The world is not Blue/Red

If anyone is feeling the great urge I feel to get beyond the (completely invented) Blue/Red partisan dichotomy on which the media usually thrives, there are some remarkable pieces out recently about the issues of interrogation policy. In this month's HARPER'S there's a detailed piece on the historical development of democracy's thoughts on torture. (For example, is there a difference between physically coercing someone to confession and using physical force to get information that might prevent future attacks? The "ticking bomb" scenario.) NPR also highlighted Jane Mayer's outstandingly complex piece "The Memo" in the Feb. 27 issue of THE NEW YORKER. Yes, these are media sources known primarily to people on the left. However, these pieces bring up the issues beyond party loyalty (or anti-administration disdain). "The Memo" discusses a memo written by former Navy general counsel Alberto J. Mora to Vice Admiral Church, when Church was investigating reports of abuse at Guantanamo in July 2004. It details administration policy and warns that the policies invite abuse. Mora, a faithful Republican, tried to correct what he saw as "dangerous" and "erroneous" decisions, precisely because he wanted to protect his administration. This secret (but not classified) memo directly conflicts the official story of abuses as rogue incidents. The designation of "enemy combatants," he argues, "alters the fundamental relationship of man to government.... If you make this exception, the whole Constitution crumbles. It's a transformative issue."

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060227fa_fact