Torture Memos Day 4

Bob Cesca raises a good point in his blog this morning. From the Torture Defenders Camp we have two arguments put forth: 1) this is not torture, its just some mild fraternity boy abuse; and 2) these methods were very effective because they gave us some valuable (although unidentified) intelligence.

Both of these things cannot be true. Our interrogation methods cannot be meek, mild and civilized yet so terrifying that they elicit all sorts of information. They are one or the other, but not both.

When you have a party putting out to contradictory arguments in their own defense, many times neither is true. In this case, I suspect our "enhanced interrogation methods" are actually neither humane nor effective.

A second irony is also glaringly apparent. The very same people who are arguing against investigation of our policies, let alone prosecution, seemingly do not think twice about investigating, prosecuting and incarcerating all sorts of people for crimes much less heinous. I guess if you screw up big enough, and you have some sort of title appended to your name you get a pass.