We Don’t Discuss Interrogation Techniques until We Want toIt was one of the most familiar refrains from the White House’s mouthpieces over the past several years: we don’t discuss interrogation techniques. Take, for instance, this characteristic exchange between White House spokeswoman Dana Perino and a reporter at a briefing in December, after Perino explained that “al Qaeda listens closely to everything that we do and say”…
Q But when you have a former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, now saying that waterboarding was used — since you’re saying the interrogations were legal; he’s saying on the record now, waterboarding was used in at least one case. You’re saying waterboarding is legal?MS. PERINO: Ed, I’m saying I’m not commenting on any specific technique. I’m not commenting on that gentleman’s characteristics of any possible technique. I’ve given you a very general statement about interrogations being legal, limited and —
Q You just said it was legal.
MS. PERINO: I’m sorry?
Q You said it was within the legal framework.
MS. PERINO: Yes.
Q Everything that was done.
MS. PERINO: Yes.
Q So waterboarding is legal.
MS. PERINO: I’m not commenting on any specific techniques. And you can ask me all sorts of different ways, and we can go back and forth, but I’m not going to do it, Ed.
Only a few weeks ago, the line was still in vogue. But no more.
What’s changed? Congress is pushing legislation that would limit the use of waterboarding, in addition to other enhanced interrogation techniques. So “the consensus” in the administration was to reverse course.
It’s reminiscent of the White House’s recent reversal with regard to documents concerning the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. For nearly a year, they ignored the House intelligence committee’s request. But now that retroactive immunity is being fiercely contended in the new surveillance bill, the White House had a change of heart.
Note: TPM Reader BM writes in to ask that we remind readers on what this medieval torture technique entails. Not a bad idea. See here for a detailed description by former Navy instructor Malcolm Nance and here for a history lesson.