Fact Checking Cheney Posted by James Lamond

In his speech today at AEI, Dick Cheney made a few claims that are, a little contradictory to what others have been saying.

First. Cheney said:

"In public discussion of these matters, there has been a strange and sometimes willful attempt to conflate what happened at Abu Ghraib prison with the top secret program of enhanced interrogations. At Abu Ghraib, a few sadistic prison guards abused inmates in violation of American law, military regulations, and simple decency. For the harm they did, to Iraqi prisoners and to America’s cause, they deserved and received Army justice. And it takes a deeply unfair cast of mind to equate the disgraces of Abu Ghraib with the lawful, skillful, and entirely honorable work of CIA personnel trained to deal with a few malevolent men."

However, a declassified Senate Armed Services Committee report found there is in fact a direct link between the abuses at Guantanamo Bay and the abuses at Abu Graihb.  It says that that the abuses at Abu Ghraib cannot be separated from the policies the Bush Administration put in place at Guantanamo and elsewhere.  The committee’s report says, in part, that:

“The abuse of detainees in U.S. custody cannot simply be attributed to the actions of ‘a few bad apples’ acting on their own. The fact is that senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees. Those efforts damaged our ability to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority.” 

The report goes on to specifically  draw the link between abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay:

“The abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 was not simply the result of a few soldiers acting on their own. Interrogation techniques such as stripping detainees of their clothes, placing them in stress positions, and using military working dogs to intimidate them appeared in Iraq only after they had been approved for use in Afghanistan and at GTMO. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s December 2, 2002 authorization of aggressive interrogation techniques and subsequent interrogation policies and plans approved by senior military and civilian officials conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees in U.S. military custody.”

 Cheney’s next claim is that:

"Those personnel were carefully chosen from within the CIA, and were specially prepared to apply techniques within the boundaries of their training and the limits of the law. Torture was never permitted, and the methods were given careful legal review before they were approved. Interrogators had authoritative guidance on the line between toughness and torture, and they knew to stay on the right side of it.

"Even before the interrogation program began, and throughout its operation, it was closely reviewed to ensure that every method used was in full compliance with the Constitution, statutes, and treaty obligations."

In his testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee last week Ali Soufan, the former FBI interrogator who successfully extracted valuable intelligence from Abu Zubadayah without using torture, said that CIA contractors (not CIA personnel, but contractors) continually used harsher and harsher techniques until they reached waterboarding, which they had to do repeatedly (83 on Abu Zubaydah and 183 on KSM). Plus the torture began long before the Justice Department issues the now infamous memos.  Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s chief of staff during the time in question, writes at the Washington Note that:

"what I have learned is that as the administration authorized harsh interrogation in April and May of 2002--well before the Justice Department had rendered any legal opinion--its principal priority for intelligence was not aimed at pre-empting another terrorist attack on the U.S. but discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and al-Qa'ida."

This brings us to our final point, on Cheney's speech. He said:

"From the beginning of the program, there was only one focused and all-important purpose. We sought, and we in fact obtained, specific information on terrorist plans."

According to Wilkerson the torture did not only focus on information for future terrorist attacks.  The purpose of the torture was about forcing a confession on the link between al Qaeda and Sadam Hussein, so that Cheney would have his reason to go to war. Wilkerson goes on to say:

"So furious was this effort that on one particular detainee, even when the interrogation team had reported to Cheney's office that their detainee 'was compliant' (meaning the team recommended no more torture), the VP's office ordered them to continue the enhanced methods. The detainee had not revealed any al-Qa'ida-Baghdad contacts yet. This ceased only after Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, under waterboarding in Egypt, 'revealed' such contacts. Of course later we learned that al-Libi revealed these contacts only to get the torture to stop."

Comments

[runescape powerleveling]

When you play games, you really thought about the Department of your equipment well enough, your account than others, your gold enough ... There are better! What you want to have here.come on..Let's go!

[Jason]

Thanks to Bush & Dick Cheney, our American soldiers will from this point forward be subject to torture. The sons and daughters of Americans will be raped, humiliated, and tortured for all times to come. When we try to complain about it, they will simply point back to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and say that we sat back and allowed it to happen. If we condone torture, as we have, we have no right to tell others to stop even if we see our sons bleeding from their faces, and broken bones protruding from their skins. Remember, we sat by and did nothing when we saw that we were doing it

[Rudolf]

I happened to see this excellent documentary film made by Errol Morris yesterday (Standard Operational Proceedings)of how a handful of army sergeants (02 of which were "ladies") turned themselves in by daily photographing their absurd and cruel fantasies.

