No More Clever Wordplay on Torture

On Wednesday, the House adopted H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act. By passing this bill, we declared that the time has come for our troops to redeploy out of Iraq, and, just as important, we affirmed America's values and our respect for the rule of law. This measure includes language drawn from legislation authored by myself and Rep. Delahunt that would ensure a single, uniform, baseline standard for all interrogations conducted on persons in the custody or effective control of the U.S. Government.

Our bill, H.R. 4114, the American Anti-Torture Act of 2007, would extend the first part of the McCain Amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to comply with the interrogation standards set forth in the Army Field Manual, to all government agencies. This would include the CIA -- the agency reportedly responsible for carrying out the Administration's "enhanced" or "alternate" interrogation program and for operating secret overseas prisons. Simply put, this language says once and for all no more torture and no more waterboarding. No more clever wordplay, no more evasive answers, and no more uncertainty with regard to what is allowed and what is not.

We do not need torture as an available instrument of interrogation. At a recent hearing in my Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, expert interrogator Steve Kleinman, Col., US Air Force Reserve, testified that torture yields unreliable information and that the Army Field Manual provides sufficient guidance for effective interrogation. Other military experts, including General David Petraeus, similarly have spoken out against torture and in favor of the Army Field Manual's standards of conduct.

Torture, including practices like waterboarding, violates the legal and moral standards of all civilized nations. While the notion that torture works has been glorified in television shows and movies, the simple truth is this: torture has never been an effective interrogation method. The language we adopted last night helps restore the honor of the United States, and forces the Administration to act in a manner consistent with the Constitution. Torture fails to make us safe, but it certainly makes us less free.

Congressman Nadler is the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Comments

[mbaty]

This looks like a sign of progress. Torture= terror. Let's not be terrorists in the name of stopping "terrorist­s." Nobody claims that Fear is their goal anyway. But when we use such absurdly horrible tactics, it looks like we enjoy torturing. Anyone who defends torturing might be a terrorist.

[Dap]

Honorable Rep. Nadler,

I would only agree to this bill if it had clear language that it is *not* meant to be retroactive giving anyone immunity for breaking the laws of the land prior to its enactment.

As it is *quite clear* that laws were broken, as you say under the guise of "Word Play".

There should be, without any doubt, *NO* "get out of jail free card" for those that need to be held to account for their war crimes.
Agape.

[ljsfolly]

Finally we can maybe move away from the negative torture that bush and co has been using to hurt those who will lie to make it stop and the lies will no longer be used to harm another. I hope that common sense and better methods will prevail.

[freespeach]

Clever wordplay is a real pain in the ass.

Torture is torture.

Theft is theft.....
unless it is the theft of the second largest oil reserve on the planet....­..in which case it is then called a "hydrocarbon law" by Dick Cheney the criminal who cooked this up with his pals at Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell.....­but when people get wise to this wordplay then others rename it yet again calling it a "benchmark" trying to fool their voters who would surely oppose such a theft.....­....Democr­ats are the ones supporting the "benchmark" of stealing Iraq's oil.

I support you on the clever wordplay issue Congressman, how are you on that benchmark thingy?

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Rep Nadler,

Indeed, it's hard to be against torture... while practicing it.

Why is such legal, moral -- and pragmatic -- clarity so rare on Capitol Hill, if not up the street?

Which, given your subcommittee chairmanship and quite likely the leanings of your homies, leads me to... your thoughts on impeachment?

Per the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, we have not only a right -- but a "duty" -- to cast off despots.

Welcome to HuffPo. I am proud to be one of your constituents.


-- "So YOU'RE the Engineer"

;-)

[wldnswmmr]

That is an excellent and encouraging statement of principle. It's unfortunate that there is no chance of Senate passage or, even in that unlikely event, of overriding Bush's inevitable veto. But at least this sort of template can serve as model legislation when the Democrats regain control of the White House.

[swift goat pet for truth]

So?
The American people like it, and so does Congress.

[outnow]

Good work on this vitally important human rights issue! Thank you for your service to your country.