For once, I’m on the same page as Julian Sanchez. The revelation that the US threatened to kill a detainees children and rape his mother if he didn’t give them information is appalling. I don’t know that it rises to the level of “torture” specifically. But, judged purely as a technique, I severely doubt its efficacy. The breakthroughs we have made in interrogation have been those that used traditional interrogation techniques.

I suspect the torture defenders will only quibble that we didn’t actually kill any detainees’ children or rape their mothers.

I think it’s also worth nothing something caught by Chris Bodenner. Dick Cheney is standing by the CIA in their actions, but refuses to stand by the Abu Ghraib soldiers who use the same techniques with his authorization. I guess it’s harder to supporter to support the troops when there’s photographs of the terror you unleashed in your delusional paranoia.