Hoekstra votes for torture

Yesterday the House approved legislation (HR 2082: Intelligence Authorization Act) banning the use of waterboarding by CIA agents during interrogation. The bill requires that all agents follow the Army Field Manual's interrogation "standard", which does not include torture. Pete Hoekstra voted no. His no vote equals his support of torture methods to be used by Americans, human rights violations and all. Hoekstra has towed this line all along. In 2005, in closed door meetings with Bush Sled Dog Dems Senator Joe Lieberman(then a Dem), Congresswoman Jane Harman, and fellow neo-con Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) Pete helped delete a measure to restrict extreme interrogation methods.

Pete says terrorism suspects:

"are not normal enemy combatants," adding: "They don't wear a uniform. We shouldn't be applying military rules to the intelligence community."

If Pete had his way we wouldn't apply any rules.

In a previous post on The Audacity I quoted Hoekstra. For posterity I will again. (full transcript HERE)

HUME: I want to draw you out on something that has become an issue
in the campaign. It came up particularly in the debate that Fox News
did in questions to Senator McCain and others.

And that is this question of what the administration, CIA and people
who are involved in it called enhanced interrogation techniques.
Senator McCain says -- he is in a position, presumably, to know what
they are. He believes they're torture. You're familiar by virtue of your
--I'm not going to ask you to describe any classified information, but
you know what the methods are. Do you believe they're torture?

HOEKSTRA: I don't believe they're torture, no.