Saffire, Language, and Torture

Because of the Democratic race, one of the most important issues went seemingly unnoticed this week: President Bush vetoed a bill that banned waterboarding. According to the president, President Bush vetoed the legislation by Congress because, "The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror." Congress will not possess enough votes to overturn the president's veto.

In today's New York Times, William Saffire devotes his "On Language" Column to Waterboarding, especially the historical development of the word. Unlike members of our government, Saffire is very clear about the word's meaning:

If the word torture, rooted in the Latin for “twist,” means anything (and it means “the deliberate infliction of excruciating physical or mental pain to punish or coerce”), then waterboarding is a means of torture. The predecessor terms for its various forms are water torture, water cure and water treatment.

The question remains: why can't this be an election issue?

Bonus: the column by Saffire reminds me of George Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language," which is always a good read.