Mike McConnell, National Intelligence Director, take a bow!

Finally, one of the most senior people in the Bush Administration has had the courage to stand up and declare that "water boarding" is torture. The timing is terrific with President Bush in the Middle East. McConnell is quoted in an article today by the New Yorker magazine. Finally, there is someone within the Administration with some backbone. McConnell wouldn't classify whether the technique categorically should be considered torture but is quoted as saying, "If I had water draining down my nose, oh God, I just can't imagine how painful! Whether it's torture by anybody else's definition, for me it would be torture."

Mike McConnell, for anybody, it would be considered torture, and that is the absurdity of the dialogue surrounding this issue. You say the reason you wouldn't categorically define it as torture is for "legal reasons". Yes, we know what the legal concerns are. If it were categorically defined as torture both of your bosses, President Bush and Vice President Cheney, could be brought up to the World Court and would stand trial for War Crimes. Yes, we understand why you might be reluctant to define it for "legal reasons" as torture, but we all know the game that is being played here. It most certainly IS a violation of the Geneva Convention and defines one of the saddest moments in ther 200 years of our history.

We need to consider to elect a President who would be willing to turn over those 2 pretend leaders of our, country to a World Court, which would judge any other leader equally guilty of what these men have promoted and authorized in the name of protecting us. We can not, as a nation, be above the rule of law of the world and expect to be seen as fair and just as a society and of the stature we all want to have back as a nation. We want to be, once again, proud of who we are, in this experiment called “democracy,” which is still in its infancy. As much as I am ashamed of it, we as a country of citizens are not mature enough or conscious enough to be citizens of the world. Heck, many of us aren't even conscious enough to be citizens of this country in the spirit of its legacy. The Founding Fathers were so amazingly conscious of the implications of what they embarked upon. They are now turning in their graves, as to what we have allowed President Bush, Vice President Cheney and former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, to get away with in regards to not upholding the Constitution and the Treaties we have signed in good faith with most of the world.

Do you, as a person reading this post, have the courage and consciousness as a citizen, to ever consider turning over any of our leaders, who may have violated laws of the world, to a World Court? If not, when would you, and under what conditions would you? You see, we demand that every other country in the world comply with our wishes and turn over their leaders to the World Court, when offenses against humanity occur. Torture is an offense against humanity and if you think “water boarding” isn’t, maybe you should try it out on yourself. McConnell has thought about it and I say Bravo!