Amnesty for CIA Agents for use of Toture Tactics

Many of the harsher interrogation techniques that were allowed by former President Bush’s administrations policies for handling suspected terrorists who were being detained have been discontinued by current President Barack Obama. Tactics and procedures such as sleep deprivation and water-boarding, which is simulated drowning, wall slamming; fear invocation and starvation were all banned from use during President Obama’s first week in office.

If they were banned and understood as morally wrong for us as a nation to be involved in or permit these tactics to be implemented in the first place, then this leaves a big question on the table.

What about the accountability for the implementation and use of these tactics?

I can understand, and I am sure that many of you can understand as well that following orders from a superior even if they are questionable in nature is a conscious decision. Though it is a conscious decision it is generally unacceptable to question the orders and directives handed down from a superior. After all the superior whether military or business in nature is generally better informed on policy and legality than the subordinate and is in a place of accepted authority over the subordinate. That is why they are making the decisions or handing out orders to the subordinates.

But the question remains, what about the accountability for the implementation and use of these morally questionable tactics?

Those who are and should be held accountable are the ones who gave the orders, the ones who decided that these tactics were to be used.
The superiors that selected the detainees to use these tactics on and then directed the subordinates to use the interrogation tactics on them.
In other words, the ones who said it was ok to perform these operations.

Will we ever see that level of accountability and those investigations carried out?

The Justice Department has released four memos from the Bush administration, detailing techniques the CIA was able to use.

The Obama administration did not say it would protect CIA Agents who acted outside the boundaries laid out in the memos, or those non-CIA staff involved in approving the interrogation limits.

What do you think?

I don’t think anything will happen.
The Department of Justice has already made moves to rule out any criminal prosecutions and is even offering legal assistance to any CIA official subject to any international inquiries or a congressional investigation.