Torture because we like to?

Eric Haney, one of the founding members of the elite Delta Force, issues a harsh assessment of the Bush administration in this interview. Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney … A: (Interrupting) That's Cheney's pursuit. The only reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it. It's about vengeance, it's ...

Eric Haney, one of the founding members of the elite Delta Force, issues a harsh assessment of the Bush administration in this interview.

Eric Haney, one of the founding members of the elite Delta Force, issues a harsh assessment of the Bush administration in this interview.

Q: What do you make of the torture debate? Cheney …

A: (Interrupting) That's Cheney's pursuit. The only reason anyone tortures is because they like to do it. It's about vengeance, it's about revenge, or it's about cover-up. You don't gain intelligence that way. Everyone in the world knows that. It's worse than small-minded, and look what it does.

The short interview is worth reading in its entirety.

That emphasis in the blockquote is mine, because that's a key point. We talked to John Yoo about this a while back, and this is how it went down:

FP: Does torture work?

JY: You would have to ask someone else with knowledge or expertise on the matter[…]I would like to say that it is my understanding that the United States does not engage in torture, and that the reports of abuses that have occurred in Iraq or elsewhere appear to have been the result of individuals acting outside official policy…

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