So, here’s what this suggests: The government made a plea deal with Khadr’s lawyers (eight more years, but after one year he’d be transferred to Canada, if they’ll take him). Then it had a show trial featuring a frothing psychologist arguing that Khadr would never give up his allegedly Muslim aggression. Normally, defense attorneys could easily exclude such testimony from a trial based on key scientific issues like peer review. But Khadr’s lawyers, allegedly, were put in the position such that if they wanted to preserve Khadr’s eight-year deal, they would have to limit their complaints about Weiner.

As part of a new investigative story, Truthout has published two documents written by the former psychologist for SERE, and later CIA contract interrogator for the Bush torture program, Bruce Jessen. Jessen’s notes describe an “exploitation” survival course that was “reverse-engineered” to provide a blueprint for the interrogation and detention policies of the Bush administration, which emphasized not just the ways to coercively interrogate an individual for intelligence purposes, but to “exploit” the detainee for a number of uses, including production of false confessions, recruitment of prisoners as U.S. spies, putting on show trials, and medical experimentation.

Last week The Washington Post published an op-ed by forensic psychiatrist Michael Welner, “What I really said about radical jihadism.” Dr. Welner achieved some notoriety for his testimony in the sentencing phase of the trial of fomer child soldier and Guantanamo prisoner, Omar Khadr. Welner’s op-ed merits a thorough analysis as it propels Obama administration arguments while defending Welner’s own testimony.

The US continues to hold one child soldier while tolerating the creation of others.

At this very moment, we’re going to great lengths in Gitmo to villainize Omar Khadr, at least partly to dismiss all the criticism about trying a child soldier (for a crime that is not a crime). It’s as if those involved are trying to convince themselves that their war on terror trumps international norms of decency.

And even as we’re doing that, the President is taking affirmative steps to make it more likely that another boy, like Khadr, will be put in the same situation as him, attacked for following the orders of the adults around him.

Sennels claims to be making an observation about a distinctly Muslim approach to anger. But it seems laughable, reading it even as the right comes out in support of Rand Paul’s supporter’s attack. Not to mention so shortly after eight years during which George Bush sustained respect from his supporters by carefully performing anger.

The government is just writing its own novel about Gitmo detainees and the war on terror now.

On Monday, the UK Guardian reported that secret training materials used by the British military in recent years include actions and behaviors that are clearly abusive and outside the treatment of prisoners mandated by the Geneva conventions. The article emphasizes the use of humiliation and sensory deprivation as primary tools of the British interrogator. Even “recent training material says blindfolds, earmuffs and plastic handcuffs are essential equipment for military interrogators.”

As you may have heard on Twitter, Omar Khadr has plead guilty to all charges against him. Omar Khadr, the only Canadian, only child soldier and only Guantanamo Bay detainee charged with battlefield homicide in the killing a U.S. soldier, pleaded guilty to all terrorism and murder charges on Monday. “Yes” said Mr. Khadr, when [...]

Forensic psychiatrist Michael Welner is interviewed by a Candian newspaper and engages in character assassination in order to make Omar Khadr look like an unrepentant evil terrorist, comparable to Osama bin Laden. Dr. Welner bases this on an evaluation of Mr. Khadr in custody at Guantanamo. The timing of the interview is suspect, as negotiations over a possible plea bargain for the former child “soldier” are ongoing.