ACLU in Half-Baked Bush Smear

The American Civil Liberties Union is claiming President Bush issued an executive order authorizing the "torture" of terrorist suspects detained at Guantanamo Bay.

But evidence to back the allegation was missing a few key components - such as an actual copy of the so-called Bush directive, or any documentation that might indicate when it was issued.

The Los Angeles Times reports that evidence obtained by the criminal-friendly group included e-mails from FBI agents referring to the new Bush order on prisoner treatment, which permitted interrogation tactics that went beyond FBI practice.

The so-called White House-approved "torture" tactics include "sleep deprivation and stress positions," as well as "loud music, interrogators yelling at subjects and prisoners with hoods on their heads."

The Times notes, however:

"The records did not include a copy of the Bush order, or make clear exactly when it was signed. Pentagon officials would not comment on whether there was any new order."

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