In addition to signing an executive order to close Guantanamo and CIA “Black Sites”, the president also signed an order which further prohibits the use of torture. Here’s the good news:
_Required all U.S. personnel to follow the U.S. Army Field Manual while interrogating detainees. The manual explicitly prohibits threats, coercion, physical abuse and waterboarding, a technique that creates the sensation of drowning and has been termed a form of torture by critics.
“All personnel,” it says. So this would ostensibly include CIA interrogators. As you might recall, there was legislation banning the use of torture by the CIA. This bill failed and, strikingly, John McCain not only voted against the bill, but also urged Bush to veto it.
But here’s the bad news — if accurate:
However, a Capitol Hill aide says that the administration also is planning a study of more aggressive interrogation methods that could be added to the Army manual — which would create a significant loophole to Obama’s action Thursday.
Now the AP has a reputation as a stridently anti-Obama news agency, so take this information with a grain of salt. That said, if it’s accurate, well, let’s hope it’s not.
