VOA常速英语2008年-US Lawmakers Continue Debate Over 'Waterboardin

By Dan Robinson
Capitol Hill
07 February 2008

Lawmakers pressed the U.S. attorney general on Thursday for more specifics about the legal justifications² used by the Bush administration in authorizing³ the past use of the extreme interrogation technique known as waterboarding. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, the subject was also a major topic in congressional hearings, and the focus of more questions at a White House briefing, as the debate continues over interrogation techniques.

Officials are now telling Congress that President Bush made a specific decision to provide additional information about the use of waterboarding because of the way the issue was being reported in the media.

That new information came in a congressional hearing this week when CIA director Michael Hayden revealed that the technique was used on three al-Qaida terrorist suspects in the wake of the September 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on the United States, although not in the past five years or so.

But in his latest appearance on Capitol Hill, before the House intelligence committee, Hayden faced more tough questions about why the CIA employed the technique, and why it insists on retaining the option to use it again.

He had this exchange with Congressman⁴ Rush Holt, a New Jersey⁵ Democrat⁶.

HOLT: "My question is when you must use them and why you must retain them, what is the justification¹, when [and] what circumstances, or why?"

HAYDEN: "[When] an unlawful combatant is possessing information that would help us prevent catastrophic loss of life of Americans or their allies."

Hayden said that in the overwhelming majority of cases involving detainees in the CIA program, enhanced interrogation techniques were not needed.

But Representative Holt went on to ask FBI director Robert Mueller and Lt. General John Maples⁸, who heads the Defense⁹ Intelligence Agency, why their organizations do not use the techniques.

MUELLER: "From the perspective of the FBI, our protocol¹⁰ is not to use coercive techniques. That is our protocol, we have lived by it, and it is sufficient and appropriate for our mission here in the United States."

MAPLES: "The Army Field Manual guides our efforts and the efforts of the armed forces."

HOLT: "That is satisfactory for all of your interrogations?"

MAPLES: "Yes sir, we believe that the approaches that are in the Army Field Manual give us the tools that are necessary for the purpose under which we are conducting interrogation."

In a separate hearing, House judiciary committee chairman John Conyers pressed U.S. attorney general, Michael Mukasey, to explain why he has refused to open a formal investigation¹¹ into past use of waterboarding.

CONYERS: "Are you ready to start a criminal investigation into whether this confirmed use of waterboarding by U.S. agents was illegal?"

MUKASEY: "No I am not for this reason. Whatever was done as part of a CIA program, at the time that it was done, was the subject of a Department of Justice opinion through the Office of Legal Counsel, and was found to be permissible¹² under the law as it was then."

Mukasey said that to launch an investigation simply because past use of waterboarding was confirmed would be to place past and future Department of Justice opinions in question.

In an exchange with Republican Congressman John McHugh, CIA director Hayden was pressed to clarify his agency's current thinking on waterboarding and appeared to cast doubt on the legality of the practice:

MCHUGH: "And it is your understanding and your method of operation right now that that is a prohibited technique?"

HAYDEN: "It is not a technique that I have asked for, it is not included in the current program, and my own view, the view of our lawyers, and the Department of Justice, it is not certain that that technique would be considered to be lawful⁷ under current statute¹³."

The White House continues to defend the justice department legal opinions supporting the CIA's use of waterboarding, saying they were necessary to protect Americans against further terrorist attacks.

Deputy press spokesman Tony Fratto was asked whether the White House was refusing to rule out use of waterboarding in the future.

"I think we acknowledge that it had been done in the past in an exceedingly limited way, with safeguards and under certain circumstances.," he said. "We have made clear that the law has changed that has given greater clarity to these questions and to the policy of the U.S. but we are not going to speculate on the future, that is all we have said."

Amnesty International issued a statement Thursday criticizing Mukasey's refusal to open an investigation, saying the Bush administration's refusal to call waterboarding torture a double standard.

Attorney General Mukasey told judiciary panel chairman Conyers that while the Department of Justice cannot simply turn over the specifics text of its legal opinion, it can be the subject of future briefings.

Lawmakers also continue to investigate another aspect of the controversy¹⁴ over interrogation, the CIA's destruction, undisclosed at first, of interrogation videotapes, a matter that is also the subject of a justice department probe.

1 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

2 justifications   

正当的理由，辩解的理由( justification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If he a vulgar person, she does not have justifications for him. 如果他是个低级趣味的人，她早就不会理他了。
• It depends on their effect on competition and possible justifications. 这则取决于它们对于竞争的影响和可能存在的正当抗辩理由。

3 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

8 maples   

槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木

参考例句：

• There are many maples in the park. 公园里有好多枫树。
• The wind of the autumn colour the maples carmine . 秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

11 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

12 permissible   

adj.可允许的，许可的

参考例句：

• Is smoking permissible in the theatre?在剧院里允许吸烟吗？
• Delay is not permissible,even for a single day.不得延误，即使一日亦不可。

13 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

14 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。