What It's All About

During the Mousaoui trial his lawyers evoked discovery on both KSM and Binalshibh (which is a pitfall of trying terrorists in the federal system). KSM provided a 'substitution for testimony', owing to the fact he was still in one of the secret prisons at the time. It's likely most all of this was gathered via the waterboard. Let's not forget this little tidbit, from page 13:

Following this conversation, Atta used a computer program to locate a nuclear power generating plant in Pennsylvania, which bin Laden agreed to add to the list.

That flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania is largely taken as just a coincidence. He provided a great deal of other information about the logistics of the network and the attack itself.

Later he was transferred to Gitmo and had a hearing, where he provided a laundry list of evil deeds he'd done, which seemed quite a bit on the grandiose side. Obviously these were NOT gained via "torture" since he was writing them down and speaking them of his own free will inside a military courtroom. Remember, we've been told it's OK to lie for jihad, something rarely taken into account when folks talk about getting information through standard interrogation methods.

For instance, what if the detainee provides a web of lies that are later proven wrong, wasting valuable time? Imagine somebody like KSM, who appears a very bright person and probably a master manipulator, grinning while saying the next attack is coming, will be worse, and there's nothing we can do about it. Put yourself in the CIC seat with that decision. In pondering perhaps consider the call on 9/11 from victim Kevin Cosgrove...(very disturbing)