Senate investigation: toture not effective

 Former Vice President Dick Cheney has always defended the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques."

 In August 2009, he said:

"The enhanced interrogation techniques were absolutely essential in saving thousands of American lives and preventing further attacks against the United States and in giving us the intelligence we needed to go find Al Qaeda. . . .  I think they were directly responsible for the fact that for eight years, we had no further mass casualty attacks against the United States."

At the time, it was hard to argue with the Vice President without having facts to counter his unsubstantiated "trust me, I know" claims.  In his most recent public statement, since his heart transplant, he sounded even more adamant that we should believe him -- just because he says so and he knows.

Now it seems we're about to have some real evidence.

In 2009, the Senate Intelligence Committee began a systematic investigation of the effectiveness of these interrogation techniques.   Republican members soon pulled out of the study, saying it would be impossible to interview witnesses to ensure that the CIA reports were authentic and in context.  (Translation: "We don't like the findings.")

However, the Democratic majority pressed on and now, after three years of investigations, with access to millions of pages of CIA written records charting daily operations, including "graphic descriptions of how and when controversial techniques were employed,"  Intelligence  Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein has told reporters:

"I happen to know a good deal about how those interrogations were conducted, and, in my view, nothing justifies the kind of procedures that were used."

Although no official report has been issued yet, people who are familiar with the findings have told Reuters that the committee investigators do not believe the harsh interrogation techniques produced any break-throughs in counter-terrorism efforts.

President Obama banned these harsh techniques -- torture, to be plain-spoken -- soon after he took office.  And even the Bush administration started backing off their use in 2004.

The Cheneys will never be convinced by the facts, and will likely dismiss this investigation as partisan.   But it will be good to have an official document saying there is no evidence torture worked.  Then the torture defenders will have to do something other than simply express their beliefs that it was effective.

Ralph