Author of '02 Memo on Torture: 'Gentle' Soul for a Harsh Topic
By ADAM LIPTAK Published: June 24, 2004

"The Bush administration is distancing itself from a memorandum prepared two years ago by a government lawyer asserting that the president's power to use torture to extract information from suspected terrorists is almost unlimited."

"The memorandum, dated Aug. 1, 2002, defined torture narrowly under a federal law that prohibits it. Only pain like that accompanying "death, organ failure or the permanent impairment of a significant body function" qualifies, Mr. Bybee wrote. It went on to say torture is unlawful only if the infliction of pain is the offender's specific objective. "Even if the defendant knows that severe pain will result from his actions, if causing such harm is not his objective, he lacks the requisite specific intent," he wrote."

This guy is sitting on the Federal bench, courtesy of Cheney/bush. Makes you wonder about those who don't make it past the Ds.

Arf