"Report: Bush-era torture orders enforced by top officials" ... LINK

[Blackhatjack]

This just shows the depravity of those at the top ordering torture to be carried out by the interrogators over their objections. These people have to be held accountable.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Report_Bushera_torture_orders_enforced_over_0418.html

"The first use of waterboarding and other harsh treatment against suspected Al-Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah was ordered by senior Central Intelligence Agency officials over objections from his interrogators, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Citing unnamed former intelligence officials and a footnote in a newly released legal memorandum, the newspaper said the harsh interrogation techniques had been ordered despite the belief of interrogators that the prisoner had already told them all he knew."

SKIP

"Instead, watching his torment caused great distress to his captors, the paper said.

Even for those who believed that brutal treatment could produce results, one of the officials is quoted as saying, "seeing these depths of human misery and degradation has a traumatic effect."

MORE

[Triana]

1. I distinctly remember bu$hit, Inc. trying to blame these torture methods on...

..."a few bad apples" - but we at DU and many others knew what is now being confirmed (AGAIN) - the orders for this treatment of prisoners - many of them (most of them, in fact) innocent - came FROM THE TOP.

And that is where litigation and punishment for these crimes ought to primarily be applied. Not that I'm holding my breath waiting for that to happen - just saying that's where it belongs.

[JDPriestly]

2. Agreed. Those who ordered the torture should answer for the

violation of international law.

[bleever]

3. It wasn't about intelligence.

What it really was about, I hesitate to say.

But I'll say it: Cruelty, and claiming the right to be cruel to anyone who opposed them.

[tanyev]

4. They did it because they could.

[glitch]

7. Intimidation.

Not of the "terrorists" either, of their own citizens.

[moondust]

5. Sadists.

They enjoyed it.

[ThomWV]

6. Notice that this attitude by the White House was also consistent with what they did at the CIA

You will recall from Richard Clarke's testimony that after CIA analysts had given the White House all they knew that the Vice President went back and demanded more - you'll recall that Bush himself told Clarke, go take a second look.

Same thing here. Someone in the White House has a pattern. When given all the information available from a source if it doesn't fit what they wanted to hear they demand that the source be subject to high pressure to come up with another answer. Didn't make any difference if it was a hostage or a CIA Analyst - same approach.