When the details of Abu Ghraib broke, the CIA was implicated by those involved the in the abuse and torture. They -- to a man and woman -- said their "orders" to conduct these abuses came from above, the actions they were directed to "apply" to the prisoners were detailed by the CIA, and they were supervised by the CIA. In the photos of the abuse at Abu Ghraib, you can see persons not in military uniforms, but civilian clothes.

From Wikipedia:

"The United States Department of Defense removed seventeen soldiers and officers from duty, and seven soldiers were charged with dereliction of duty, maltreatment, aggravated assault and battery. Between May 2004 and September 2005, seven soldiers were convicted in courts martial, sentenced to federal prison, and dishonorably discharged from service. Two soldiers, Specialist Charles Graner, and his former fiancee, Specialist Lynndie England, were sentenced to ten years and three years in prison, respectively, in trials ending on January 14, 2005 and September 26, 2005. The commanding officer at the prison, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, was demoted to the rank of Colonel on May 5, 2005. Col. Karpinski has denied knowledge of the abuses, claiming that the interrogations were authorized by her superiors and performed by subcontractors, and that she was not even allowed entry into the interrogation rooms.

On December 21, 2004, the American Civil Liberties Union released copies of FBI internal memos they had obtained under the Freedom of Information Act concerning alleged torture and abuse at Guantanamo Bay, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. One memo dated May 22, 2004 was from someone whose name was blanked out but was described in the memo as "On Scene Commander "Baghdad".[83] He referred explicitly to an Executive Order that sanctioned the use of extraordinary interrogation tactics by U.S. military personnel. The methods explicitly mentioned as being sanctioned are sleep deprivation, hooding prisoners, playing loud music, removing all detainees' clothing, forcing them to stand in so-called "stress positions", and the use of dogs. The author also claimed that the Pentagon had limited use of the techniques by requiring specific authorization from the chain of command. The author identifies "physical beatings, sexual humiliation or touching" as being outside the Executive Order. This was the first internal evidence since the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse affair became public in April 2004 that forms of abusive coercion and torture of captives had been mandated by the President of the United States.[84]

The Final Report of the Independent Panel to Review DoD Detention Operations did specifically absolve senior U.S. military and political leadership from direct culpability:

I like Keith Olbermann. Generally, his analysis is spot on. But tonight, I think he was off the mark.

The release of the CIA torture memos by the Obama administration is a big deal. The New York Times suggested in their story -- which leaked portions of the torture memos -- that the leak  came from inside the CIA as a "shot across the bow" of the new administration. In essence, the Times suggested, career CIA execs were throwing down the gauntlet: "cross us, and you'll be sorry. Release the memos, and you'll pay for it. Leon Panetta will get as much or less cooperation than Porter Goss received. And you know how that turned out." They were basically telling the Obama administration to withhold the memos or else.

But President Obama has always signaled that he more prudent. And while stringing members of the Bush administration up by the heels (apparently not torture) hasn't been one of his priorities, he is dedicated to following the rule of law and the constitution and treaties on which the US has penned its signature.

The Bush administration went out of its way to create loopholes and redefine the law to "allow" them to torture. That is not what the Obama administration is doing. Obama has said, flat out, "the United States does not torture." The Bush administration said, "That depends on what the definition of torture is." By releasing the memos, the Obama administration has said, "this is the definition of torture: keep a guy awake eleven straight days, that's torture. Slam a guy's face and head into a wall repeatedly, that's torture. Waterboarding is torture. Stress positions, torture. What the Bush administration did is torture people. Tortured them in violation of our laws, our treaty agreements, our moral imperative."

And what the Obama administration has done is -- at least to me -- as effective as trial. It has put in the immediate historical record exactly what Bush and company authorized in their own words. It is not released under the pressure of a Freedom of Information Act  (FOIA) request. It is not released 12 years after the administration has ended, but just 12 weeks. Now while the wounds (so to speak) are still fresh, tender, raw, visible. Released while it still hurts, so sense memory cannot kick in and say, "It wasn't that bad."

Time will tell what Spain or other countries will do with regards to Alberto Gonzalez, Dick Cheney and others. By releasing the memos, the Obama administration has dropped the file and it lies open on the sidewalk. Anyone walking by can read the contents. Whatever details Spain or the private citizens who were renditioned for no reason need to pursue their cases is now available in full in the public domain.

Just 12 weeks in to his administration, Obama has done the right thing. We have no truth and reconciliation commission in this country. And we do need  one. But in lieu of that, let the truth come out as it will. The Obama administration released the memos the Bush administration fought so hard to keep secret.

That is a good thing.

Tomorrow, all across the country there will be tea parties galore. Here's a little tea party etiquette. Enjoy with pinky raised and tongue in firmly in cheek.

Use good bone china. If you're looking for quality, you've got to go bone. It's so hard, it's brittle. And pressure in the wrong place can make it snap. But, if you take good care of your cups and saucers, your bits and pieces, you wash them gently with mild soap and water, use a nice soft towel to dry them, and keep a little padding between them so they don't scratch or chafe, they'll serve you well.

Now for your table to be well-laid, you're going to need some cream, and some sugar lumps. People like sugar lumps. In some places they call them "cubes." Please don't handle your lumps or cubes. Pick them up with a pair of tongs made for the job. Ask your guests if they'd like one lump or two. Two is quite popular. Licking the lumps is not good form. Sometimes you'll see people dunk their lumps with their teabags, and then eat the lumps. It's an unusual technique, that some people enjoy.  It's also not unusual to have cream at tea party. I'm not particularly fond of clotted cream, but sometimes, that's all you've got. Just try to make sure your cream can make a nice steady stream so you can serve it properly. Who wants just a drop or two of cream? Speaking of cream, you can also serve cream-filled pastries. However, sucking the cream out of the pastry is not polite. At least not in public. If you're home, and you want to do that, go for it. Use your fingers if you'd like. Just don't do it at the table.  

Lemons are popular, but beware, they squirt. So be careful when squeezing your lemons because you don't squirt in the eyes of your guests. Then again, some of your guests might like that kind of thing. If you insist on squirting your lemon, practice so you can aim it. By all means, writing your name on the snowy white tablecloth with your squirting lemon is a big no-no.  

The best hosts and hostesses like their tea loose and dry. However, brewing your tea from tea in bags is quite in vogue. Tomorrow, there will be some tea in bags, but there will be no teabagging. At least not in the dining room. What you do on your own time or in the privacy of your own home is up to you. It is also considered bad form to dunk your teabags. Especially with your sugar lumps.  And squeezing them dry by wrapping them around your spoon is not particularly good manners either. Nor should you squeeze them in your hand. No. Do not do that. You shouldn't ask the person sitting next to you to squeeze your teabag either. You should also avoid dribbling your teabag on the tablecloth. The stains are hard to get out.

Cheese is an interesting accompaniment to tea. Just make sure to cut the cheese before your guests arrive.

And by the way, "tongue in cheek" usually means your tongue in your cheek. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in the Minneapolis Airport men's room...watch out for undercover cops.