Pretzelhead Logic
by digby
The wingnuts are shrieking like banshees today that the release of the memos has made American less safe because the terrorists know that CIA operatives aren't going to torture them anymore and now they'll be able to resist their captors. They are working themselves into a full-on hissy fit over it. That neocon nincompoop Cliff May was on MSNBC earlier, carrying on that the terrorists are all going to kill us in our beds because the terrorists will all know now that when we put a caterpillar in the coffin we've locked them that the caterpillar isn't poisonous.
But President Obama told the terrorists weeks ago that the CIA had to follow the Army Field manual, which anyone who has the internet knows precludes using all these techniques from the Spanish Inquisition, (even if they are "supervised" by a doctor so that if emergency surgery is required because of the torture somebody qualified can perform it.) Here's what Obama ordered on his second day in office:
Interrogation Techniques and Interrogation-Related Treatment.
Effective immediately, an individual in the custody or under the effective control of an officer, employee, or other agent of the United States Government, or detained within a facility owned, operated, or controlled by a department or agency of the United States, in any armed conflict, shall not be subjected to any interrogation technique or approach, or any treatment related to interrogation, that is not authorized by and listed in Army Field Manual 2 22.3 (Manual). Interrogation techniques, approaches, and treatments described in the Manual shall be implemented strictly in accord with the principles, processes, conditions, and limitations the Manual prescribes. Where processes required by the Manual, such as a requirement of approval by specified Department of Defense officials, are inapposite to a department or an agency other than the Department of Defense, such a department or agency shall use processes that are substantially equivalent to the processes the Manual prescribes for the Department of Defense. Nothing in this section shall preclude the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or other Federal law enforcement agencies, from continuing to use authorized, non-coercive techniques of interrogation that are designed to elicit voluntary statements and do not involve the use of force, threats, or promises.
(c) Interpretations of Common Article 3 and the Army Field Manual. From this day forward, unless the Attorney General with appropriate consultation provides further guidance, officers, employees, and other agents of the United States Government may, in conducting interrogations, act in reliance upon Army Field Manual 2 22.3, but may not, in conducting interrogations, rely upon any interpretation of the law governing interrogation — including interpretations of Federal criminal laws, the Convention Against Torture, Common Article 3, Army Field Manual 2 22.3, and its predecessor document, Army Field Manual 34 52 issued by the Department of Justice between September 11, 2001, and January 20, 2009.
Did they think he was kidding?
So, the boogeymen have known what the limits on their detention are for the last three months. And by some miracle, we are all still alive. (Well, except for the dozens of Americans who've been gunned down by nuts right here at home.)
The release of these memos has absolutely no effect on national security under the rules that Obama already set forth. It does, however, expose everyone who is defending these tactics as the illogical, sadistic scumbags they really are. Here's one from Hinderocket:
You can read the memos here. If you do, you will see that DOJ's lawyers grappled carefully and fairly with issues that are, by their nature, both difficult and distasteful. I find much to agree with in the memos and little, if anything, with which I disagree from a legal standpoint. Several things about the memos are striking: the concern that is shown for the health and well-being of the detainees; the very limited circumstances under harsh interrogation techniques were used (only when the CIA had reason to believe that the detainee had knowledge about pending terrorist attacks, among other limitations), and confirmation of the fact that thousands of American servicemen have been waterboarded and subjected to the other techniques in question, as part of their training--a practice that continued at least up to the dates of the memos.
I love how these torture apologists are proudly displaying pictures on their blogs comparing Obama to Hitler.
Anyone who can defend those memos is so fucked up I pity their friends and families.