Barbara Boxer: “This says: The administration also opposes [she names the section] which provides legal protections to foreign prisoners…”

“This says: The administration also opposes [she names the section] which provides legal protections to foreign prisoners to which they are not now entitled under applicable law and policy. And she says that section 1095 of the Defense Authorization Act already addresses this issue. So Dr. Rice's own words in the letter contradict what she told the committee. Now, this issue of torture is one that matters. It matters to me for many reasons. The first is it is about our humanity. It is about our humanity. Second is that it is about our soldiers, who may find themselves in captivity and in a circumstance where they might well get treated the way we are treating people we capture. That is why the protective words here and living up to our treaties or obligations of our Constitution and international treaties are so important. It is not some vague academic discussion; it is very serious. Now, I went and saw, as many colleagues did, the pictures from Abu Ghraib prison. As long as I live, they will be seared in my memory. There are a lot more pictures that the public didn't see. I can tell you--and I think I can say this of most of my colleagues I was sitting with from both sides of the aisle--I could barely watch what was shown. I am sometimes torn to talk about what I saw. I have done it in small groups where my constituents have asked me what I saw, but I will not do it today.”