"(Laughter)"

The United States' top diplomat refuses to say what she knows about the torture of prisoners in American custody.  File that sentence among the most depressing i've written.

From Think Progress:

Today in a speech to the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refused to answer what she knew about the interrogations that were videotaped in 2002, and then destroyed two years later. When moderator Andrea Mitchell asked Rice when she learned of the destruction of the tapes, Rice replied, “I myself don’t recollect any knowledge of the tapes."

Condi first says that she had no knowledge of the tapes’ destruction in 2005, but when asked about the details of actual tapes, and the specific interrogation techniques torture tactics our government was (is?) using, she clams up right quick.  She is obviously complicit in the Bush Administration's torture practices-- if she said anything she could be subject to prosecution as the war criminal that she almost certainly is.

A silver lining to all of this?  The audience was actually laughing at Rice's (non) explanations.

Transcript:

MITCHELL: To take it from the most topical things in the news today, can you tell us, now that we know there were people in the White House, in Congress, who urged the CIA not to destroy those videotapes — you were in the White House during that period — were you aware of it? And did you also urge that those tapes be preserved? And when were you aware of the fact that there were not preserved?

(LAUGHTER)

RICE: First of all, I think my take is that, well, this is an internal matter for the CIA.

I was secretary of state in 2005, indeed, and I can tell you that I myself don’t recollect any knowledge of the tapes.

But this is something that I’m sure that Mike Hayden, who is providing excellent leadership to the CIA, will resolve within their internal processes. The Justice Department is involved, and so I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to comment.

MITCHELL: Could we just ask, since the interrogations took place in 2002 when you were national security adviser, at the time were you aware — fully aware of the techniques being used and the videotape?

RICE: As I said, the Justice Department has now taken up this matter, and so I don’t think that it’s appropriate for me to comment further.

(LAUGHTER)