

What you’ll hear is a program where true experts engage in a half-an-hour dialgoue on an issue du jour.  No punditry, no aggression, and no regurgitation of hackneyed talking points. I learned more about the The Surge in this half an hour than 18 months of listening to politicians and talking heads.

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