Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has developed a certain reputation within the political establishment for being an independent-thinking "maverick." By all indications, the credibility is hollow and meaningless -- when push comes to shove, Graham has an annoying habit of dropping the facade and embracing a far-right agenda.

The latest example, regrettably, is torture. On Wednesday, 30 retired generals and admirals signed a joint letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to pass legislation requiring U.S intelligence agents to follow the Army Field Manual, which meets the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of war prisoners and prohibits torture. The House took the military leaders' advice, and passed a measure banning torture, despite the objections of 95% of the House Republican caucus.

The legislation moved to the Senate, where it was championed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.).

It probably stood a good chance of passing, too, were it not for the hold placed on the legislation by Lindsey Graham, an alleged critic of torture policies.

As Spencer Ackerman asks, "[T]orture is counterproductive for the military but valuable for the CIA?" Apparently, to Graham, yes.

Update: Digby found this gem of a quote Graham offered just last year:

"The Army Field Manual as a one-stop shop to guide the way we handle lawful combatants and enemy combatants is absolutely necessary if for no other reason than to protect our own troops.... [I]f you want to torture people, the Army Field Manual says no and the President says no. It is now time for Congress to say no."