I'm sorry, "Harsh Interrogation."
From the AP
Charges dropped against '20th' hijacker
U.S. officials have said Saudi was subjected to harsh treatment
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The Pentagon has dropped charges against a Saudi at Guantanamo who was alleged to have been the so-called "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 attacks, his U.S. military defense lawyer said Monday.
the AP
The attorney said he could not comment on the reasons for the dismissal until discussing the case with lawyers for the other five defendants. Officials previously said al-Qahtani had been subjected to a harsh interrogation authorized by former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
This was inevitable, and is very interesting. Certain to be a major campaign issue.
Do Americans torture? Now the official answer is yes, and now, perhaps some of the folks who have been in denial or 24 fantasies will finally face up to what was unspeakable just a few short years ago.
The alleged torture, which he detailed in a written statement, included being beaten, restrained for long periods in uncomfortable positions, threatened with dogs, exposed to loud music and freezing temperatures and stripped nude in front of female personnel.
I grew up in the 60's knowing that the difference between us and our enemies was clear--- we were the good guys. The sneering officer with the smoke curling around his head who quietly insisted that sooner or later they all talk was never the American. Never.
And of course, the odds of getting even one of the real, honest to goodness badguys to see justice, the true enemies who will stop at nothing, just dropped to around zero. It is a no-brainer to simply claim that the defendant was "harshly treated."
Not only are the neo-con SOB's wicked, they are stupid. An amazing record of Sadim touch--- everything golden they touch, the constitution, our military, our economy, turns to dross.
Including something that was very important to the Founding Fathers: Our sacred honor.
UPDATE* Is this just not important? No mention of this story visible on CNN.com, but at least they lead with the disaster in China. Yahoo news lead story is "10 Worst Video Game Sequels" ---which perhaps this is.
UPDATE 2* I had forgotten this but srkp23 reminds us in the comments:
Al-Qahtani, Detainee 063, is the putative reason that the "harsher interrogations" were formalized anyway. I'm reading Philippe Sands', Torture Team, which brilliantly lays it all out, with interviews with all the lawyers involved in crafting the policy. He ends each chapter (as far as I've read, at least) with an excerpt from the interrogation logs of Al-Qahtani. TIME had an article a few years back about Al-Qahtani and the logs, when they secretly received a copy: Inside the Interrogation of Detainee 063.
This reaches into new territories of incompetence.