Denounce Torture

Concerns about Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's invlolvement in Mohamed al-Qahtani's abuse and ill-treatment are reviving discussions in the blogosphere about the need to investigate allegations of torture up the military and civilian chain of command.  The following comes from the Daily Kos:

We already know the chain of responsibility quite well.  Alberto Gonzales wrote an memorandum to President Bush warning him to renounce the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete" and also to protect Bush against future charges of War Crimes.

Michael Froomkin at Discourse.net can't believe the continued denials of high-level U.S. civilian and military officials' involvement in abuse and ill-treatment:

The other day I attended a UM Law School Federalist society meeting at which a nationally respected scholar spoke on the proper role of foreign law in the decisions of the Supreme Court [...] During the talk there were a number of quite amazing claims, [...] but surely the low point was the claim that the US does not torture people.

When challenged on it, the visiting scholar said that while there were obviously some low-level people who had acted wrongly, he'd "seen no evidence" that there were any pro-torture policies directed from the top. Although he didn't use the actual words, it was the "few bad apples" theory in all its glory. 

I share your disbelief, Michael.  How can the 'few bad apples' theory hold water in light of all the compelling evidence that officials in the highest reaches of our government are involved in detainee abuse?

Be sure to check out JURIST: Paper Chase and TalkLeft's posts.  

Tags: Rumsfeld, Human Rights, Torture, War on Terror, Bush, Geneva Convention, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Black Sites.