Here’s another interesting statement from Senator Hagel of Nebraska:

Terrorism is a real threat and a present danger that we must confront and defeat. But we must not sacrifice the strengths and ideals of America that the world has come to respect and trust, and that define us. That is why I co-sponsored Senator McCain’s amendment to prohibit cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment of any detainee under the custody of any branch of the U.S. Government. I strongly oppose any exception to this prohibition…

 

The recent media reports of a worldwide American system of secret, black-hole jails, run by the Central Intelligence Agency, and developed explicitly to circumvent our obligations under the Geneva Convention, sullies everything that America represents.

Both this quote and the one in the previous entry come from a speech the senator delivered yesterday to the Council on Foreign Relations. It’s a pretty interesting read as political speeches go, made even moreso by the fact that Hagel’s words seem to stand in direct opposition to much of what his party has championed — or at least tolerated — under the Bush White House. Oddly enough, he says many of the exact same things I myself have been muttering ever since 9/11. It’s a strange feeling to find myself nodding in agreement with a Republican. I really don’t know what to make of it…