‘We Could Have Done This the Right Way’

4.If lawyers will be prosecuted for giving legal advice to an administration that you consider immoral and illegal, do you concede that this might inhibit lawyers in the future from giving unpopular but sincerely argued advice to the government in any sensitive area? They will, after all, know that if the next administration disapproves of their work, they will be vilified by the media and prosecuted by the government.

5.Presumably you would acknowledge that the release of the classified reports on the handling of high-level, post-Sept. 11 terror suspects would inflame passions in many parts of the Muslim world. If innocents were murdered because nonviolent cartoons of Muhammad were published in a Danish newspaper, presumably far more innocents will be tortured and murdered with the release of these reports and photos. Do you accept any moral responsibility for any ensuing violence against American and other civilians?

6.Many members of the intelligence community now feel betrayed and believe that the intelligence community will be weakened in their ability to fight the most vicious organized groups in the world. As reported in the Washington Post, former intelligence officer (Mark) Lowenthal said that fear has paralyzed agents on the ground. Apparently, many of those in the know are certain that lifesaving information was gleaned from high-level terror suspects who were waterboarded. As Mike Scheuer, former head of the CIA unit in charge of tracking Osama bin Laden, said, "We were very certain that the interrogation procedures procured information that was worth having." If, then, the intelligence community has been adversely affected, do you believe it can still do the work necessary to protect tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of people from death and maiming?

7.Will you seek to prosecute members of Congress such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who were made aware of the waterboarding of high-level suspects and voiced no objections?

8.Would you agree to release the photos of the treatment of Islamic terrorists only if accompanied by photos of what their terror has done to thousands of innocent people around the world? Would you agree to photos ??? or at least photo re-enactments ??? of, let us say, Iraqi children whose faces were torn off with piano wire by Islamists in Iraq? If not, why not? Isn't context of some significance here?

9.You say that America's treatment of terror suspects will cause terrorists to treat their captives, especially Americans, more cruelly. On what grounds do you assert this? Did America's far more moral treatment of Japanese prisoners than Japan's treatment of American prisoners in World War II have any impact on how the Japanese treated American and other prisoners of war? Do you think that evil people care how morally pure America is?

If you don't address these questions, it would appear that you care less about morality and torture than about vengeance against the Bush administra

This fits some obvious understandings of human nature, people respond to reinforcement and social pressure, not as much to punishment. People are social creatures, and the need for social interaction, even with an interrogator can lead to a Stockholm syndrome in which detainees identify with their captors, see how Saddaam even cooperated with one of his interrogators. It is absolutely disgusting how torture was engaged in and what it has cost us as a country. Those who committed such acts should not be allowed to use the Nuremberg defense of "just obeying orders". A crime is a crime is a crime, and no one should be able to avoid prosecution for torture.

The American people need those in the news media, who have the ability to investigate the facts that government, even a new government, might find uncomfortable to expose, and also to provide the moral framework and outraged tone that a story like this one deserves. It???s a disservice to the American public to pit left side against right or vice-versa on this ???enhanced interrogation program??? when torture is illegal. For the last eight years journalism has been an instrument of government propaganda and today still act as if there is still a presidential campaign. We have a president and his name is Barack Obama. I don't know any journalist who thinks there are two sides to freedom of the press, so why should freedom from torture be any different? You guys need to be courageous in the face of political push back and do your jobs. Get onto some proper investigative journalism. This truly Pulitzer Prize winning stuff to anyone that cracks this story.

The American people need those in the news media, who have the ability to investigate the facts that government, even a new government, might find uncomfortable to expose, and also to provide the moral framework and outraged tone that a story like this one deserves. It???s a disservice to the American public to pit left side against right or vice-versa on this ???enhanced interrogation program??? when torture is illegal. For the last eight years journalism has been an instrument of government propaganda and today still act as if there is still a presidential campaign. We have a president and his name is Barack Obama. I don't know any journalist who thinks there are two sides to freedom of the press, so why should freedom from torture be any different? You guys need to be courageous in the face of political push back and do your jobs. Get onto some proper investigative journalism. This truly Pulitzer Prize winning stuff to anyone that cracks this story.

So tell me, exactly how do you make sure it never happens again if you let the perpetrators get away with the crimes in the first place? If all they get is a lecture, what's to stop another president down the road from doing what he sees fit when it comes to "national security"? What you're saying, mjkoch, is that the only thing that matters is the safety of the people; nothing else, including the security of our own person, matters. That's not a democracy, that's a fascist state. I hope you realize that. Our former president was sworn in to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution; when that is not done, he needs to be prosecuted for that, especially when he goes far beyond that and violates the Geneva Conventions, which we not only signed onto, but we had a part in creating.

Seems like a much more intelligent approach, with better results. Of course even at the time, most people who know anything about torture were trying to tell the then Administration that it wouldn't work. They didn't listen to all of our shame and regret.

I love the phrase "CIA contractor" Since when to we hire out our intelligence gathering. I can't help but think that some guy showed up at CIA headquarters with a half load of ashphalt and said, "I just finished a job around the corner and had some asphalt left. Normally I would do your driveway for $2,000.00 but I can come back tomorrow and do it for $1,000.00. Oh and you have to pay me now." The CIA then said, "No you come back tomorrow and we wil pay you $10,000.00 to ask a guy some questions." Yeah, contractors!

is there anything new about these methods -CIA was training the latin americans to torture decades ago -remember che guevera and the dictators in chile and argentina -all blessed by torture thanks to american assertion -i really have no idea what all this political rhetoric is about as what mc carthy did was even worst then torture and that was done in full view of people destroying the lives of thousands of americans themselves -
USA as such has an image of a autocratic bully who does as they please or in plain language judge all with the simple motive -MIGHT IS RIGHT -and i do not understand how and where this whole debate is evolving to as its not likely to affect anything which has been done

Enhance interrogation techniques have been shown to be ineffective time and time again. The Israelis used these techniques for a time and found the information gained was ineffective because people lied to get the torture to stop. If someone has training it is very easy for them to give the interrogators what they want to hear and send them on wild goose chases.

The United States has an image to uphold which has been sullied because of these actions. The amount of political good will which has been expended on torture is incredible. This country has lowered itself to the level of those we are supposed to be standing against. Regardless of what a person does they are still a person and deserve basic rights. When you begin denying these rights you begin opening doors which should not be approached.

For programs like this to be effective, a country must institutionalized torture. Once that happens, even with legal "controls," the situation gets out of hand very quickly. Once a government has the ability to torture they can quickly use it to keep their citizens down. By simply redefining "terrorism" to be able to include a citizen of this country and then loosening the definition of terrorist activity to include disseminating information that is against the government, political dissent has been destroyed and the United States officially becomes a fascist state.

Mc Cain said he would use torture in very special cases during an interview on FaceThe Nation.

Sen McCain said he would use torture in very special cases during an interview on Face the Nation.

Republicans = the torture party