The report by the U.S. Senate committee on the torture that went on inside secret CIA -run black sites paints a terrifying picture of a rogue organization that operated beyond any laws - either domestic or international.
It sets out in shocking detail what the world has known for a decade. The report records pain, humiliation and death that ultimately resulted in no useful intelligence, but transformed the CIA into a frightening para-military organization where its relationship to political overseers became one of "don't ask, don't tell." Especially don't tell.
The descriptions of waterboarding, death by hypothermia and other horrific practices are hard reading, even in summary. It's difficult not to be reminded of practices of the Nazis. It's hard to imagine any way such torture wouldn't be considered a war crime. But so too is what the report lays bare about the institutionalized acceptance, coverup and justification for those actions.
The CIA routinely lied to those who questioned its actions and deliberately insulated the organization from those with the power to stop them. On Tuesday, President Barrack Obama described the CIA 's use of torture as a "troubling program" inconsistent with America's values. He acknowledged that the practices have done significant damage to the reputation of the U.S. on the world stage.
That the report has been made public is a step in the right direction. The questions about what happens next, however, are largely left unanswered, as are those about who should be held legally and morally responsible for what occurred.
Those remain shut up tightly, inside a black box.
