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Jane Mayer pushes the ball forward on the still mostly classified 2004 CIA Inspector General's report, which the administration may release Friday:
The Post said that Helgerson, who retired in May, declined to comment, but in the course of my reporting he told me he wants the C.I.A. to release the report. In his first interview on the subject, Helgerson said that he thinks it’s time for the C.I.A. to “bite the bullet.” He added, “I think we’re reaching a point where it would be a healthy thing.”What's the "bullet" in this case? Not clear. While Mayer says that Inspector General Helgerson questioned the "legality and effectiveness" of torture, it seems unlikely that the report will decisively end the torture debate, and both sides seem to have made up their minds. But it may provide more fodder for prosecution of those Mayer describes as being outside the"legal safety zone" delineated by the administration, since it may show that interrogators went beyond the limits authorized by the Bush Office of Legal Counsel.-- A. Serwer
