Some bloggers think John McCain has completely refuted his previous stance as a voice against forms of interrogation they deem torture, because he voted against an amendment from Dianne Feinstein that would have applied Army rules for interrogation to the CIA.

Let me get this straight: The Republican who was the moral, good guy on this issue a few days ago now has completely lost his moral authority, because he feels it may be necessary for the CIA to use stress positions, sleep deprivation, etc.

Team McCain ought not be worried about this. Every time the issue of torture/interrogation techniques is raised in the presidential campaign, when it’s discussed on the nightly news and the cable networks, McCain’s experiences in Vietnam will be mentioned again, and you’ll see B-roll black and white footage of him being interrogated by the North Vietnamese.

After praising him endlessly on this issue since fall 2006, liberals will be left to argue that John McCain doesn’t have the moral authority to determine which interrogation techniques are acceptable and not acceptable – after citing him for a year as a man who did.