You Tell Me

From a Feb. 7, 2002 memo signed by President Bush: "None of the provisions of Geneva apply to our conflict with al-Qaida inAfghanistan." But, he said, " United States armed forces shall continue to treat detainees humanely, consistent with military necessity." On Aug. 1, 2002, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel sent a memo and a letter to their White House counterparts. They defined torture this way, "The victim must experience intense pain or suffering of the kind that is equivalent to the pain that would be associated with serious physical injury, so severe that death, organ failure, or permanent damage resulting in a loss of significant body function will likely result." http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/jan-june04/prisoners_6-23.html