VP Accused of Giving Guidance for Torture

Retired U.S. Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, Chief of Staff for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, indicated on CNN yesterday that Vice President Dick Cheney provided the "philosophical guidance" and "flexibility" that led to the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities. Here's a quote:

"There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to do so originated -- in the vice president of the United States' office," he said. "His implementer in this case was [Defense Secretary] Donald Rumsfeld and the Defense Department."

Wilkerson also indicated that he believes that torture is still being used on prisoners. Here's another quote.

While he acknowledged having no proof that the United States is torturing detainees, Wilkerson said, "I can only assume that, when the vice president of the United States lobbies the Congress on behalf of cruel and unusual punishment and the need to be able to do that in order to get information out of potential terrorists... that it's still going on."

IMHO, Wilkerson is most certainly right about the U.S. being engaged in a "war of ideas" that cannot be advanced with torture.

Technorati Tags Torture, Iraq, Larry Wilkerson