Private Persuasion, Public Denial: Politics, Torture and the Interpretation of Law

Author:

• Amanda J. Davis (Univ of Texas, Austin)

Abstract:

In this paper I examine legal and political language surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. I compare the so-called torture memos to public political statements about Abu Ghraib made during the 2004 Presidential campaign. I argue that the ways in which the Bush administration reinterpreted the law ultimately shaped the ways in which both the Bush campaign and the Kerry campaign could (or would) address the incidents at Abu Ghraib publicly.