Torture? What torure?

The Pentagon report into alleged abuses at the detention facility has predictably reiterated the same line as it did all the previous years to Barack Obama's presidency - which is hardly surprising given that they have the same boss (Robert Gates) and Obama is only a month into his presidency. There is no mention of degrading and demeaning treatment, just a few recommendations such as, say, have a few more cushions around the place or having an extra 15 minutes for lunch.
I jest, but the whitewash is suspiciously similar to something controversial almost 50 years ago. The CIA was secretly training Cuban exiles in Nicaragua - to overthrow Fidel Castro - of whom about only 10 per cent had previously been regular soldiers in the army. It had started under Dwight D. Eisenhower, but John F. Kennedy was suspicous about the project he had inherited upon becoming president and about the CIA assurances. So he sent a respected marine colonel down to Central Amercia to assess the recruits and report back to him. The colonel gave a glowing review, which was as praiseworthy as it was inaccurate of the ragbag collection of troops. Kennedy was still uncertain of the merits of the mission and the fighting qualities, but he called the CIA's bluff, providing no direct military intervention when the Bay of Pigs became a disaster.
So here we are back in Cuba again. Yet Obama is wise enough to commission several reviews, including one under his forceful attorney general. Taking the Pentagon on their word has led to too many tragedies over the past eight years.