Hmmmmm

Over objections from the U.S. intelligence community, the White House is moving to declassify—and publicly release—three internal memos that will lay out, for the first time, details of the "enhanced" interrogation techniques approved by the Bush administration for use against "high value" Qaeda detainees. The memos, written by Justice Department lawyers in May 2005, provide the legal rationale for waterboarding, head slapping and other rough tactics used by the CIA. One senior Obama official, who like others interviewed for this story requested anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity, said the memos were "ugly" and could embarrass the CIA. Other officials predicted they would fuel demands for a "truth commission" on torture.
--Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball | NEWSWEEK

It's way past time for us to face up to "ugly" and deal with it.

h/t to mcjoan, who comments provocatively:

Here's something else to think about. Comey and Ashcroft and [many] other Justice Department lawyers knew about these memos, knew that torture had been authorized and planned at the highest levels of government--a group that included Ashcroft. They were cool with torture, to a degree. So what was it about the warrantless wiretapping program that was so extreme to lead to the famous hospital room showdown? To Comey's, and other DOJ lawyers, resignation threats? What was the Cheney/Yoo/Addington/Bradbury/Gonzales team either doing or planning to do on wiretapping that was worse, in these people's minds, than torture?

--the BB