Quote of the Day: Jesse Ventura on Cheney and torture

By Michael J.W. Stickings

In case you missed it, former wrestler and Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura was on Larry King the other night, and, facing Larry's typically inane questioning, he had some pretty interesting things to say about waterboarding, Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, and the Republican Party.

On waterboarding, he was clear: "It's torture." And:

It's drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. It is no good, because you -- I'll put it to you this way, you give me a water board, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.

You know what? Cheney's such a big fan of what is euphemistically called "enhanced interrogation," why not let Ventura -- a Navy SEAL who went through the military's notorious SERE program (and who was subjected to waterboarding as part of his training), have a go at him?

Why not let him have a go at all the other torture enthusiasts as well? Should they not know first-hand just what it is they're so enthusiastic about, not least because of the immense damage they've done to the Constitution and the rule of law, as well as to America's credibility and moral standing? They say it isn't torture, or that it's a necessary plank in the war on terror, that it's a useful weapon no matter what you call it. Well, let them experience it, suffer, and report back. I suspect that Ventura's right.

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Larry King also asked Ventura about Cheney specifically. His response:

I don't have a lot of respect for Dick Cheney. Here's a guy who got five deferments from the Vietnam War. Clearly, he's a coward. He wouldn't go when it was his time to go. And now he is a chicken hawk. Now he is this big tough guy who wants this hardcore policy. And he's the guy that sanctioned all this torture by calling it enhanced interrogation.

And about whether Limbaugh is "a better Republican than Colin Powell." His response:

No, not at all. In fact, if you compare the two, let's look at Colin Powell, who's a war hero, who strapped it on for his country, and didn't run and hide... And then you look at Dick Cheney who ran and hid. I have no respect for Dick Cheney. I have tremendous respect for General Powell.

That's some sound, straightforward commentary from a guy known for his unabashed bluntness, as well as for his independence. He was in top form the other night, and he spoke the truth.