Sour Grapes
Of course we're Fair and Balanced!

2004-06-08

2003 DoD legal study concludes President may OK torture



In today's BIG news, the Wall Street Journal reported that a " Pentagon Report Set Framework For Use of Torture" [subscription required; non-subscription version here]




The draft report, which exceeds 100 pages, deals with a range of legal issues related to interrogations, offering definitions of the degree of pain or psychological manipulation that could be considered lawful. But at its core is an exceptional argument that because nothing is more important than "obtaining intelligence vital to the protection of untold thousands of American citizens," normal strictures on torture might not apply.


The draft report was dated 6 March 2003 and was classified "secret" by Secretary Rumsfeld, with declassification not scheduled until 2013. People familiar with the final report — dated in April 2003 — said "there were few substantial changes in legal analysis" between the two versions.



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