Despite previous attempts by the Bush administration to blame subordinates for physically and mentally abusing detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, a bipartisan Senate panel reportedly blames the White House, saying the abuses were the direct result of Bush administration detention policies.
The Senate Armed Services Committee report — the result of a nearly two-year investigation that directly links President Bush’s policies after the 9/11 terrorist attack, legal memos on torture, which has led to many deaths, and interrogation rule changes with the abuse photographed at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq — concludes that harsh interrogations techniques used by the CIA and the U.S. military were adapted from the training techniques used to prepare special forces personnel to resist interrogation by enemies that torture and abuse prisoners.
The abusive techniques included forced nudity, painful stress positions, sleep deprivation and waterboarding, which allegedly ended in. A lot of the report remains classified. The report was released last week by the Senate committee.
Obviously it comes as no surprise. The Bush administration continues trying to keep their crimes covered with constant stall tactics, and has barred members of Congress from gaining access to key legal documents and memos about the detainee program, including an August 2002 memo that evaluated the legality of the program. More information can be found from The San Francisco Chronicle, The Daily Kos, Media With Conscience News and Salon News. George Bush authorized the abuses and torture. Bush’s crimes are profoundly unlawful and there is no statute of limitations for war crimes. Despite confirming Bush’s illegal actions, the report did not recommend any type of accountability or corrective actions.