Greg Laden's Blog

We all know torture is bogus. There is no scenario in which we will torture the guy with the launch codes for the missile aimed at the orphanage. That whole scenario is just a bunch of crap.

However, torture has been used, by American officials, and since we do have, despite BushCheney's best efforts, something left, even if tattered and torn, of our constitution, it is likely that captives who were heavily tortured at Gitmo (or elsewhere) will have to either be set free or to have important charges dropped against them.

That is likely to happen with what we presume are many inmates who were incarcerated for no good reason. But will it also happen to captives who are pretty darn likely to be real bad guys?

Yes, it turns out:

The Pentagon has dropped charges against a Saudi citizen alleged to have been the "20th hijacker" in the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.

Mohammad al-Qahtani was one of six Guantanamo Bay inmates charged with murder and war crimes in February.

...

A Pentagon official said the charges against Mohammad al-Qahtani had been dropped "without prejudice", meaning they could be reinstated.

The US military gave no reason for its decision.

But lawyers for the defendant say they believe the charges were dropped because he "was tortured" under interrogation.

The decision could have implications for the other five suspects, whose lawyers claim that similar treatment was meted out to them, the BBC's Adam Brookes reports from Washington.

This is a problem the Republican Bush Administration has created, and has been sitting on, presumably, with the anticipation of handing this mess over to the next administration. Who will be forced, by the law, to release some pretty bad guys (as well as some innocent bystanders) and thus be further vilified by the right wing yahoos.

Business as usual.