Torture Reform Illuminates US Atrocity

To paraphrase one of the more ignominious comments from the Iraq war, “We go to war with the defense secretary we have, not the one that we want.” A bipartisan Senate committee recently released a torture report that highlights then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s endorsement of the abuses of detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq and at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He certainly didn’t act alone, as the report points to several top administration officials, including President Bush. But the Senate Armed Services report points to Rumsfeld as the brains behind a venture outside traditional military protocols and the Geneva Conventions when it comes to the treatment of prisoners/ SR Editorial Board . More here . Question: Can the US be forgiven some of the torture techniques it used in the Middle East wars b/c it was dealing with thugs who major in torture?