MotherJones Blog: ACLU Calls for Independent Counsel After Torture Admissions; Will Anyone Pay Attention?

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ACLU Calls for Independent Counsel After Torture Admissions; Will Anyone Pay Attention?

I don't quite understand how the media let out a collective yawn when it heard the news that top Bush Administration officials (Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Powell, Ashcroft, Tenet) personally signed off on "enhanced interrogation techniques" that included pushing, slapping, sleep deprivation, waterboarding, and other tactics. Waterboarding is torture, remember?

I'm further confused by the fact that the media remained passive after President Bush admitted that he knew and approved of what his principals were doing. This should have been huge news — the tactics the Administration's top officials approved probably violated the Geneva Conventions, after all — and yet this was less important than "Dog Finds Way to Owner's Funeral"?

Maybe the media's justification is that the Administration has a built-in excuse — it will simply say that the "enhanced interrogation techniques" it approved don't constitute torture. Last year, for example, former CIA Chief Tenet told ABC News, "It was legal, according to the Attorney General of the United States." That argument only highlights how perversely the Bush Administration worked the system — it rewrote the rules in the middle of the game to justify its every move. (It's worth pointing out that even the tactics that we know of now, and more may be exposed in the future, are pretty awful.)

Maybe the fact that the ACLU is calling for an independent counsel will stir the slumbering opinion-makers. From the org's press release:

The American Civil Liberties Union is calling on Congress to demand an independent prosecutor to investigate possible violations by the Bush administration of laws including the War Crimes Act, the federal Anti-Torture Act, and federal assault laws.

"No one in the executive branch of government can be trusted to fairly investigate or prosecute any crimes since the head of every relevant department, along with the president and vice president, either knew or participated in the planning and approval of illegal acts," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "Congress cannot look the other way; it must demand an independent investigation and independent prosecutor."

If I had to bet, however, I'd say that the media (and probably America) has a case of outrage fatigue so acute that no development in this story is going to make a difference. We've been beaten, America. We didn't have the endurance to keep up with this gang.

Comments

Isn't this just another Good Reason to not vote Democrat, thinking that they will make any change? Who cares who wins the election? The war won't end, they won't stop torture, they won't stop secret detention without trial. Why not start supporting an actual left-wing party? Sure, they'll lose. But at least you won't have to pretend that the Democrats share your values.

Posted by: JG on 04/14/08 at 1:19 PM Respond

Torture was sold to the public on the premise that it was required to prevent another 9/11.

There are two huge problems with this rationale:

1. Torture is not an effective interrogation method if the goal is to attain good intel.

2. The disconnect between pre-9/11 conduct by high ranking officials (Bush, Cheney, Rice, Tenet, Ashcroft etc.) and their post-9/11 embrace of police state tactics has never been fully examined by the establishment media. For example, we are told Bush received urgent warnings from other heads of state in addition to urgent warnings from CIA Director Tenet. Evidently Bush did nothing in response. That is not indicative of incompetence. For his part Tenet failed for over 21 months to make sure FBI criminal side agents were told al Qaeda operatives were inside the US. Again, this isn't suggestive of incompetence. Such a characterization is absurd.

So the reason there isn't more outrage is because the public has been sold (by way of unrelenting propaganda and fearmongering) on the necessity of torture to keep us safe from terrorist attacks.

Posted by: Mike on 04/14/08 at 2:39 PM Respond

Hasn't it all been a mess. Gee, to late now. Bush wanted the war but not as bad a Cheney. Waterboarding or not we may have started the begining of the end. Bush who thinks he is at least a profit should have known this. We sure left Vietnam fast and am sure we can leave this mess sooner. Warnings were sent to the masters of War before pearl harbor was hit. KW

Posted by: kitty on 04/14/08 at 5:36 PM Respond

Hey People,

No, the American people do not really care about the tourturing of terrorists...!!!
Since we have not been attacked again, maybe the powers that be, know more than you...? The average American want security, and they don't seem to be very interested in how it is attained...? HUH..?

Bill

Posted by: Bil Nigh on 04/15/08 at 7:49 AM Respond

The media has as of yet, not acknowledged plausibility of torture under US leadership's imprimatur they have allowed them to be in plausible denial and by extension taken on that mantle themselves. I say, dismantle them all!

Posted by: Willy Krebbers on 04/15/08 at 3:58 PM Respond