Rudy Rushes to Embrace Moral Relativism

For my entire political life, I have heard the reich wing rant on endlessly about the evils of moral relativism. In fact, they have been downright Deontological (.pdf alert) about their rejection of not just moral relativism, but utilitarianism (.pdf alert) as well.

So how are they going to take this equivocating on waterboarding from Rudy?

DAVENPORT, Iowa — At a town hall meeting here last night, Rudolph W. Giuliani expanded upon his views of torture. Here is a transcript of the exchange.

Linda Gustitus, who is the president of a group called the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, began her question by saying that President Bush’s nominee for attorney general, Michael B. Mukasey (who happens to be an old friend of Mr. Giuliani’s) had “fudged” on the question of whether waterboarding is toture.

“I wanted to ask you two questions,’’ she said. “One, do you think waterboarding is torture? And two, do you think the president can order something like waterboarding even though it’s against U.S. and international law?’’

Mr. Giuliani responded: “Okay. First of all, I don’t believe the attorney general designate in any way was unclear on torture. I think Democrats said that; I don’t think he was.’’

Ms. Gustitus said: “He said he didn’t know if waterboarding is torture.”

Mr. Giuliani said: “Well, I’m not sure it is either. I’m not sure it is either. It depends on how it’s done. It depends on the circumstances. It depends on who does it. I think the way it’s been defined in the media, it shouldn’t be done. The way in which they have described it, particularly in the liberal media. So I would say, if that’s the description of it, then I can agree, that it shouldn’t be done. But I have to see what the real description of it is. Because I’ve learned something being in public life as long as I have. And I hate to shock anybody with this, but the newspapers don’t always describe it accurately.” (emphasis mine)

So - when the KGB or the Khmer Rouge waterboarded their victims, it was wrong, because they aren't good guys. When the CIA does it, it's hunky-dory because they are wearing white hats? What the fuck?

Methinks the threatened split from the Republican Party by the religious right if Julie-Annie is the nominee just acquired a lot more gravitas, if they are serious about their moral high ground and not just another bunch of scurrilous hypocrites whose real agenda has nothing to do with morality and everything to do with a quest for enough political power to force their version of morality on society as a whole...using waterboarding to force conversions if necessary.

If the latter is the case, the slide toward fascism will be called safe at home.

Oh well...you know what the Python boys used to say...

"No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!"