Representative Brian Nieves, who as Missouri GOP Majority Whip is the #5 Republican in the state's House of Representatives, in the first clip refers to waterboarding as "a little water on the face," and in the second clip clarifies his position that he is really truly supportive of "waterboarding terrorists" but not American citizens held in a privately-run prison.
The mocking of the controversy about waterboarding as "putting a little bit of water in their face" is really offensive. If Nieves doesn't think that waterboarding doesn't reach the threshold for torture, fine. I think he's wrong (as do more than 70% of Americans, including weak-kneed libruls like John McCain), but the minimizing of the practice as just "water in the face" is way beyond the pale.
....[T]his Nieves Doctrine of torturing terrorists -- but not American citizens -- raises another whole set of questions. For instance: how does the Nieves [Torture] Doctrine address situations in which an individual is both a terrorist and an American citizen? For instance, would it have been okay to waterboard Timothy McVeigh or Unabomber Ted Kaczynski? If waterboarding is both (a) not torture and (b) effective, then why wouldn't we do it to citizens?
And why don't the voters of Nieves' 98th district throw him out on his fanny? Because he's tougher on terrorists than John McCain? Maybe they think they'll get more media attention if they're represented by a pro-torture decline-of-the-GOP poster child. We got your media attention right here, Missouri.
More likely, because Nieves can't run for re-election in 2010 due to term limits, he's working really hard to make a name for himself state-wide as "more Republican than thou", which of course means really really loving the waterboarding thing.
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Countdown's Worst Person segment with first runner up "Jesus loves torture" Gary Bauer. Second runner up Fox News stalker reporter Griff Jenkins for not identifying himself to Janeane Garofalo during his ambush "interview". And winners Governors Mark Sanford and Rick Perry for their plans to arrange, organize and launch Tea Party 2.0.
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Countdown's Worst Person segment with winners Bill O'Reilly, Karl Rove and repeat offender Virginia Foxx. Rep. Foxx has now blamed her remarks about Matthew Shepard on ABC News. Keith takes her to task for her extremely lame non-apology.
As noted previously here are the Congresswoman's phone numbers if you'd care to ask her for an actual apology.
Update: I posted this last night at Video Cafe before this latest news came out. Tonight we learn that Rep. Foxx has issued a second non-apology. The Civil Rights Movement has more:
Just minutes ago, local Winston-Salem TV station WXII12 News released an exclusive interview with embattled Rep. Virginia Foxx, whose malicious comments about the circumstances surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard have caused scorn and anger, and, according to her office, ten death threats.
Foxx’s newest “apology” demonstrates her lack of understanding of the basic issue confronting her: She lied about why Matthew Shepard was killed, and maligned the memory of a 21 year-old college student who, to the world, has become the face of a hate crime victim.
“In the heat of trying to handle the rule on the floor, anybody can use a bad choice of words. Saying that the event was a hoax was a poor choice of words,” Foxx said. “I’ve apologized for that. I never meant in any way to harm the family or offend the family or anybody else for that matter.”
Hardly a change from yesterday’s statement:
“The term ‘hoax’ was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate-crimes bill,” Foxx said in a statement. “Mr. Shepard’s death was nothing less than a tragedy, and those responsible for his death certainly deserved the punishment they received.”
One non-apology is bad, two demonstrates not only a lack of remorse or decency, but a total lack of understanding of the important and sensitive issues that confront out country.
