I have previously noted the omissions of the Obama administration with respect to the interrogation practices authorized by its predecessor. Jameel Jaffer and Larry Siems focus on one of the things it might now do to make a difference for the better in the same regard:
There are many things the Obama administration could do to repair some of the damage done by the last administration, but among the simplest and most urgent is this: It could recognize and honor the public servants who rejected torture.
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President Obama has disavowed torture, but he has been unenthusiastic about examining the last administration's interrogation policies. He has said the country should look to the future rather than the past. But averting our eyes from recent history means... that we betray the public servants who risked so much to reverse what they knew was a disastrous and shameful course.
Those who stayed true to our values and stood up against cruelty are worthy of a wide range of civilian and military commendations, up to and including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Honoring them is a way of encouraging the best in our public servants, now and in the future. It is also a way of honoring the best in ourselves.
