The Dark Art
Tonight on the History Chanel, I saw the last bit of a program called The Dark Art of Interrogation. I really hope it comes on again, at a time when I can watch it, as I turned it on just as they quit talking about Bagram. I was curious to see what they said about us. Or more accurately, what they were probably saying about the 519 which proceeded us.
I was pleased by the fact that the talking heads gave a fairly balanced view of what is done in the booth and what could be done. I was on the other hand horrified by one of them who suggested that it should be a policy that the individual interrogator be left to make the decision as to whether or not illegal action needs to be taken to get information and then be forced to justify that in a court of law. The Army would sell him or her down the river as soon as it hit the press. (of course that is what they do now in similar circumstances anyway so maybe it wouldn't be that big a change)
I can't really comment on what the program said was done in Afghanistan because I missed that part. I was pleased to see that they pointed out that Guantanamo has very strict rules and regulations about what can and cannot be done there. They also acknowledged that the Abu Ghraib mess was not done by interrogators and in fact the interrogators probably didn't tell the morons to "soften them up". The talking heads (I don't know who was who, I'll take notes if it comes on again) said that the vastly undertrained guards probably saw what interrogators were doing that was legal but harsh and extrapolated on their own how to treat prisoners. Of course then they laid the blame on the "Chain of Command" and the Bush Administration. Chain of Command, sure, but not the Generals. I really want to know where the LTs and Captains that worked there were. Or the senior NCOs who were there? Were these guys so absolutely clueless that they didn't know what was happening or were they giving it the wink and a nod? Either way they are every bit as much to blame as the E-3s and E-4s who are getting prison time over this. And note, I have no objection to them getting prison time. Maybe not as many years as some are getting but, they violated the law. I am certain someone sat them down at some point and explained at least once about Geneva and what is and is not allowed. As for the Bush Administraion being to blame for Abu Ghraib, well really folks, I hope the President and the SECDEF have better, more important things to do than keep current on guard shifts at the detention centers in the war zone.
I was pleased by the fact that the talking heads gave a fairly balanced view of what is done in the booth and what could be done. I was on the other hand horrified by one of them who suggested that it should be a policy that the individual interrogator be left to make the decision as to whether or not illegal action needs to be taken to get information and then be forced to justify that in a court of law. The Army would sell him or her down the river as soon as it hit the press. (of course that is what they do now in similar circumstances anyway so maybe it wouldn't be that big a change)
I can't really comment on what the program said was done in Afghanistan because I missed that part. I was pleased to see that they pointed out that Guantanamo has very strict rules and regulations about what can and cannot be done there. They also acknowledged that the Abu Ghraib mess was not done by interrogators and in fact the interrogators probably didn't tell the morons to "soften them up". The talking heads (I don't know who was who, I'll take notes if it comes on again) said that the vastly undertrained guards probably saw what interrogators were doing that was legal but harsh and extrapolated on their own how to treat prisoners. Of course then they laid the blame on the "Chain of Command" and the Bush Administration. Chain of Command, sure, but not the Generals. I really want to know where the LTs and Captains that worked there were. Or the senior NCOs who were there? Were these guys so absolutely clueless that they didn't know what was happening or were they giving it the wink and a nod? Either way they are every bit as much to blame as the E-3s and E-4s who are getting prison time over this. And note, I have no objection to them getting prison time. Maybe not as many years as some are getting but, they violated the law. I am certain someone sat them down at some point and explained at least once about Geneva and what is and is not allowed. As for the Bush Administraion being to blame for Abu Ghraib, well really folks, I hope the President and the SECDEF have better, more important things to do than keep current on guard shifts at the detention centers in the war zone.
posted by exMI | 20:11
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