Naturally, Rep. Sylvestre Reyes' amendment re-criminalizing torturous interrogations failed miserably after a brief temper tantrum from Republicans, who, as Spencer Ackerman notes, could not have stripped the amendment without Democratic acquiescence.
Marc Ambinder suggested that the White House opposed the amendment. Honestly the politics of this were idiotic. Democrats have failed to make a strong ethical case for why what torture should be illegal and why those who engage in it should be held accountable simply by refusing to hold anyone accountable. Trying to sneak this amendment into the Intelligence Authorization Act looks cowardly, if only because Democrats aren't willing to make the case why such an amendment is appropriate. All this fiasco has done is reinforce the Republicans' (im)moral case for why agents of the U.S. government should be able to abuse detainees in American custody with impunity.
-- A. Serwer
