Torturing, Doing Our Jobs

The Director of the CIA solemnly swears that "Enhanced Interrogation techniques" (EIT) are successful in rendering a bountiful supply of information vital to the apprehension of terrorists and the foiling of terrorist plots. this, in the spite of the fact the people who have been tortured, and people who have tortured others, disagree. "Enhance Interrogation Techniques" is a very clever substitute term used by people like former President Bush and the CIA Director who lack the courage and integrity to call a spade a spade to call it what it is: torture. Can any of these people say "sodium pentathol"? " How about "truth serum"? The congressional study recently released which belies the CIA's claim of effective torture was conducted mainly by Democrats, with Republican John McCain, because the other Republicans took their ball and went home, doubtless crying and teeth gnashing. The CIA claims that they thwarted a terrorist attack by torturing an individual terrorist informant. But there is a problem with this claim, an inconsistency. the alleged terrorist plot was foiled in 2002; the terrorist informant who allegedly spilled the beans was tortured in 2003. The CIA contends not only that torture works, but that those who disagree must prove otherwise, and that even a single instance of proven successful torture, or that if even a single instance of alleged unsuccessful torture remains unproven, then all disagreement with the CIA is invalid. Very clever. Nice try. Force 'em to prove a negative! But, no dice. the CIA is not privileged to establish the rules of evidence by which its behavior is judged. that must be left to the American people, acting through their elected officials and courts of law. Is the CIA lying, or concealing? It is paid to do both.