Dubya Learns Not to Put Torture Advice in Writing

[T]he executive branch has been working somewhat less than expeditiously to produce new policy guidance after the airing and repudiation of its “torture memos” this summer. In a June 2004 press conference, White House counsel Alberto Gonzales went so far as to disown the memoranda, and explicitly say they would be revised and reissued. It now appears that this has not happened, although it’s not clear to what extent the old flawed guidance remains in effect.

Bush’s gang created a policy that permitted torture and, in their drive to correct their mistake, haven’t done anything to offer new policies. We’re still fighting a war, and we’re still detaining suspected terrorists, but now there are no guidelines about what tactics can and cannot be used to acquire information from detainees.

I suspect that guidance has been given, but that the Dubya Squad learned a lesson about not putting such things down on paper.

I modified and expanded the outline that I posted to The Picket Line on Friday and moved it to its own page. If I keep up with this drudgery, it may be a useful index to the topics I’ve covered here.