SENATORS ALSO DO A GREAT JOB OF OVERLOOKINGhttp://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/excerpt:
It was bad enough that Gonzales's memory conveniently failed him about past events. As this morning's Washington Post story noted:
Under often tough questioning from Democrats and some Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee,
Gonzales said he could not recall key details of his involvement in the production of an August 2002 memo that narrowly defined the tactics that constitute torture. He also declined repeated invitations to repudiate a past administration assertion that the president has the authority to ignore anti-torture statutes on national security grounds.
Gonzales testified that while he disagreed with portions of the Justice Department memo, he could not recall whether he conveyed those objections to other government lawyers at the time. He said he did not quarrel with its general findings.
Gonzales said he could not remember who had requested the legal guidance on permissible interrogation tactics—many officials have said it was the CIA—but he acknowledged under questioning that high-pressure interrogation techniques were discussed in White House meetings at which he was present. Others have said the tactics included mock burials and simulated drownings.
The memo—which was used to formulate permissive Defense Department rules on interrogations—was withdrawn by the Justice Department after it was revealed publicly in 2004 and has since been rewritten, reaching starkly different conclusions.
Gonzales did remember, however, to pay lip service to freedom and liberty:
"Torture and abuse will not be tolerated by this administration. I will ensure the Department of Justice aggressively pursues those responsible for such abhorrent actions."
...more...
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