John McCain's Push Back Against Cheney: "Interrogations Violated Law".

McCain disagrees with Holder's decision to appoint a Special Prosecutor, but, as both the Cheney's take to the airwaves to defend the use of torture, McCain makes it very clear that he does not agree with them on this one.

"I think the interrogations were in violation of the Geneva Conventions and the convention against torture that we ratified under President Reagan."

"I think these interrogations, once publicized, helped al Qaeda recruit. I got that from an al Qaeda operative in a prison camp in Iraq... I think that the ability of us to work with our allies was harmed. And I believe that information, according go the FBI and others, could have been gained through other members."

He says that it is important that the torture programme is never repeated but doesn't say how this could be achieved without prosecutions. After all, Cheney's argument is that "torture worked" and that the programme should be continuing.

Unless it is established beyond doubt that the law was broken, then there would be nothing to stop a future Republican administration from repeating the Bush regime's illegality.

That's why, I would argue, that the architects of the policy must be prosecuted. Only then will it be established beyond doubt that the US does not tolerate torture. Prosecuting the grunts on the ground implies the opposite; that torture is, somehow legal, but that they simply went too far.

Tags: John McCain, Bush, Cheney, Torture, war crimes, prosecutions