Just Make 'Em Watch the Factor, For Christ!

Oh my God, he's at it again - O'Reilly. And, no, folks, I'm not even referring to that annual "there's a war on Christmas" crap he's been spewing again (I'm more than happy to let Olbermann waste his time with that one). I'm talking about this incredibly weird fixation of his on torture (oh, excuse me, coercive techniques)..................................................He continues, specifically, to peddle this highly dubious notion that torture in fact works - i.e., that it somehow yields consistently valuable/actionable intelligence, yada-yada. And, yes, he continues to use the highly discredited former C.I.A. director, George Tenet, as his main "source". "Coercive techniques have saved thousands of lives", O'Reilly continues to tell his audience...................................................Well, guess what, Mr. O'Reilly/Mr. O'Reilly's viewers. Torture (and, yes, this in fact WAS torture) at Abu Garib may in fact (hello!!) have COST AMERICAN LIVES!! Al Qaeda in Iraq (which, let's face it, was a tiny population prior to our invasion/occupation) was clearly able to utilize this event to swell its population dramatically. And correct me if I'm wrong here, but I've been thinking that those new recruits for Al Qaeda were doing a hell of a lot more than twiddling their thumbs in Baghdad, preening for the camera, etc..................................................I don't know, maybe O'Reilly just needs to talk to Matthew Alexander (an alias), a former interrogator (yes, he actually did the job, Mr. O'Reilly) who's written a book on the subject (yes, it's a fictional account but it clearly offers his insights). Alexander clearly explains how non-coercive measures have been far more effective than torture in garnering useful intelligence. He'd probably also be better at explaining to O'Reilly the long and short-term dangers of acting in manners commensurate with our enemies, and of how it reduces us to THEIR level, in particular. I don't know, folks, maybe O'Reilly just likes the concept of inflicting pain on people. I mean, seriously, that could actually be it, for Christ. Maybe? P.S. He also might want to talk to Generals Haynes and Eaton (a couple of heavyweights). They don't seem to be too enamored with torture, either.