Bush Admits to Approving Torture, Questionably Claims that Good Intel was Gained

Think Progress has a video clip of still-President Bush admitting during a Fox interview yesterday that he essentially approved the torture of "9/11 mastermind" Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and claimed that the interrogators got solid information from the torture sessions.

According to Think Progress's linky comments, that's not exactly true:

"Last year, Bush admitted that he was “aware” that his national security team met to discuss KSM’s interrogation, and that he approved of the meeting. His admission today suggests Bush had a far more direct role in developing the specific torture program, which included waterboarding, a freezing cell, and long periods of standing and stress positions (all of which have long been considered torture).

"What’s more, a former Pentagon intelligence analyst told Vanity Fair that 'K.S.M. produced no actionable intelligence'; another former CIA official, who read all the reports from KSM’s interrogation, said, '90 percent of it was total f*cking bullsh*t.”" (TP)

Torture is against federal law (18 U.S.C 2340 & 2341), and some military and intelligence experts have found it ineffective, to boot. 

The illegality and lack of effectiveness begs the question: why were President Bush and many of his underlings so gung-ho on torture?

Memeorandum has commentary.

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* Real Bonuses Based on Fake Profits

* Cleaning up Political & Corporate Culture Could Help Economy

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