** Must be nice to get a pass on torture.
Bush administration lawyers who wrote the so-called "torture memos" exercised "poor judgment" in writing legal opinions that “contained significant flaws," according to the Justice Department. But they weren't guilty of professional misconduct that might have meant disbarment.
By Brad Knickerbocker Staff Writer / February 20, 2010
The infamous "torture memos" are back
One of the most controversial aspects of the “war on terror” – especially at the height of the fighting in Iraq – was the way those captured by US and other allied forces were questioned.
Described variously as “torture” or merely “harsh,” these “enhanced interrogation techniques” included the infamous waterboarding – the near-drowning of captives – as well as “stress positions,” sleep deprivation, isolation, extremes in temperature, and other methods meant to elicit actionable intelligence.
At the heart of the controversy among military professionals as well as elected officials (and Americans generally) were the so-called “torture memos” written by Justice Department officials in the Bush administration as a basis for justifying harsh interrogation.
Now, the Justice Department's ethics watchdog, the Office of Professional Responsibility, has determined that the memo’s authors – John Yoo and Jay Bybee – exercised “poor judgment” in writing legal opinions that “contained significant flaws.”
remainder in full:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0220/Torture-memos-authors-Rebuked-but-won-t-be-disbarred
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
