I've sought further information from the staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and they confirmed for me that, in fact, the best intelligence gained from a CIA detainee -- information describing Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti's real role in al-Qaeda and his true relationship to Osama bin Laden -- was obtained through standard, non-coercive means, not through any "enhanced interrogation technique." In short, it was not torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees that got us the major leads that ultimately enabled our intelligence community to find Osama bin Laden. I hope former Attorney General Mukasey will correct his misstatement. ...Ultimately, this is about morality. What is at stake here is the very idea of America -- the America whose values have inspired the world andinstilled in the hearts of its citizens the certainty that, no matter how hard we fight, no matter how dangerous our adversary, in the course of vanquishing our enemies we do not compromise our deepest values. We are America, and we hold ourselves to a higher standard. That is what is really at stake.
-- Senator John McCain R-AZ, speech on the Senate floor, 12 May 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment