Over at Barack Obama’s community blog, a blogger called Rima posted a response to a May 19 article in the Christian Science Monitor entitled Barack Obama – Muslim Apostate? Personally, I find Rima's response to be rather off the point, but I hope you will forgive me for cluttering up the start of this diary by posting it here in its entirety because the first commenter on this diary seems to think the fact that I linked to it right at the start

Sit back and watch these videos tell the story:

Hillary Fights for You

Togo West and Wes Clark for Hillary Clinton

Paul Eaton and Wes Clark – Hillary in China and as future CINC

Wes Clark, Bill Owens and Joe Sestak - Hillary vs. McCain for CINC

the use of force.

This is a draft of a diary inspired by Tom Rinaldo's recent diary linked to below. I'm thinking about posting it to dailykos. If anyone has the time and inclination to look at it to make suggestions, especially on pruning it back because it's too long, I'd very much appreciate it. Suggestions on best time to post would also be appreciated.
Thanks:)

It's sad that some of our leading Democratic presidential candidates feel compelled to compete with one another to show who's tougher on national security.

Mr. Padilla, a US citizen that the Bush administration once labeled an "unlawful enemy combatant", together with two other defendants, was found guilty of "conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people in a foreign country".

Today's Los Angeles Times had the following story on the front page:

FOREIGN POLICY IS CENTRAL IN 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACES
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iraqviews29jul29,0,2858677.story?coll=la-home-center

And it describes a contemporary political landscape that makes a 2008 Wes Clark candidacy highly potent and viable- regardless of any money concerns alluded to on Charlie Rose.

“…We’re a nation that has strong values, and we live them….It’s a wonderful country that we’ve been privileged to live in….It’s about having the imagination to dream…and the courage to reach….People are the only thing that makes a difference, and each person makes a difference.” This is just part of what Wes Clark says in answer to a question Hannah Robinson (class of 2010) asks him at Colgate University after his lecture on February 20, 2007.

Steve Clemons is all a twitter at the thought of Chuck Hagel entering the presidential race. Since Steve's forte is national security, I can understand his excitement.

Agree with him or not, you have to admit that Hagel's has been the loudest, most consistent voice (except for Wes) among possible contenders, on the debacle that is Iraq, and indeed, Bush's whole foreign policy "vision".

THE NEWS HEADLINES

On September 28, the House approved legislation giving President Bush broad authority to decide techniques U.S. interrogators can use while interrogating terrorist detainees. At his discretion, U.S. interrogators can continue to use techniques which violate the Geneva Conventions and are considered to be torture by its signatories.

I am a retired army intelligence officer, trained as an interrogator, including methods used to avoid providing useful information under torture. I want to discuss two aspects of torture: why intelligence professionals and military lawyers oppose it and why widespread conventional wisdom that it is effective is incorrect.