The Many Sides of Sen. Lindsay Graham

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), questioning Brigadier General Thomas W. Hartmann, the military's legal adviser at Guantanamo Bay, at a Dec. 11 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Graham: "One of the issues facing this country is waterboarding. Gen. Hartmann, do you believe waterboarding violates the Geneva Convention?"

Hartmann: "I was asked that earlier, Senator, and with regard to this entire issue, we start with the following premise: Torture is illegal in the United States."

Graham: "We have a downed airman in Iran. We get a report that the Iranian government is involved in the exercise of waterboarding that downed airman, on the theory they want to know when the next military operation may occur. What would be the response of, what should be the response of the uniformed legal community regarding the activity of the Iranian government?"

Hartmann: "I'm not equipped to answer that question, Senator."

Graham: "You are."

Hartmann: "I will tell you the answer to the question that you asked me at the beginning, Senator. And that--"

Graham: "You mean you're not equipped to give a legal opinion as to whether or not Iranian military waterboarding, secret security agents waterboarding downed airmen is a violation of the Geneva Convention?"

Hartmann: "I am not prepared to answer that question, Senator; I am prepared--

Graham (interrupting, in a disgusted voice): "Thank you, I have no further questions."

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Dec. 14, explaining why he blocked an amendment to an intelligence activities authorization bill that would bar the CIA from using any interrogation methods prohibited by the Army's field manual on interrogation. The field manual does not permit the use of waterboarding, mock executions, and other forms of torture.

"I think quite frankly applying the Army field manual to the CIA would be ill-advised and would destroy a program that I think is lawful and helps the country." [...]