Political Irony

Here is a direct quote from Newt Gingrich:

There is no place for abuse in what must be considered the family of man. There is no place for torture and arbitrary detention. There is no place for forced confessions. There is no place for intolerance of dissent. … The roots of American rule of law go back more than 700 years, to the signing of the Magna Carta. The foundation of American values, therefore, is not a passing priority or a temporary trend. We believe in religious liberty and personal freedom because the people who settled our country left the lands of their birth, accepting great danger and uncertainty, to secure those basic rights.

Very clear statement against torture, suspension of habeas corpus, freedom of dissent, and freedom of religion, no?

Oops, my bad. This was Gingrich lecturing the Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1997, back when he was the Speaker of the House. Now that America supports torture, forced confessions, and arbitrary detention, accuses dissenters of treason, and is intolerant of religions other than Christianity, does he owe the Chinese an apology?

UPDATE: In case you want to hear Gingrich’s more recent opinion about torture, here’s an interview he just did with Greta van Susteren on Fox News. Bottom line now: Is waterboarding torture? “I honestly don’t know” and Is it legal? “I think it’s debatable”.