George W. Bush’s policies toward terror detainees were perhaps some of his most jaw-dropping. Barack Obama came to office promising to change course. So far, he has done little. It remains to be seen whether the president can—or wants to—develop a
Contrary to what many have said, supporting torture is not part of being a conservative. If continued, White House policies that tolerate it will undermine U.S. credibility, produce bad intelligence and put American soldiers at risk.
Stopping torture and changing the policies of the Bush administration may not be enough. With a whole new type of terrorist bred from extraordinary rendition and torture, the last eight years may well prove inescapable.
