We in the reality-based community always knew that the abu Ghraib abuses didn't originate with those "few bad apples," but a new Senate probe conclusively proves that Donald Rumsfeld and his senior lawyers began pushing for "harsh techniques" long before those infamous photos surfaced.
A Senate investigation unveiled today found that senior Pentagon officials began planning to use abusive tactics at Guantánamo Bay earlier than they previously acknowledged, borrowing from a programme that trained US troops to resist cruel interrogations.
New documents disclosed today show that lawyers in the army, navy and marines objected vigorously to the use of violent methods against detainees but were overruled by aides to the former US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.
Not only does torture utterly ruin our image overseas, it also puts our soldiers at risk of being tortured themselves God forbid they get captured. Thanks, Donald Rumsfeld!
