Republican Debate Audience Applauds Waterboarding…And Not Waterboarding
Perhaps the most dominant running theme to emerge from this year’s slate of Republican presidential debates has been the reactions of conservative audiences to things like executions, letting the uninsured die, and a question from a gay US soldier. At tonight’s CBS/National Journal Republican debate, the audience sort of had it both ways, wildly cheering both sides of the issue of whether the US should waterboard terrorism suspects.
Moderator Major Garrett began by asking (co?)frontrunner Herman Cain for his stance on torture. After a long pause, Cain responded, “I do not agree with torture, period. However, I will trust the judgment of our military leaders to determine what is torture, and what is not torture.”
Garrett followed up by asking Cain if he believed that waterboarding is torture, or simply an “enhanced interrogation technique.”
“I agree that it was an enhanced interrogation technique,” Cain replied, to a mixture of laughter and light applause. “I would return to that policy, I don’t see it as torture, I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique.”
Rep. Michele Bachmann then weighed in, saying that as president, she would be willing to use waterboarding, to rousing applause, but also the odd jeer. She went on to claim that President Obama is “losing the War On Terror,” despite the President’s soaring terrorist body count.
Major Garrett, citing his “Spidey sense,” then tossed the question to Rep. Ron Paul, who received loud applause for saying that “waterboarding is torture,” and noting that “it’s illegal under international law, and our law. It’s also immoral.”
Even former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman got a loud cheer for saying that he opposes torture.
The explanation for this seeming schism in audience reaction to torture is likely contained in the debate intro. Congressman Paul is known for having an extremely loyal, intense following, and they were vocal during his introduction tonight. The applause for opposition to torture was loud, but localized, as an audience reaction shot shows.
Here’s the clip, from CBS:
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
