Closing In on the Torturers

By Ray McGovern

Do you think the wardens will let George Tenet wear his Presidential Medal of Freedom over the orange coverall?

Perhaps he and Donald Rumsfeld will end up doing time together in one of the prisons also slated to host what Rumsfeld called "the worst of the worst" from Guantanamo.

That would be poetic justice of a most ironic kind.  And if the two former leaders do end up in prison they can count themselves fortunate for having dodged execution for their roles in a slew of capital offenses.

You see, punishments for violations of the War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. 2441), applicable in their case, include the death penalty-often the sentence of choice if detainees die in their custody.  And countless have.

Before you question my sanity, please know that I just completed the arduous task of reading the aging but devastating CIA Inspector General's report on torture.

Sickening

You can be forgiven for holding your nose while paging through the redacted version of the "CIA Inspector General's Special Review of Counterterrorism Detention and Interrogation Activities (September 2001 - October 2003)."  Although heavily sanitized, it is still nauseating.

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