http://www.pubrecord.org/torture/848-cheney-says-torture-was-a-success-wants-memos-released-to-prove-it.htmlCheney Says Torture Was A 'Success,' Wants Memos Released To Prove It
Written by Jason Leopold
Monday, 20 April 2009 17:14
By Jason Leopold
Former Vice President Dick Cheney challenged President Obama Monday to release top-secret CIA memos that allegedly states the torture of prisoners was an intelligence “success.” Last December, Cheney admitted in numerous interviews before he left office that he personally approved the waterboarding of three “high-value” detainees and the “enhanced interrogation” of 33 other prisoners.
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Cheney defended the Bush administration's torture program and claimed that it saved American lives. He criticized Obama’s decision to release four “torture”memos last week because Obama “didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort."
“There are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity,” Cheney said. “They have not been declassified. I formally asked that they be declassified now.
“I haven't announced this up until now, I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country.
“And I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was. If we’re going to have this debate, let’s have an honest debate.”