remember what really happened after september 11,2001. the northern alliance, traditional enemy of the taliban, received bounties from americans agents for designating who the terrorists were. we took their word and shipped people to jail sites all over the world. of course, 10 years before 9/11, we would have shot any member of the northern alliance on sight , given that they had helped the invading russians and grew more poppies than the taliban. most of taliban boys we put in jail didn't know much, only that they were fighting against yet another foreign invader or against their traditional tajik tribal enemy, now called the northern alliance. remember that john walker lindh was in afghanistan well before 9/11, but only to fight the same folks we fought against, namely the northern alliance. so, unless there is proof that the folks we imprison either knew about or participated in 9/11, we should let them go, or at least not hold them incummunicado. nor should we torture them or hold them in dehumanizing cells. 95% of these prisoners were not captured by us soldiers, but by members of opposing tribal factions. our taking the side of the tajiks against the taliban only inflames the ire of the pushtan tribes against the us and draws the pushtans from pakistan further into the conflict. i think that cheney and his boys had to use so much torture because there was simply no other way to prove the case against many of these hapless taliban foot soldiers, who were not part of al-Qeida or any 9/11 conspiracy; but the torture has made us some bona fide enemies, folks that now would want to take revenge upon their release. if you want to make an enemy, treat someone like he is one.

Senator Feingold, well said.

"I remain skeptical".Sen. Feingold you are an ass and a blind one at that!Does nobody but Kucinich read the Constitution?This is not lets make a deal.The law is either for all or none,no in between.You sir,have lost my respect.Tony