Should We Have A Torture "Truth Commission?" - Why and Why Not

Conservatives Torn on Interrogation ‘Truth Commission’
Visions of Nancy Pelosi on the stand dance in Republicans' heads.
April 26, 2009
by Jennifer Rubin

As the facts now dribble out, conservatives may have the upper hand. Former Bush administration advisor and speechwriter Marc Thiessen points out that by huge margins Americans favor actual torture, not just rough interrogation, to get information that would save lives. And there’s plenty to suggest the the Bush team’s utilization of harsh tactics did save lives. Thiessen writes:

In numerous subsequent speeches, President Bush said that the West Coast plot was disrupted because of the CIA program. Each of those speeches was carefully reviewed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — and each time the DNI provided the White House with a classified memo stating that the contents of the speech was accurate and did not compromise sources and methods. So the Director of National Intelligence has repeatedly affirmed the accuracy of the statement that the West Coast plot was disrupted because of the CIA program.

We can add to that the growing body of information that enhanced interrogation techniques assisted in disrupting plots by Jose Padilla, the strike on U.S. Marines at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, the planned explosion of British airliners over the Atlantic, and anthrax attacks in the U.S. One senses a torrent of information is about to pour out into the public domain.
Click to read the rest of the article