Jane Mayer Building a Case That Could Be Used Against Cheney

[kpete]

Jane Mayer Building a Case That Could Be Used Against Cheney

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/002263.php

The public-affairs office at the C.I.A. and officials at the congressional intelligence-oversight committees would not even acknowledge the existence of the report.

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Confidentiality may be particularly stringent in this case. Congressional and other Washington sources familiar with the report said that it harshly criticized the C.I.A.'s practices. One of the sources said that the Red Cross described the agency's detention and interrogation methods as tantamount to torture, and declared that American officials responsible for the abusive treatment could have committed serious crimes.

The source said the report warned that these officials may have committed "grave breaches" of the Geneva Conventions, and may have violated the U.S. Torture Act, which Congress passed in 1994. The conclusions of the Red Cross, which is known for its credibility and caution, could have potentially devastating legal ramifications.


Mayer's meticulous reporting could potentially contribute to a legal case against those inside the US government who approved these torture techniques. It's interesting to go back and read Jane Mayer's brilliant expose on Cheney chief of staff David Addington, who is well known as the administration's pro-torture advocate. David Ignatius dubbed him "Cheney's Cheney."

And to some degree Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Vice President Cheney are conspiring with one another to knock the legs from beneath our democracy. They feed on each other and help each other while pretending to be enemies -- but both harm us.