Prison Interrogators' Gloves Came Off Before Abu Ghraib : "However, the memos also show that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell warned the White House that a tougher approach toward interrogation 'will reverse over a century of U.S. policy and practices in supporting Geneva Conventions and undermine the protections of the law of war for our troops, both in this specific conflict and in general.'"

Once again, Powell comes across as the one voice of reason in an otherwise borg-like administration. The rest of the LA Times piece argues that Rumsfeld authorized harsh treatment starting with John Walker Lindh, and did so with an eye toward expanding the options for interrogations. All of that makes sense, I guess, in an us v. them world, but as is true with most decisions like this, they fail to take into account the complexities of the real world. You justify harsh treatment toward potential terrorists, but then because you don't really know who is the real terrorist and who is the guy in the wrong place at the wrong time, you mistreat them all (and let God sort them out, I guess). But instead of revealing the great intelligence you hope, you end up alienating those who just disliked us before and now who think there is no reason not to support terrorism or participate against us. And, as Powell points out, you endanger every future American captured either by terrorists or by just enemy states.