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DesertRat -> McCain Reflects: "Torture Not So Bad After All" (6/6/2008 8:18:34 AM)
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At an intimate fund raising dinner held Thursday evening at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain mused: "Looking back on it now, with the balance and perspective granted by the passage of time, I can honestly say that the torture to which I was subjected as a prisoner of war was really not all that bad. In fact, what I then perceived as sadistic, inhuman, barbarity was nothing more than a legitimate result of the North Vietnamese government's willingness, indeed, its duty to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of its citizens in a time of war."
When questioned, in a brief question-and-answer session after his speech, about his earlier, strongly stated objections to torture, the senator reflected: "I believe I was, at the time, caught up in that whole, 'it's not my fault, blame someone else, poor me poor me' mentality so prevalent in the post-Viet Nam-war era." He continued, "It really wasn't such a big deal and, obviously, I was able to just 'walk it off'. I am sure I deserved harsh treatment at the time, otherwise they probably wouldn't have done it."
Senator McCain received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his comments.
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