It's good to know where she stands

During questioning yesterday in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice was asked by a member of the committee to explain the administration's policy on torture and the Geneva Conventions with regard to terrorism suspects. Keep in mind that the Geneva Convention and US law both currently protect prisoners of war from certain punishments.

Rice's response?

She doesn't think terrorists are deserving of protection.

On the surface, this isn't too very bad. After all, terrorists are especially bad people, who follow the "Kill one, frighten ten thousand" philosophy of Sun Tzu. There is no doubt in my mind that they don't find God's paradise when they die - and if they do, then I have no desire to go there myself, thank you very much. More to the point, they pervert a religion for political aims, which is one of the lowest things any human being can do for any reason.

However, keep in mind that we as Americans, and really most of the western world, were absolutely appalled at images being broadcast from Falluja last year when US contractors were killed and their bodies were mangled.

Keep in mind also that we tend to be grossly appalled at the manner of death of most of the victims of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has a habit of beheading his prisoners, which from the screams of the victims must be a very painful way to die.

But we are OK with inflicting pain on other human beings? Seems awfully hypocritical and ethnocentrist of us if you ask me. To oppose torture of ourselves but support it for others is a good bit of both.

That said, Condi Rice's approval as secretary of state is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Most Democratic members of the Senate will approve her nomination when it comes up, which will be pretty swift considering her approval by the Foreign Relations Committee today by a 16-2 vote (Barbara Boxer and John Kerry dissented).

However, Democrats need to push Rice, and the administration, to extend protections of US law and the Geneva Conventions to all people held within our criminal and military justice systems. Until we can proclaim that we are better than Zarqawi and his ilk, and mean it, then we'll always be at his level.