DEMS LOSE ON "TORTURE" – AT 10:28 A.M. ET:   Nobody, I hope, likes torture.  At the same time, bombing from 10,000 feet ain't a day in the park either.  Dems on the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by the usually grown-up Dianne Feinstein, tried to hang "torture" around the necks of Bush administration officials, but the whole thing backfired.  From Marc A. Thiessen at WaPo: 

As we begin 2015, we can take solace that the “torture” debate is finally behind us. But before we close the book on six sordid years of Democratic demagoguery and investigations, let the record show that the opponents of the CIA interrogation program were completely and utterly defeated.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, launched a six-year, 6,000-page, $40 million investigation into the CIA interrogation program, with the goal of convincing Americans that a) the program did not work and that b) enhanced interrogations were wrong and should never again be permitted.

She failed on all counts.

Just before Christmas, a Post poll revealed the American people’s final verdict. The vast majority agree with the CIA that these techniques were necessary and justified. A majority think that Feinstein should never have released her report. And — most importantly — 76 percent said they would do it again to protect the country.

Americans were asked, “Looking ahead, do you feel that torture of suspected terrorists can often be justified, sometimes justified, rarely justified or never justified?” Note that the pollsters used the loaded word “torture” (even though the CIA contends that the techniques did not constitute torture), which should have biased the question in favor of the critics. Instead, 17 percent replied they would support using the techniques “often,” 40 percent “sometimes” and 19 percent “rarely.” Only 20 percent said the techniques should “never” be justified.

COMMENT:  The maturity of the respondents came through.  They realize what war is.  They realize what the threats are.  They understand that sometimes, under strong controls, some very harsh things must be done.  We don't like it, but lives must be protected.  The Dems are pushing fairy tales.

January 6,  2014