C-SPAN2 Wednesday morning Senate debate on contractors

[LizW]

performing interrogations.

GOP arguing that private contractors should be able to continue doing interrogation in Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Iraq. Dems, led by Dodd, presented a bill (yesterday?) to limit the role of contractors. The Repugs squealed about barring contractors from "combat operations", so the Dems amended and asked only that contractors be barred from participating in interrogations.

Now the Repugs are groaning about that, too, saying that it would "shut down" all intelligence gathering abilities of the military. Dodd says we are only talking about 40-50 people and if we can't find those within our own military, we are in real trouble. He read the requirements from one of the contractors websites, and basically all it required was a "bachelor's degree or equivalent experience", some computer capability, and the ability to read and write.

Dodd is getting pissed. Lindsey Graham had signed on to the amendment, and now he's weaseling out, saying he didn't read it.

Carl Levin is now talking about how we must have accountability, or we will have more and more Abu Ghraibs.