From our partners at Newshoggers.com

By Dave Anderson:

We can not talk about torture because then everyone would know that the US government tortures, despite that being part of the public record and a badge of 'seriousness' for significant elements of the US political elite. 

Wow!  Time for the states secret doctrine to have a serious review as the secret is often either blindingly obvious or just a means of shunting aside a discussion that is politically painful but necessary. 

The US Court of Appeals has said that torturers (alleged of course) can not be sued because to talk about torture committed by agents, employees or contractors of the US government is a state secret.  But everyone knows that there has been a systemic torture regime in place, that is not a secret.  Accountability is the secret sauce that prevents or at least minimizes torture:

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that former prisoners of the
C.I.A. could not sue over their alleged torture in overseas prisons
because such a lawsuit might expose secret government information.

The sharply divided ruling was a major victory for the Obama
administration’s efforts to advance a sweeping view of executive
secrecy powers. It strengthens the White House’s hand as it has pushed
an array of assertive counterterrorism policies, while raising
an opportunity for the Supreme Court to rule for the first time in
decades on the scope of the president’s power to restrict litigation
that could reveal state secrets.

To invoke President Bush's false trope that Bin Laden and Al Quaeda hated us for our freedoms, then they have to be laughing in Quetta and Peshwar tonight as those freedoms are constricted.