Bush Administration Blocked Waterboarding Critic

[sabra]

Source: ABC News

Former DOJ Official Tested the Method Himself, in Effort to Form Torture Policy

A senior Justice Department official, charged with reworking the administration's legal position on torture in 2004 became so concerned about the controversial interrogation technique of waterboarding that he decided to experience it firsthand, sources told ABC News.

Daniel Levin, then acting assistant attorney general, went to a military base near Washington and underwent the procedure to inform his analysis of different interrogation techniques.

After the experience, Levin told White House officials that even though he knew he wouldn't die, he found the experience terrifying and thought that it clearly simulated drowning.

Levin, who refused to comment for this story, concluded waterboarding could be illegal torture unless performed in a highly limited way and with close supervision. And, sources told ABC News, he believed the Bush Administration had failed to offer clear guidelines for its use.

...

In December 2004, Levin released the new memo. He said, "Torture is abhorrent" but he went on to say in a footnote that the memo was not declaring the administration's previous opinions illegal. The White House, with Alberto Gonzales as the White House counsel, insisted that this footnote be included in the memo.

But Levin never finished a second memo imposing tighter controls on the specific interrogation techniques. Sources said he was forced out of the Justice Department when Gonzales became attorney general.




Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/DOJ/story?id=3814076&page=1

[humbled_opinion]

1. Silence your critics... Or torture them ? n/t

[journalist3072]

2. "Reworking the administration's legal position on torture." What?!

The Administration should not need to "rework" it's legal position on torture. There should be only ONE position regarding torture: WE DON'T DO IT.

So if you're telling me that the Administration's position needed to be "reworked," that says the Administration was trying to find ways to conduct and condone torture.

[humbled_opinion]

4. These idiots have an evolving definition....

When is torture not torture? Our government will make the processes Secret and therefore you can't publically define what we do. Cirular logic employed.... So the law says we do not torture and so we do not.. (snicker, snicker, wink, wink)..

[sjdnb]

3. I'm Shocked, Just Shocked, I tell ya ....

NOT .... from immunity for contractors to suppressing Medicare data ... to LYING us into an unnecessary war that has cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives as well as hundreds of billions of dollars - it is CLEAR, there is NOTHING the Bush Admin won't do to undermine the Constitution, our Democracy, or our Will, to further their political ambitions and reward the war profiteers that support(ed) them.

Accountability, responsibility, and ethical behavior is nowhere to be found with this administration.

[truthisfreedom]

5. And you can BET that this is the ONLY man in the administration who has ever had the b*lls to

experience waterboarding firsthand, and to thereby deem it torture.

[Solly Mack]

6. "illegal torture" There's that phrase again

implies there is such a thing as legal torture