Letter from my California Senator regarding Bush's "torture".

Dear Mr. XXXXX:

Thank you for contacting me to share your disapproval of the Bush Administration's policies on torture. I appreciate hearing from you on this important topic.

In recent months, the American people have been confronted with continuing evidence of the Bush Administration's deliberate obfuscation of its destructive policies on torture . In October 2007, the New York Times reported on a series of Department of Justice (DOJ) memos condoning the use of torture at secret prisons worldwide.

Then in December 2007, General Hayden announced that videotapes depicting CIA operatives using harsh interrogation tactics on two al Qaeda detainees had been destroyed by the CIA in 2005. These revelations have been a grievous reminder of the Bush Administration's willingness to circumvent domestic and international law by creating secret policies that redefine the word "torture."

In early February 2008, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director General Michael Hayden acknowledged the CIA's use of simulated drowning (also known as waterboarding) on al Qaeda detainees in its custody. Shortly after this admission by the CIA, Vice President Dick Cheney adamantly defended the Administration's use of harsh interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists.

In order to make clear to this Administration that torture is not an acceptable American practice and to ensure that our government is no longer complicit in these unconscionable acts of human cruelty, I voted in favor of a provision of the Intelligence Authorization Act that would extend to the CIA and other federal agencies the same prohibition on torture already adopted by the U.S. military. This critical legislation was approved by Congress on February 13, 2008.

Unfortunately, President Bush vetoed this bill on March 8, 2008, and Republicans in the House of Representatives did not join with their Democratic colleagues to provide the two-thirds vote needed to override the veto. R est assured that despite this setback, I will continue to fight in Congress for detainee treatment that is consistent with the laws and our nation's guiding principles of fairness and justice.

Over the past weeks, both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees have been hearing testimony from current and former CIA and White House officials on the Administration's use and concealment of torture tactics. I strongly support these oversight measures, and as the committees continue their investigative hearings through the coming months, I will monitor this situation closely and work diligently in Congress to hold this Administration accountable for its actions.

Thank you again for your letter and for caring deeply about this critical matter.

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov