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In an article in the Wall Street Journal Michael Hayden and Michael Mukasey have given up their right to plead the Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination by approving of, going along with and condoning torture. The reason they've given up that right is that once you have incriminated yourself publicly in a published article, it goes on record and can be used against you.
In the article, The President Ties His Own Hands on Terror, referring to the Bush administration Office of Legal Counsel's notorious torture memos, "These techniques were applied only when expressly permitted by the director, and are described in these opinions in detail."
This is called begging the question, implying that whatever the director says is legal when it obviously is not. They avoid the fact that the law determines what is legal, not the director.
Quoting further from the article, "The release of these opinions was unnecessary as a legal matter, and is unsound as a matter of policy."
The release of the torture memos was not a legal matter, it was done as a sound policy of uncovering and exposing the illegality of the Bush administration.
"...it was certainly the president's right to suspend use of any technique."
Obama must be greatly relieved that these guys have given him the right to do what he already had not only the right but the legal obligation to do.
The release of the torture memos, "assures that terrorists are now aware of the absolute limit of what the U. S. government could do to extract information from them."
It actually assures the terrorists that the United States under the Bush administration had no limit, absolute or not, on what they would do to extract information from them. This ensures that any US personnel captured by the terrorists will be treated likewise.
"President Obama has tied not only his own hands but also the hands of any future administration faced with the prospect of attack."
Well, I would certainly hope so. I would hope that President Obama or any future president would gladly limit themselves to following the law.
"Disclosure of the techniques...will also incur the contempt of our enemies."
"Will?" As if our enemies don't already have contempt for us because of the use of the techniques.
The terrorists are likely to be, "shamed into giving up violence by the news that the U. S. will no longer interrupt the sleep cycle."
Keeping someone awake for 11 days is seen by Hayden and Mukasey as only interrupting the sleep cycle. As if sleep cycles occur only once every 11 days.
"...fully half of the government's knowledge about the structure and activities of al Qaeda came from these interrogations."
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