Torture Nation, a Military Perspective

Most people are aware of Dick Cheney running around the US claiming that torture was necessary to keep the American people safe and that Obama was a dangerous radical who undercut the essential policies of the Bush administration. Cheney claimed "secret knowledge" which justified his claims that Obama was making the US more unsafe and that the country needed to return to the "good old torture days" of Bush and Cheney.

Well... here's an article published in a military journal saying this isn't true. From the final paragraph of an article by John A. Wahlquist published in Parameters, U.S. Army War College Quarterly:

President Obama’s executive order on interrogation provides an excellent opportunity to end abusive practices and to propose a new agenda for intelligence interviewing that increases the capability to collect accurate information from enemy detainees effectively and humanely. Seizing this opportunity is essential to increasing the chances of success for counterterrorism operations worldwide and reducing risks to the lives of American service members and civilians, as well as detainees. Doing so enhances the broader national security agenda without sacrificing American values.

Go read the whole article. Quit letting Cheney try to brainwash you with his political spin.

This article looks at two viewpoints. The "torture them until they sell their grandmother down the river" approach of Cheney:

In an October 2006 interview, then-Vice President Dick Cheney agreed with his host that the use of waterboarding on high-value detainees
was a “no-brainer” because it “provided us enormously valuable information” that contributed to saving American lives.

And the viewpoint a so-called military "genius" named Napoleon:

"[The] barbarous custom of whipping men suspected of having important secrets to reveal must be abolished. It has always been recognized that this method of interrogation, by putting men to the torture, is useless. The wretches say whatever comes into their heads and whatever they think one wants to believe. Consequently, the Commander-in-Chief forbids the use of a method which is contrary to reason and humanity.”

Who are you going to believe? The brilliant Veep or that over-rated little general?

OK, putting all kidding aside, the article is interesting and will help you understand the ins-and-outs of the debate. Read this and you will get the various viewpoints on this issue.