“After urging Bush to fight the incoming administration’s desire to close Guantanamo, [neo-con chicken-hawk William] Kristol concludes with this:
‘One last thing: Bush should consider pardoning–and should at least be vociferously praising–everyone who served in good faith in the war on terror. . . . The CIA agents who waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and the NSA officials who listened in on phone calls from Pakistan, should not have to worry about legal bills or public defamation. In fact, Bush might want to give some of these public servants the Medal of Freedom at the same time he bestows the honor on Generals Petraeus and Odierno. They deserve it.’
In the Bush era, the Medal of Freedom has come to absurdly represent a reward for those who carried out policy failures at the urging of the Bush administration. By this standard, the implementers of torture and warrantless wiretapping certainly qualify for such a medal. ” (Read more from thinkprogress.org)
“Rep. Reyes: Since Torture Might Be Necessary, Obama Should Keep Torture Apologists Hayden, McConnell Reyes dismissed concerns over Hayden and McConnell’s records as apologists for torture. He insisted that that ‘there are some options that need to be available’ to interrogators — presumably beyond the Army Field Manuel — to get the best information:
Regarding the CIA’s alternative interrogation program, Reyes indicated that his recommendations concerned finding a balance so the agency does not use torture but can get valuable information from suspected terrorists or other detainees.
‘There are those that believe that this particular issue has to be dealt with very carefully because there are beliefs that there are some options that need to be available,’ Reyes said.” (Read more from prisonplanet.com)