CIA and Interogation Techniques. Change might not be so immeninant

One of the most controversial issues of the Bush administration was the interrogation techniques used in some out-of-country prisons. In these prisons the inmates could be essentially tortured for information. One of Obama's promises is to discontinue this, and he recently signed an executive order limiting interrogation to the 19 techniques outlined in the Army Field manual.

This article is on the recent election of Leon Panetta as the new CIA director. At 70, he is the oldest person to have run the CIA, and he was elected by unanimous consent. It discusses his views and some of what he plans to do (or not do). What I find interesting in this article, is that while Panetta will not use the "enhanced interrogation techniques" Obama has forbidden, he conceded that the 19 interrogation techniques might not be enough, and while he defined waterboarding as torture, he said that the intelligence officers who carried it out should not be prosecuted. It appears that Panetta does not intend to change much with the CIA either. The article also mentions that John Brennan was the leading candidate for CIA director until some political blogs linked him to the "enhanced interrogation techniques" and the pre-emptive war in Iraq, when he subsequently withdrew his name for consideration. While John Brennan is not the new CIA director, he is now Obama's homeland security advisor.

So what is our government saying about their actual beliefs about torture? Their words and actions seem to be doing two different things. Read the article by clicking the title of this post and form your own opinions. What do you think?