Bush Torture Ban Full of Loopholes

Prof. David Cole: "We have learned that when President Bush says, "We don't torture," it's important to read the fine print. . . . The actual tactics the CIA is authorized to use remain classified. . . . [T]he president's order appears to permit cutting or bruising a suspect so long as the injury does not risk death, significant functional impairment or 'extreme physical pain,' an entirely subjective term. . . . [T]he order creates no rights enforceable by any victim against the United States or its employees, while expressly offering CIA employees a defense against any attempt to hold them liable for abuse. The ultimate purpose of the law, in other words, is to protect the potential perpetrators, not the potential victims."