Torture Tapes Destroyed

The CIA admitted to destroying videotape of of interrogation of two Al Qaeda suspects. The Agency destroyed the tapes in 2005 out of fear of potential criminal prosecution. If that isn't a tipoff that the CIA and White House is violated the law then I don't know what is. The CIA would not have destroyed the tapes if they weren't concerned that their actions qualified as torture. The Geneva Conventions (which the United States signed) is quite clear on this.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

The Bush administration has violated all of these rules. Children have been held prisoner. Khaled El-Masri was illegally kidnapped. Alberto Gonzales contends that there is no express right to habeas corpus. The White House has maintained that violated our rights is to keep us safe. You can guess how CIA Director Michael Hayden explains why evidence was destroyed.

General Hayden said in a statement that leaders of Congressional oversight committees were fully briefed on the matter, but some Congressional officials said notification to Congress had not been adequate.

"This is a matter that should have been briefed to the full Intelligence Committee at the time," an official with the House Intelligence Committee said. "This does not appear to have been done. There may be a very logical reason for destroying records that are no longer needed; however, this requires a more complete explanation. "

Hayden's statement doesn't pass the bullshit test. The 9-11 Commission asked if such tapes existed. The CIA never handed any tapes over Philip D. Zelikow, never knew of the tapes existence.

"The commission did formally request material of this kind from all relevant agencies, and the commission was assured that we had received all the material responsive to our request," said Philip D. Zelikow, who served as executive director of the Sept. 11 commission and later as a senior counselor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The policy of the Bush administration is deny, cover up, get caught, lie and repeat cycle. Nothing they say should be taken at face value.