Tortuous Affairs of State
I see that the US military has now banned the previously-used (and defended, however poorly) interrogation techniques. This is one step, of course, but it's unlikely to be enough. I also wonder if these restraints are being immediately implemented not only in Iraq and Guantanamo, but in the smaller, secret prison locations where an estimated 10,000 other prisoners are being kept in this vague "war on terror"?
I was interested to see on Friday that around 80% of the population of Iraq disapproved of the occupation --- and that poll was taken before the prison torture scandal came to a broad, public light. (Apologies for linking to the Washington Post, which requires a simple registration.)
Keep in mind that this is the latest of the polls conducted by the occupation authority in Iraq since late last year, not some outside group with its own, counter-occupation axe to grind. That numbers that high, that negative are coming from quick interviews with Iraqi citizens at checkpoints and official offices - where they're faced with armed, occupation/coalition personnel and functionaries who often held almost life and death decisions in their hands - should inform anyone just how negative the attitude towards the occupation force must be.
Back onto the issue of torture, and who was responsible, it became clear that Rummy approved the interrogation methods, and even amended his apology to re-approve them. That what happened was likely reasonably well known and approved from much higher up than the local levels some apologists are attempting to isolate it to.
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