Bush Guards His Right to Torture As He Sees Fit

Meanwhile, in the White House President Bush cements his legacy.

"Mr. Bush vetoed a bill that would have explicitly prohibited the agency from using interrogation methods like waterboarding, a technique in which restrained prisoners are threatened with drowning and that has been the subject of intense criticism at home and abroad. Many such techniques are prohibited by the military and law enforcement agencies."
(Veto of Bill on C.I.A. Tactics Affirms Bush’s Legacy,
New York Times, March 9, 2008) 

And Senator John McCain, who normally opposes the use of torture as immoral, ineffective, and a danger to American troops abroad, sided with Bush on this one: 
"In this case he supported the administration’s position, arguing as Mr. Bush did Saturday that the legislation would have limited the C.I.A.’s ability to gather intelligence." (NYT)

For a more intelligent and knowledgeable discussion about torture, watch Foreign Policy's interview with Jack Cloonan, who spent 25 years as an FBI special agent and interrogated members of al Qaeda during the late 1990s. Here are two excerpts from the interview:

FPTV: How to Break a Terrorist, Part 1.



FPTV: How to Break a Terrorist, Part 2.