Torture revisited: Pentagon implies it's authorized by the President?

[Beadalin]

For anyone who’s interested, here’s a link to the NPR story. The audio version has segments of Ashcroft’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Ashcroft Won't Discuss Torture

This is my favorite part, from Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)

Mr. Attourney General, with all due respect, your personal belief is not a law. And you are not citing a law, and you are not claiming executive privilege.
And frankly, that is what contempt of Congress is all about. You have to give us a specific legal authority which gives you the right to say no, or the President has to claim privilege. And you’ve done neither.