Cheney's Daughter Defends Dick's Torture Legacy
Liz Cheney says waterboarding was a "good program"
By CAITLIN MILLAT
Updated 5:45 PM CST, Thu, Apr 23, 2009
Dick Cheney's daughter Liz Cheney, a former White House staffer, defended her dad's role in authorizing the torture of alleged terrorists Thursday, saying that waterboarding detainees should in some cases be part of the interrogation process.
The military gained valuable information from the prisoners it waterboarded -- enough of a justification for the torture techniques, Cheney said on MSNBC.
"Three people waterboarded and two people are people who gave us incredibly important and useful information, information that saved American lives after they were waterboarded," Cheney claimed, referring to Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, both high-ranking members of al-Qaeda. Mohammed was reportedly waterboarded in 183 separate incidents, while Zubaydah was subjected to the drowning simulation more than 80 times.
The necessity of waterboarding Zubaydah and Mohammed in particular has been contested over the past week, in light of recently released private memos that claim the torture treatments were recklessly performed and did more harm than good.
Cheney dismissed the memos, arguing that the torture procedures were part of a "good program" that citizens should be "proud of."
"There is nobody being clearer saying this is a good program, this saved lives than the Vice President," she said, referring to her father.
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The former Vice President has been vocal about his support for George W. Bush-era policies that allowed waterboarding to occur during his time in the White House. He's been perhaps the most vocal supporter of "enhanced interrogation techniques," and has pushed for the declassification of alleged documents that prove their efficacy.
President Barack Obama was met with immediate criticism from the GOP after he said this week he'll consider investigating and prosecuting Bush-era lawyers who signed off on waterboarding.
He initially appeared open to prosecuting Bush higher-ups who authorized the procedures, but has since flip-flopped on the position, saying he isn't sure if he'll push forward with questions. Democrats in Washington are aggressively campaigning for a full investigation of Bush-era torture policies.
Waterboarding was officially removed from the CIA's list of approved torture techniques in 2005.
First Published: Apr 23, 2009 4:36 PM CST
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