Robert Weiner And Daniel Khan On Torture: "A Plague On Both Our Houses - the Nation Has Yet To Come To Grips With Its Own Truth" - Featured Article, #2 In Nation, In OpEd News

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Torture is "A Plague on Both our Houses" because neither party actually has moved to end it or prosecute perpetrators of the practice, while the CIA continues it in foreign countries, assert former White House spokesman Robert Weiner and policy analyst Daniel Khan in Op-Ed News.  The piece is featured as "H2", the number two op-ed in the nation.

Weiner and Khan wrote the piece regarding the involvement of the CIA in torture programs.  The CIA has been outsourcing torture for years, in addition to contracting and condoning it. Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Trump have offered highly contrasting views on torture, with Clinton opposed and Trump advocating "worse".  However, neither candidate mentions the CIA's role in torture, only highlighting the Army's role. 

Weiner and Khan conclude, "The nation has yet to come to grips with its own truth about what we do about torture."

Weiner and Khan said in the article, "The nation is divided as it continues to debate torture of terror detainees. Yet as much as torture is condemned by many, including the President, there really is "a plague on both our houses", since Trump wants "worse" but Democrats have prosecuted no one who created the program or CIA officials (and their administration high ups) who condone and contract it out to foreign countries."

They wrote, "The presidential conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia and the ongoing campaigns have reflected the conflict. At a rally in St. Clairsville, Ohio, in response to a question about waterboarding, Trump said, 'I don't think it's tough enough.'  He added later that he supported 'much worse.'  To sound tough on terror, we heard 'law and order' repeatedly at the Republican Convention in Cleveland."

They said, "The Democratic National Convention's platform voted by the delegates July 26 states, 'We reject Donald Trump's suggestion that our military should engage in war crimes, like… torturing prisoners.'"

Weiner and Khan elaborated, "On July 28, Clinton's Democratic nomination night, Gen. John Allen addressed the delegates: 'I also know our armed forces will not become an instrument of torture, and they will not be ordered to engage in murder or carry out other illegal activities.' Again, it is noteworthy that he referenced our armed forces, not the CIA's or executive branch accountability."

The authors noted, "On August 31 in Cincinnati, before the American Legion, Clinton criticized Trump 'if our Commander-in-Chief orders our military to break the laws and commit torture or murder terrorists' family members. That is why it is so critical we get this right.'  Yet there is no acknowledgement of the CIA's involvement."

The writers pointed out, "At an August 15 rally in Scranton, PA, Vice President Biden said Trump  'knows it's illegal, and says he would still order it even though the military commanders said they would not obey his orders.' Once again, what's missing here from Biden is any mention of who is committing or subcontracting the torture, not the army commanders, but the CIA," according to Weiner and Khan.

Weiner and Khan mention that "Despite House Dean and Judiciary Committee Democratic Leader John Conyers' (D-MI) call at the National Press Club back in 2009 for prosecutions, no one has been prosecuted under President Obama." The authors highlight that, "On his second day in office, January 22, 2009, Obama signed an order that an individual in U.S. custody "shall not be subjected to any interrogation technique or approach… not authorized by and listed in Army Field Manual." 

However, the writers contend that "the issue is no longer the Army.  The CIA – who conducts or farms out the harshest techniques -- has never considered itself subject to the Army Field Manual. Senator McCain, a torture victim in Vietnam, got talked out of an amendment he was offering to mandate CIA adherence in 2006."

The authors mention that, "This June 16 at the National Press Club, Morris Davis, the chief prosecutor for Guantanamo's military commissions, stated, 'Until we hold people accountable, we're talking the talk, but…we would consider these war crimes if they were being done to us.'"

Weiner and Khan note, "In a March 13, 2015 interview with Fox's Megyn Kelly, CIA Director John Brennan said, 'There are places throughout the world where CIA has worked with other intelligence services and has been able to bring people into custody and engage in the debriefings.'  According to the Open Society Foundation, the U.S. has conducted rendition -- farming out torture -- to 54 countries since 9/11. As confirmed by prosecutor Morris at the National Press Club, Guantanamo Bay's director of interrogation, Gen. Jeff Miller, was sent to Iraq's Abu Ghraib to 'Gitmo-ize' the questioning, which as we saw in photos, included bags on heads, prisoners dangled in contorted positions, electric shock to body parts, and extreme cold while forced naked."

They go on, "Democrats are better on the issue—at least they make statements opposing torture.  Yet even this Administration, for whom President Obama issued a powerful statement on June 26 this year for the 'International Day of Victims of Torture', has prosecuted no leader of the practice."

They point out, "While no legal action has occurred in America against the U.S. officials that ordered, condoned, coordinated, and engaged in torture, other countries are not so compliant."

Weiner and Khan say, "In 2012, Kuala Lumpur, Maylasia's War Crimes Commission found Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and their advisors, Alberto Gonzalez, David Addington, William Hayes, Jay Bybee, and John Yoo guilty of war crimes after trying them in absentia.  Spanish prosecutors brought charges against Gonzales.  Italy's high court convicted 23 Americans for kidnapping a Muslim cleric, Abu Omar, who claimed to be tortured in Egypt.  The United Nations Rapporteur for Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism said, "They are considered as war crimes."

The authors explain, "Michael Ratner, a professor at Columbia Law School and former president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who died this May, said: "The only way to prevent this from happening again is to make sure that those who were responsible for the torture program pay the price for it. I don't see how we regain our moral stature by allowing those who were intimately involved in the torture programs to simply walk off the stage." 

At the end, the writers point out some hope for transparency: "A civil suit authorized by a Spokane, Washington federal judge against two creators of CIA's interrogation has been brought by the family of Gul Rahman, an Afghan refugee who froze to death at a CIA black site.  Steven Watt, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU says, 'This is the first step towards accountability.' The suit is current and documents are being filed."

Weiner and Khan conclude, "The nation has yet to come to grips with its own truth about what we do about torture."

Robert Weiner is a former spokesman for the Clinton White House and the House Government Operations Committee. He has served as senior staff for Gen. Barry McCaffrey, Congressmen John Conyers, Charles Rangel, Claude Pepper, Ed Koch, and Sen. Edward Kennedy.  Daniel Khan is senior policy analyst at Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change.

LINK TO ARTICLE: http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-plague-on-both-our-house-by-Robert-Weiner-Bush_Democrats_Detainees_Interrogation-160902-76.html

Head shots:
Robert Weiner: http://www.weinerpublic.com/bobweiner2.jpg
Daniel Khan: http://www.weinerpublic.com/dkhan.jpg

Contacts:  Bob Weiner/Ben Lasky 301-283-0821, cell 202-306-1200 [email protected]

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates and Solutions for Change