Fergie's Tech Blog

Off-Topic: Letters Give CIA Tactics a Legal Rationale

Mark Mazzetti writes in The New York Times:

The Justice Department has told Congress that American intelligence operatives attempting to thwart terrorist attacks can legally use interrogation methods that might otherwise be prohibited under international law.

The legal interpretation, outlined in recent letters, sheds new light on the still-secret rules for interrogations by the Central Intelligence Agency. It shows that the administration is arguing that the boundaries for interrogations should be subject to some latitude, even under an executive order issued last summer that President Bush said meant that the C.I.A. would comply with international strictures against harsh treatment of detainees.

While the Geneva Conventions prohibit “outrages upon personal dignity,” a letter sent by the Justice Department to Congress on March 5 makes clear that the administration has not drawn a precise line in deciding which interrogation methods would violate that standard, and is reserving the right to make case-by-case judgments.

More here.

Note: Just because the Bush Administration has redefined what "torture" actually means to suit their needs, this affront to human rights & international law flies in the face of reason and common sense. These tactics have made the United States more hated by its enemies, lowered its standing in the civilized world, and smeared the honor and dignity of American citizens. It is sickening.

History will judge the George W. Bush very harshly indeed for his amazingly poor decisions, malicious mismanagement of the country he vowed to serve & protect, and his incompetent execution of the duties of his office. -ferg

posted by Fergie @ 4/27/2008 09:02:00 AM