Jennifer Rubin wants Republicans to grill Leon Panetta and General David Petraeus in advance of their new gigs at DoD and the CIA, respectively. Greg Sargent responds:
Since this is likely to become a rallying cry for the right, let's state as clearly as possible that this is a great idea. Petraeus's opposition to torture is well known. If Republicans want to provide the popular Petraeus a high-profile forum to restate the reasons he opposes torture — right after the Obama administration notched the killing of America's number one terrorist foe — then by all means, go for it!
I really couldn't agree more. If Republicans want to challenge whether or not the most celebrated general since Eisenhower and the most successful CIA director in recent years have what it takes to get the job done given their opposition to torture, just as the administration is flush with the success of killing the most wanted man on the planet, be my guest. The pro-torture premise for doing this is comically self-refuting.
I also think it's amusing that Rubin says she "can't think of a more fruitful line of inquiry" than questioning them on torture, as though the most pressing national-security matter is how much credit Bush deserves for the death of Osama bin Laden. It's almost as if the obsession with the efficacy of torture provides some kind of emotional satisfaction for conservatives, even absent its ability to do what it is meant to do.
