by William Pfaff

The American Conservative

02/14/05

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the Bush administration is not torturing prisoners because it is useful but because of its symbolism. It originally was intended to be a form of what later, in the attack on Iraq, came to be called 'shock and awe.' It was meant as intimidation. We will do these terrible things to demonstrate that nothing will stop us from conquering our enemies. We are indifferent to world opinion. We will stop at nothing. In that respect, it is like the attack on Fallujah last November, which -- destructive as it was -- was fundamentally a symbolic operation...

http://www.amconmag.com/2005_02_14/article1.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp