DON'T LOOK now, but the presidential administration responsible for the PATRIOT Act and the disgraceful acts at Abu Ghraib is preparing another blow to human rights. The U.S. Senate recently approved an amendment to the annual defense appropriations bill, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., which forbids "cruel, inhuman and degrading" treatment of U.S. detainees. In response, Vice President Dick Cheney handed McCain a proposal last Thursday that would exempt the Central Intelligence Agency from this restriction.
It's a mistake to immediately jump to the conclusion that the Bush administration is trying to broadly legitimize the use of torture and other inhumane practices. According to Cheney's proposal, the exemption might have to be justified by a presidential finding that "such operations are vital to the protection of the United States." Then again, the past few years should have taught us that such language creates a gray area encompassing many acts, including some that are less than noble.
The history of the war on terrorism is one filled with embarrassing incidents and stains on the United States' reputation. The best known, of course, would be the cruel treatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison by Pfc. Lynndie England and other military personnel. However, the evidence of wrongdoing by agents of the CIA is just as extensive as that of the Defense Department.
If any agency is undeserving of greater freedom from oversight now, it is the CIA. It has been largely a liability in the war on terrorism, ever since its "slam dunk" evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq turned out to be an air ball. According to The Washington Post, the CIA has been connected to the deaths of at least four detainees during interrogation and was the source of some of the heinous practices by Army personnel as well. The logical move for the administration would be to distance the country from such acts with a uniform ban stretching across all agencies.
The administration proposal, which leaves the door open for more of the same kinds of abuses, won't help the current situation one bit. The perception of U.S. wrongdoing in the Middle East makes U.S. forces seem like villains, not liberators, and each fresh revelation causes more of our allies to fall off the wagon.
More importantly, the proposal is utterly unacceptable on moral grounds. The United States has been a signatory to the Geneva Conventions for more than half a century and is supposed to support human dignity and equality everywhere. Any use of "cruel, inhuman and degrading" tactics is completely incompatible with our ideology. The United States prides itself on doing whatever is right, not whatever it can get away with.
What needs to be done is the opposite of what Cheney has proposed. The United States has lost considerable face thus far, but it can regain some by renouncing torture and related practices once and for all. There needs to be greater oversight by humanitarian organizations of the treatment of detainees to ensure that Abu Ghraib never happens again. In such a time as this, it is easy to forget that the use of such brutal methods renders the United States little better than the monsters it seeks to defeat.
So far, no real justification has been offered for the exemption. Presumably, the argument from the White House would be that drastic measures are appropriate if national security is threatened. But although accurate and complete intelligence is obviously essential in achieving victory over terrorists, it is too costly an asset if it comes at the compromise of our principles. And given the apparent disorganization that rules over at the CIA, cleaning house and increasing scrutiny on the agency would probably have a more positive impact on its valoue to the country.
President Bush has hinted that he will veto the defense spending bill if it contains the language that McCain has added. Given that the resolution passed by a 90 to nine margin, there is enough support out there for an override of such a veto -- a step that, although regrettable, would be absolutely necessary. The sentiment prevailing across party lines is that now that we are in this war, we should conduct ourselves to the highest standard. It's unfortunate that the White House doesn't seem to agree.
Matt Waring is a Cavalier Daily Viewpoint writer.
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