Personal About Politics: Torture Must End

Torture is wrong and can no longer be tolerated. The Bush administration would have us believe that torture is justified to fight terrorism and protect our country. But torture is a sign of weakness and fear, not of strength.  They have used their White House spin to call their techniques “enhanced interrogation” thereby sidestepping national and international laws against torture.

The administration gave themselves a so-called golden shield in an August 2002 memo from the Justice Department giving formal legal authority to government interrogators to use enhanced interrogation techniques. (Countdown)  

On April 9 an ABC News investigation revealed that a handful of the most senior advisers in the White House, met regularly, starting in 2002 to discuss and approve interrogation techniques. The advisers were members of the National Security Council’s Principals Committee. At the time, the Principals included Vice President Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.

The sources for ABC said these advisers signed off on how the CIA would interrogate suspects – whether they would be slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding.

They were involved hands-on in drafting torture guidelines for the CIA.

These same sources said these discussions about “enhanced interrogation techniques” were so detailed, some of the sessions were almost choreographed – down to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic.


John Ashcroft apparently felt some pang of conscience because he said; “Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this in the White House. History will not judge us kindly.”

During an interview for “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” on Thursday, April 10, Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor and constitutional expert said, “What you have are a bunch of people talking about what is something that‘s a crime. For those of us who look at the criminal code and see torture for what it is, this is like a meeting of the Bada Bing club. These people are sitting around regularly talking about something defined as a crime.”

“And it‘s notable that this group wanted to get lawyers to sign off on this, and they found those lawyers, people like Jay Buyby (ph), and John Yoo. And those people were handsomely rewarded. In Buyby‘s case, he became a federal judge after signing off on a rather grotesque memo that said that they could do everything short of causing organ failure or death”

The current issue of Washington Monthly was dedicated to the ending of torture. To that effect they invited 37 different people to write essays on the subject.  It is interesting to note that to a person, in the essays written by military and intelligence personnel they stated that torture was not effective in getting useful information.

Here are some excerpts:

“Here are four simple truths about torture for you to consider: It is un-American. It is ineffective. It is unnecessary. And it is damaging.
    Vice Admiral Lee F. Gunn, U.S. Navy (Ret.) is a member of the board of the American Security Project.

“Describing torture as “enhanced interrogations,” “use of all necessary means,” or “educing information,” doesn’t change a thing. Torture in any shape, form, or fashion is still an unacceptable practice for all U.S. officials, whether civilian or military. Even if torture worked – and there isn’t even an iota proof that it does – its use betrays every treasured principal and freedom we Americans hold dear.”
    Carl Ford was the assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research from 2001 to 2003
    
“Waterboarding is not “simulated’ drowning – it is real drowning that stops just short of death. Waterboarding is, in essence, a torturer’s best friend – easy, quick, and nonevidentiary. It had always been considered torture by civilized governments such as ours – until, of course, this administration.”
    Bob Barr is a former congressman from Georgia.

"Ultimately, we cannot torture our way of terrorism, but we can certainly torture our way into more of it."
    Tim Roemer was a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

In October 2006 Scott Hennen, a radio host in Fargo, North Dakota, asked Dick Cheney  “Would you agree a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?”

“Well, it’s a no-brainer for me,” Mr. Cheney replied. “But for a while there, I was criticized as being the vice president for torture. We don’t torture. That’s not what we’re involved in.”

Now, it appears that is exactly what he and the White House were and are involved in.

It might be wise for Mr. Cheney to recall that after World War II, Japanese officers were convicted of war crimes for having subjected POWs to waterboarding.

Cheney tried for war crimes? It’s a no-brainer for me.



                                                                                               
Cheri Cabot, Politics Correspondent
Cheri’s column, “Personal About Politics,” published every week, will reflect on how the life of a 58 year-old, middle class woman is affected by politics, policy and the current state of the nation - a look at the personal aspects of politics. 

Cheri is a freelance writer, living in Southern California.  She has two grown children, one in Iowa and one at Columbia University, and is the proud grandmother of two. Cheri is also a purveyor of fine coffee, warm chatter and dry wit.

You can find all of Cheri’s columns on Personal About Politics at www.personalpolitcs.gather.com or www.ccabot.gather.com.