John McCain on torture

In recent years, I've lost almost all respect for John McCain. He could have helped bring our country together, but instead he pandered to the lunatic GOP base to advance his own political ambition.

Or he could have gone off the rails, mentally, himself, I suppose. Or some of both?

Either way, he's been consistent in his opposition to torture. Of course, he was tortured. Is that what it takes? Does every conservative need to be tortured in order to see how wrong - and how counterproductive - it is?

Do conservatives simply lack empathy? I've noticed before that conservatives with a son or daughter who is gay tend to be more supportive of gay rights. Does it have to be personal for them? Are they unable - or simply uninterested - to imagine themselves in someone else's shoes?

At any rate, McCain is right on this, and he's one of the very few Republicans standing up against torturing prisoners of war. (I'm still shocked by it. America torturing prisoners of war. And even worse, large numbers of Americans supporting torture. Incredible, isn't it? And very, very depressing.)