Rush Limbaugh Uses John McCain as an Example that Torture Works

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:44 pm

Rush Limbaugh responded to the Obama administration’s release of the four OLC torture memos by, not only defending torture, but by using Sen. John McCain as an example that torture works. He claimed that the North Vietnamese broke McCain, but according to McCain, this isn’t true.

Here is the video courtesy of Think Progress:

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Rush asked, “The idea that torture doesn’t work- that’s been put out from John McCain on down- You know, for the longest time McCain said torture doesn’t work then he admitted in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last summer that he was broken by North Vietnamese. So what are we to think here?” The problem is that this isn’t exactly true. McCain has often used his story as evidence that torture doesn’t work.

According to McCain’s book Faith of My Fathers, he gave his captors information that he made up, or was useless to the N. Vietnamese, “Eventually, I gave them my ship’s name and squadron number, and confirmed that my target had been the power plant. Pressed for more useful information, I gave the names of the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line, and said they were members of my squadron. When asked to identify future targets, I simply recited the names of a number of North Vietnamese cities that had already been bombed. [Page 194*].” This is a story that McCain told numerous times during the 2008 presidential campaign, although he tended to adjust the name of the football team involved, the story stayed the same.

The one thing all of these people who support torture have in common is that they never served in the military. I may not have supported John McCain in the last election, but he made one of the most extreme sacrifices that a person can make for their country. It is sickening that those on the right, including Limbaugh would seek to warp his service.

I suggest that we let all of the torture advocates try out these techniques. If they think it easy as pie, then get water boarded, be placed in restraints and be left standing or hanging for hours. I’ll bet that all of these cowards would be crying by the end. If anyone wants to support torture as a political position, they are free to do so, but don’t demean the service of someone else while doing so.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association