"Investigating the Interrogators"

On July 21, Los Angeles Times' editorial board published an article regarding whether or not the CIA was using an unjustifiable amount of interrogation towards suspected terrorists. The writer expresses his opinion saying, "One of the most shameful chapters in the war against terrorism was the complicity of George W. Bush's Justice Department in the CIA's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" — in plain language, torture — to extract information from suspected terrorists." The author of, "investigating the interrogators," claims that "former Assistant Atty. Gen. Jay S. Bybee acknowledged that the department did not approve some of the most revolting methods employed by the agency, including the repeated waterboarding of two high-value detainees." It is relevant the author's intended audience should be those who opposed George W. Bush's policies within the Justice Department.

In the article, the author brings to light some of the interrogating techniques
used by the CIA. Some are, waterboarding, solitary confinement, facial slaps, shackling them to ceiling hooks, and punching them. There is reasoning behind the methods used by the CIA and if men like Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged 9/11 mastermind, chose not to terrorize the United States then the CIA wouldn't be under such scrutiny. In my opinion, the CIA does what no one else wants to do or even wants to hear about. They are trying to keep America safe as well as do what they were told. After the tragedy of 9/11, Bush was under a lot of pressure to retaliate and/or assure the safety of the Republic. It is somewhat of a, "your damned if you do, damned if you don't." If the CIA was too lenient, the media would say they aren't doing enough.

The writer might have a valid argument that the CIA went to far interrogating the detainees. Yet at the same time I feel the CIA can be compared to our soldiers that come home from war and are expected to continue normal everyday life. There is a line that is hard for them not to cross when they are witness to such terror. I am not saying this is an excuse but when a person is given permission to hurt someone (terrorists) a little, after a while, it might become hard to stop.

The writer suggests in the end that they "prosecute the wrongdoers." If we prosecuted every "wrongdoer" think about how long that chain would be. Can't we just let it go and move on? Obama even says, "look forward, not back."