Torture Policy? You Tell Me
Reported by Donna - December 15, 2005
Today on Studio B with Shepard Smith a segment was featured with Jim Angle, who spoke about the position of the United States on the torture issue with regards to Senator John McCain's amendment.
After the segment, both Smith and myself remain unclear as to what, exactly our torture stance is.
Angle said that there was an agreement on the torture defense bill. He said the rules would remain the same no matter where U.S. detainees are held in the world. He said that the White House wanted to protect civilian interrogators and that they would fall under the Uniform Code on interrogation, they cannot be sued for following orders.
He said the question was what can be done to high value suspects, people who could be involved in future terrorist attacks. He said what we can do to them is unclear. He repeated Bush's mantra that we do not torture, this is against our law and international signings that we've done.
Then he said that therefore, it was not about torture but about these high value suspects who may be planning a future terrorist attack. He again repeated that it was unclear but McCain didn't want anything that goes against the 5th, 8th and 14th amendments. He said it depended on the interpretation of what is cruel, inhumane and degrading. He said we can't do anything that shocks the conciousness. (Comment: Huh?)
Comment: After the segment Shepard Smith said it still sounded unclear to him. Well, it definitely sounded unclear to me, I have no idea what the torture stance is after watching Fox News.
You know what? I think this administration wants it that way.
