re: #688 jaunte

Exactly. It’s all a matter of “Well, this is what I believe.” Damn convenient.

That’s also why the current Administration and Congress are so willing to blather on endlessly about their beliefs while doing absolutely nothing - like going to court, if they actually believe a crime has been committed. Court, though, is the last place they want to be; any court would immediately point out, as already noted, that there is no formal legal definition of torture, and until there is no charges can be brought against anyone. End of story. End of a very convenient political game.

And providing a definition can’t be used to justify retroactive prosecutions, which are forbidden by the Constitution. It would, however, put the ball squarely in Congress’ lap when the question comes up about who decided to torture or not to torture when the question arises again in the future.