Apr 21, 2009 8:45 am US/Pacific
Cheney Defends Interrogation Techniques
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
-
-
Vice President Dick Cheney sits in the back of the State Dining Room during a dinner in honor of Ghana President John Kufuor at the White House on Sept. 15, 2008, in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Former Vice President Dick Cheney says the U.S. government gained valuable intelligence from its aggressive interrogations of high-value detainees after the September 2001 terrorist attacks.
The government's methods are described in documents newly released by the Obama administration and have drawn new scrutiny over what might be appropriate treatment - or what might be construed as torture.
Many of the old interrogation methods - including so-called "water boarding" - have been banned. Waterboarding involves putting a person in the prone position and pouring water on a wet towel over his face to simulate drowning. Other tactics entail stripping a detainee naked, depriving him of sleep, physically striking him and putting a hood over his head.
But in an interview with Fox News Channel, Cheney said Monday that what hasn't been revealed publicly is what the U.S. gained as a result of these activities.
"I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country," Cheney said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
CBS News Interactive: Dick Cheney
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments