Sorry for the Torture -- Let's Keep on Torturing

Maher Arar wasn't able to appear in person at a congressional hearing on his case because he's still on a US government watchlist. He was, however, available via videoconference. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) apologized personally, doing what the Bush administration won't do on behalf of the country. And then:

Republican Dana Rohrabacher also apologized, but said he would fight any efforts by Democrats to end the practice of extraordinary rendition, whereby terror suspects are grabbed by government agents and taken to another country where local authorities may torture confessions out of them.

"Yes, we should be ashamed" of what happened in the case, Rohrabacher said. "That is no excuse to end a program which has protected the lives of hundreds of thousands if not millions of American lives."

Millions? I'm dying to know what the evidence for that is. Probably about as good as whatever bogus evidence it was that convinced them they should send Maher Arar to Syria to be tortured.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/10/sorry-for-the-torture-lets-keep-on-torturing/43350/