OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. Human-rights advocates are, not surprisingly, dismayed by the executive order that authorizes the CIA to use severe interrogation methods on terrorism suspects being held overseas. Over the past two and a half years, I have spoken with individuals who have described some of the harsh techniques, including exposure to extreme heat and cold as well as methods not on official lists (i.e. the use of Taser-like devices), used on them in U.S. custody in Iraq. “We are above the law,” one interrogator reportedly told an Iraqi prisoner I interviewed -- along with other lines that sounded as if they had been lifted from a B-movie script. Cliched or not, the dialogue seemed to capture a sense of impunity the interrogators felt. These interrogators may be even more emboldened by the president’s order. There are other problems. The harsh interrogation techniques are approved only for the CIA. But those employed by the CIA, or “Other Government Agencies,” as it is sometimes known, often work alongside Army interrogators, according to human-rights advocates. It may be difficult to maintain two sets of standards -- one for the CIA and a stricter one for the military -- when they are both assisting in the interrogation of the same prisoner. --Tara McKelvey
