The only thing I disagree with Glenn Greenwald about is the idea that the Obama administration’s decision to continue exerting the state’s secret privilege in the Binyam Mohamed case is aimed at covering up for Bush and Cheney’s crimes. I think it is fairly straightforward that the aim is to protect the intelligence community and, more importantly, our state-to-state relationships with Morocco, Syria, and whomever else was involved in extraordinary rendition.
What are the allegations?
The court papers describe horrific treatment in secret prisons. Mr. Mohamed claimed, for example, that during his detention in Morocco, “he was routinely beaten, suffering broken bones and, on occasion, loss of consciousness. His clothes were cut off with a scalpel and the same scalpel was then used to make incisions on his body, including his penis. A hot stinging liquid was then poured into open wounds on his penis where he had been cut. He was frequently threatened with rape, electrocution, and death.”
That’s the kind of allegation that the Obama administration is refusing to defend or admit to. I understand the quandary they find themselves in, but we need to know the truth and make amends. The Obama administration cannot allow itself to become complicit in the Bush administration’s crimes.
