American Sins

What took place in the CIA torture chambers must be made public, even if it divides the nation.

They knew they were doing wrong. At least, there were enough CIA employees who had serious reservations about the brutal methods employed on al-Qaeda suspects. The FBI even withdrew its personnel because they wanted nothing to do with the sadistic CIA torturers.

The Bush administration maintained the highest levels of secrecy for these actions because it was clear even to the cynics in power that what was being done in CIA dungeons was in direct contradiction to America’s stated opposition to torture and the mistreatment of prisoners. Therefore, it was best kept hidden.

The Obama administration has reluctantly made public a five-year old internal CIA report dealing with enhanced interrogation methods, but only in excerpts. Presumably, the most volatile portions of the report have been censored. However, the uncensored portions alone, including threats to murder prisoners’ children or mock executions, show two things: a disgusting sadism in the name of freedom and a rule of law that can’t be justified, regardless of how threatened America felt after the terrorist attacks. The reports confirm that the Bush administration not only consciously permitted the torture and mistreatment of prisoners, but actively demanded it.

It is not sufficient to merely publish the details. The public has the right to know the whole truth about what took place in America’s torture chambers and what role the Bush administration played in covering it up. Attorney General Eric Holder has since appointed a special investigator who is supposed to look into the most serious charges.

President Barack Obama is not exactly enthusiastic about Holder’s investigation, but he does not intend to interfere with it. It is understandable that Obama would rather leave his predecessor’s sins to lie dormant. The difference of opinion concerning health care reform has again emphasized how deeply the nation is divided into two irreconcilable camps.

Republicans will stop at nothing in order to sabotage Obama. Their sole objective is the failure of this president. That’s why they are whipping up grassroots opposition; they want no health care reform even though they know how desperately necessary it is. If one follows the outlandish debate over reform, one can only imagine what would happen in America when it comes to the investigation of CIA agents and perhaps even to torture trials.

Republicans will again attempt to whip up the atmosphere of collective hysteria that prevailed in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Fear of possible future attacks was enough at that time to block out any rational thought. Civil rights were casually done away with. Republicans will accuse Obama of gambling with America’s security. Former Vice President Dick Cheney already made that accusation earlier this year, and it will probably become the basis for a massive Republican campaign.

Despite all this, there is no alternative to an examination of what took place in the CIA prisons. What happened there was plainly and simply unjust, and irreconcilable with the principles of American rule of law as well as the deep-seated American appreciation for human dignity and harmony. The logical consequences of such an investigation would be the indictment of those responsible for authorizing such acts, allowing and even ordering the torture and mistreatment of prisoners. George W. Bush and his vice-president Dick Cheney are the ones who must answer for America’s loss of decency and reputation.