Better late than never…

Back in December I missed an opportunity to bring to your attention a very critical vote that Indiana’s three Blue Dog Democrats cast.  The vote was on the Fiscal Year 2008 Intelligence Authorization Act, a measure with funds and regulates how our intelligence agencies carry out their duties.

Rep. Joe Donnelly (D), Rep. Baron Hill (D) and Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D) all joined the Democratic Leadership in voting for the Act.  What makes their vote a bad vote?  The bill didn’t just fund the intelligence agencies, it also imposed new regulations that would make it harder for the brave men and women who work hard to keep America safe to do their job.  The bill-HR 2082-specifically denies agencies the power to use water boarding and other hard interrogation techniques that have earned the title of “torture” from our well meaning liberal friends.

I am not in favor of torture and neither are the individuals who voted against this bill.  What conservatives and Republicans are in favor of is protecting the American people.  If we have scare some Islamofascist thug into thinking he is drowning in order to gain important information from him, then we need to do that.  When the lives of innocent potential victims are on the line, it is not torture to compel an individual to reveal as much as they know about a terrorist plot.

Torture is when you disfigure, maim, or otherwise inflict permanent physical or psychological damage on the victim for no other reason than to punish the person.  It is not torture to inflict physical discomfort or psychological terror in order to obtain information that can and will save lives.

On Joe Donnelly’s campaign website the sitting congressman declares:

“We face threats everyday from our enemies who are committed to causing harm to Americans both at home and to our allies and interests overseas. As your congressman, I am determined to make sure that our men and women serving both here and abroad have the tools, training, and leadership they need to protect us here at home and to pursue and defeat our adversaries abroad. “

In voting to deny intelligence agencies the tools they need, Joe Donnelly effectively left the American people a little more vulnerable to another terrorist attack.