Did Dick Cheney Just Confess to a War Crime on National TV?

Not only has the Bush administration committed war crimes in plain sight, but now Dick Cheney is freely confessing it on national television.  In an interview with ABC, Cheney admitted he directly authorized the CIA to use highly controversial enhanced interrogation tactics like waterboarding, as well as the torture of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. 

Cheney showed no regret.  In fact, he spoke with such insouciance it was almost as though the administration hadn't repeatedly denied authorizing use of these tactics over the years.  (Of course, Cheney still denies waterboarding constitutes torture.)  What's more, he actually praised the Guantánamo Bay prison facility.  "Guantánamo has been very well run," he said, claiming it should remain open indefinitely.  

Anthony Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU with whom Brave New Foundation created the Close Gitmo campaign, had this to say: 

"The current administration's torture policies and fundamentally flawed military commissions make a mockery of the Constitution and violate America's commitment to human rights. Contrary to the vice president's opinion, these detainees should be prosecuted in U.S. military or civilian courts that are fully equipped to handle complex national security cases."