[Dan Kervick]

The fact is that one of the least popular men in America - Dick Cheney - has maneuvered himself into a position where he is now conducting a public debate with the President of the United States, and is apparently experiencing a second wind that has raised his stature, and possibly his party's stature, in the process. This is evidence of a massive political blunder by the Obama team.

[luxury watches]

I am so with you,rolex watch
luxury watch

[ghghg]

CHEAP rs gold
MY lotro gold
CHEAPEST aion gold

[infant]

I happened to see this excellent documentary film made by Errol Morris yesterday (Standard Operational Proceedings)of how a handful of army sergeants Infant

[rolex replica]

Congress should create an independent blue-ribbon panel or similar body to investigate a host of previously unreviewable activities of the Bush administration, including its detention, interrogation and surveillance programs. Only by chronicling and confronting the past in a comprehensive, bipartisan fashion can we reclaim our moral authority and establish a credible path forward to meet the complex challenges of a post-Sept. 11 world. replica rolex
Rolex Watches
Tag Heuer Watches

[cheap coach bags]

Great comments! You are so nice, man! You never know how much i like'em!

[cheap coach purses]

Yes, that's cool. The device is amazing! Waiting for your next one!

[replica watches]

with strawberry PANERAI Watches blonde hair PANERAI Watches. Principal Scott Fisher thanked students for their search efforts, echoing King's parents, who said the massive effort by law ARMANI Watches

[grabspecialsale]

hope that we can find better way be side torture to try to get info for them but then again torture seem to work sometimes..

[superbacnetreatment]

totally disagree using torture to get what you want form detainees.

[jordan shoes]

The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can‘t have them.

[gucci shoes]

Have strong feelings about, please continue to let me feel your article.

[Supra]

The Supra Strapped NS shoes are one of the top skateboarding shoes on the block.

It is a good chance for you to buy now .Nowadays ,we published a new kind of Air Jordan ,that is the Air Jordan Force line .They are so good that when you see it , you will like it and are willing to own one .

[sesli sohbet]

Well done! Thank you very much for professional templates and community edition

[william]

CBOOTCAMP is dedicated to our business, YOU. We are MCTS Exam, and quick to respond to change. We provide numerous, innovative ways to conduct 70-299 while ensuring our customers are a success. CCBOOTCAMP persistently evaluates our MCTS Certification processes to support a user-friendly eMCITP Exam that advances customer and employee satisfaction

[watches]

If you like analog-digital Chanel Replica Watches, today's review might just make your day. This is the limited-edition A Lange & Sohne Replica, model #9052. Limited to 999 pieces, this seems to be their version of the Omega X-33. Let's start out with the specifications:44mm across, 50mm at the widest point, 15mm thick.PVD-finished stainless steel case and bracelet.Bracelet is three-link, solid, with solid end links, fliplock, and 23mm lugs.Domed sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating.Inner dive bezel, operated by a screw-down crown at ten o'clock.Tritium tubes on hours, bezel, and hands.Reverse LCD display.In an interesting twist: it also has an electronic compass.Like the X-33, the caseback is a soundboard to increase the volume of the alarm.Also like the X-33, the crown is actually a push button; rotating it has no effect.45 month battery.ISA quartz movement.Water resistant to 100m (330ft).Three time zones, countdown timer, alarm, Bvlgari Replica Watches, and my favorite: seconds-only mode.Please read on for the full review.As you can see from the profile, the Blackbird has quite a different appearance than the Luminox Blackout. It's tapered, subtle and considerably more understated. Take a close look at the bezel: it has a tapered profile that I quite like. The Audemars Piguet Replica finish is flat (non-glossy) which combines with the reverse LCD on the dial for a very stealthy look. You can also see in this picture how the lugs curve down around your wrist for a good fit. I did notice that when on bad pavement on a bicycle, the lugs dug in a bit due to the weight of the Rado Replica Watches (175g), so I wouldn't recommend this as an exercise Tissot Replica Watches.The Blackbird has some fascinating design decisions that I don't pretend to understand. For example, the inner bezel is set via the screw-down crown at ten o'clock; well and good. However, on your left wrist, it's quite tricky to operate, requiring removal. It's nice, but you probably won't use it much given that the Tag Heuer Replica Watches has a digital Swiss Rolex ETA Replica and countdown timer, anyway. The bezel does have a tritium marker, though,Baume & Mercier Replica more useful at night.Another oddity is the primary crown: as noted above, it's actually a button only, and unlike the bezel crown, it's not screwdown. I would have expected either a conventional button or a threaded crown. And lastly, there's no analog seconds hand. Seconds are displayed by a dedicated ring of segments on the outer edge of the display. It works, but I do miss the analog hand.Here you can see the sounding board caseback design, very similar to the X-33.

