Ryan backs torture-technique by citing earmarks

Last week, the House approved a ban on "waterboarding" as an interrogation technique for terrorists. Several people consider waterboarding akin to torture. For those unfamiliar with waterboarding, it involves submerging a person underwater and then closing off their nose and mouth to simulate drowning. The CIA uses this technique to coerce information from suspects.

With the White House threatening to veto a ban on waterboarding, it's no surprise U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, voted against the legislation. What's interesting is that in Ryan's press release on the bill (HR 2082), he never mentions waterboarding. Here are Ryan's reasons for not suporting the bill:

* Fails to provide adequate resources for human intelligence collection. America’s human intelligence collection remains inadequate – as demonstrated just last week by the startling reversal by the intelligence community of its past “high confidence” analysis on Iran. This legislation fails to provide adequate resources for the necessary expansion of human intelligence collection – while continuing to fund earmarks.

* Fails to remove earmarks. Contrary to the bipartisan instructions of the House, which passed a motion on December 4 directing conferees to strike all taxpayer-funded earmarks in the Intelligence Authorization Act, this legislation includes a list of 26 congressional earmarks totaling approximately $96 million – defying the principle that our intelligence funding should be based on its national security merits, not special interests.

* Fails to provide for long-term authority to streamline surveillance of foreign terrorist targets in foreign countries to detect and prevent potential attacks.

* Omits bipartisan House language to constrain the rapidly growing bureaucracy within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

* Directs precious intelligence resources to conduct a formal intelligence assessment of the “national security” aspects of global warming.

Notice what's not mentioned? Waterboarding. While the rest of the world media focused on the House banning torture techniques, Ryan ignored this issue and focused on earmarks. True, this has been a major issue for him since being elected to office and he has every right to rail against earmarks. But also should make his stance clear on U.S.-sponsored torture.

I emailed Ryan's press secretary to ask for our congressman's stance on waterboarding. Specifically, I asked if the bill was stripped of the earmarks and was just about waterboarding, how would Ryan vote. Her reply: "I haven't spoken with Congressman Ryan about waterboading. Our release focused on the fiscal side of the bill in light of Paul's past work to rein in earmarks and his leadership role on budget committee."

In other words, no comment on waterboarding.