The torture/intelligence sharing allegations

[sunset_guy]

I'm glad Nick Clegg has pointed out that this all "smacks of a cover-up".

You can read the case yourself here - you can thank my legal research skillz for that ;)

Here's

Comments

[andy_godfrey]

Ooh this is a nice layout. And hooray, Nick Clegg said something!

[one_to_tango]

One could argue (and I'm not sure I would) that, as long as the Obama administration makes a clean cut with the past and puts a stop to these abuses, then perhaps we should bury the hatchet let the US turn over a new leaf.

But, in terms of principles, where does that leave the buggers who may/may not have been tortured? And certainly weren't given due process of law.

And secondly, thinking pragmatically, doesn't the Americans not letting us release this information point towards a continuation of the culture of administrative secrecy that permeated the Bush administration, and is perhaps thus also indicative of 'other things' carrying on as usual?

(Of course, that's a slippery slope argument that isn't necessarily valid, but whatever the facts or not, that's what it might look like. After all, what need such secrecy if you aren't doing anything wrong?)

[sunset_guy]

The US has admitted (Sharon Crawford, the head of the tribunals in Guantanamo, did so even before Obama was sworn in) that it did things wrong.

Their argument is that we (the public) shouldn't know about it because it would impair their national security (by revealing agents/methods of obtaining information/etc). Which is obviously a horrendously flawed argument, because how else will we know that the methods for obtaining information are legitimate?

Anyway, all this is covered in the fascinating judgment that I will - now that I'm officially off work - hopefully get a chance to summarise. :)

[one_to_tango]

I look forward to reading it!

And how can it damage national security to release details of techniques that they're committed to no longer use!. Methinks the White House needs to fire a few of the old guard staff, pour encourager les autres.

[sunset_guy]

Et voila. Not really a "summary", as much as an account of what I thought were the most pertinent passages.

Obama is quite deliberately not punishing anyone from the "Old Guard", given the whole 'spirit of bipartisanship' he is trying to create - and given what many suspect would be the significant lowering of morale of the American intelligence community were he to do anything else.

I'm not saying I don't agree with you, but I'm just reasoning in practice why I think he hasn't...