[moncler]

Moncler Gamme Bleu series seems to be bound up with bike culture.Moncler This not only shows in its design but also the pattern printed in the clothes. In this series, designer put in leggings to match some clothes. moncler women's This point arouses great controversy in public. It is common that ladies wear leggings to match their long shirts or short dresses.Moncler Jackets If a man put on a legging, he looks a little feminization.moncler kids Somebody do not agree with this. They thought men also should be fashionable. Wearing leggings is not the right of ladies, but also the fashion of men`s.moncler coats In recent years, many clothes have been more neutralize. Men are paying more and more attention to their dressing.Moncler Clothing Creations in men`s dressing are more and more diversified. Fashion is such kind of thing that at first it will arouse controversy and with acceptance from more and more people it will be popular.moncler mens Maybe one day there will be more neutralized clothes that men and women can try together.moncler sale

[FFXIV Gil]

Are you fighting in Final Fantasy XIV for FFXIV Gil or Final Fantasy XIV Gil?
Can you suffer yourself being called newbie in FFXIV Gil game?
Are you seeking unofficial Buy FFXIV Gil cheats or Final Fantasy XIV guides in order to make Final Fantasy XIV Gil faster?
Can you get millions of Cheap FFXIV Gil in one day?
Even if you know how to farm Buy Final Fantasy XIV Gil you have to prepare enough Final Fantasy XIV Power Leveling first to buy height class Final Fantasy XIV Items, to upgrade your Final Fantasy XIV characters.
FF14 Gil Then why not Buy FFXIV Gil from us?
In Final Fantasy XIV it's the fastest way FF14 Gil,for you to get rich. We are online 24 hours a day ready and 7 days one week to power up your FFXIV Gil accounts with FFXIV Gil. Here is the best place for the Final Fantasy XIV Online players to buy your Final Fantasy XIV Gil.
We are the professional website in FFXIV GIL sale.FFXIV GIL here,We are professional FFXIV Power Leveling online. We update price every single day to make sure we are the lowest in the market.(we don't compare price with scam sites which uses unbelievable low price to deceive.)
Our slogan:Cheapest price, Fastest delivery, Best service! Final Fantasy XIV GIL
In the 2 years we are in this field , FFXIV GILbuilt many business with tens of thousands of customers. They are very satisfied with our service.So if you want to get a log of Cheap FFXIV Gil ,no doubt ,come to our website to buy. Our customer service is ready for you on line now!(WWW,GM MMO,COM Sell FFXIV Gil)

[bucket trucks]

No need to fact check him anymore... he's gone and out of sight. Now, all you have to do is fact check wikileaks.

http://www.buckettruckblogger.com

[Cách nhiệt]

Thanks for the post. There are several things I need to know via this discussion.

[wholesale replica handbags]

i am glad to study your opinion. m41414 Keepall 55, m41416 Keepall 50, m41522 Speedy 40, m41528 Speedy 25, 219704, m40249 artsy mm, m40259 artsy gm, M45257 Messenger Bag, M40156 Neverfull MM, m40144 Tivoli GM

[Cheap Jordans]

Soccer is my favorite,so is David Beckham

[juicy couture]

Thank you for this article. That's all I can say. You most definitely have made this blog into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you've covered so many bases.Thanks!

[discount weddingdress]

It does seem that everybody is into this kind of stuff lately.

[cheap prom dresses]

There even are business overviews of the five biggest global rivals (by revenues) in handsets (Nokia, Samsung, Apple, RIM and Motorola) and illustrative charts of their recent sales performance and their regional footprints.