From the party that brought you the discussion on how much torture is acceptable comes
this:
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) on Sunday blasted President Barack Obama for taking a “moral tone” in shaping U.S. counterterrorism policy.
In the first major speech of his second term on Thursday, the president highlighted the need to restrict the use of unnamed drones, close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and eventually end the war on terror.
During an ABC News panel discussion on Sunday, King said he was offended that Obama would change U.S. policy for “moral reasons.”
“That’s what bothered me about the president’s speech, this moral anguish that he was going through,” he explained. “Listen, every soldier, every cop who is faced with a decision to make, life or death, does the best he or she can and I think our country has done more than any country in the history of the world to limit civilian casualties so that just offended me, that whole tone of it.”
King added that “this policy basically has worked,” but there may be ways to “put more emphasis on clandestine activity of actually gathering intelligence rather than relying so much on drones.”
“But for me, I don’t think the president really addressed that in the speech. I think he was coming at it from a more from this moral tone which I just think was misplaced. I don’t think it’s called for.”
The transcription does not do justice to the Congressman's dismissive tone when he spits out the word 'morality' with a shrug and grimace, as if the very word is distasteful to his tongue.
I mean seriously, what is there left to say when one of the major parties of the United States renounces morality as a guiding principle?
Link to unembeddable (dammit) video here.
Civilian casualties as the result of drone strikes, lack of transparency in the President’s targeted killing program, and indefinite detention without charge or trial and torture-like force-feeding at Guantanamo, these are all issues Obama sought to address in his speech last week and ones Peter King seemingly could care less about. In fact, he said “we should be proud” of U.S. counterterror policy and “defend what we’re doing and stop apologizing for America.”
America, be proud!
Mon May 27, 2013 at 7:23 AM PT: