"There's no question in my mind where the philosophical guidance and the flexibility in order to [torture] originated -- in the vice president of the United States' office," he said. "His implementer in this case was [Defense Secretary] Donald Rumsfeld and the Defense Department."
That from Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff, Retired U.S. Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, according to a CNN.com article posted today. What may make the allegation difficult to refute, is that Powell instructed him, over a year and a half ago, to "get everything I could get my hands on with regard to the detainee abuse issue" in order to "build some kind of story, some kind of audit trail" on the subject.
More on the other side...
When general Peter Pace said that he had no recollection of ever seeing Wilkerson at meetings with the joint chiefs, combatant commanders, the NSC, and Bush himself, Wilkerson says:
"They made my point for me," responded Wilkerson. "The decisions were not made in the principals' process, in the deputies' process, in the policy coordinating committee process. They were not made in the statutory process."
Torture Cabal!