last week ' s release of long - secret justice department interrogation memorandums has gives rise to starkly conflicting narratives about something , if anything , was gained by the s . i . a . ' s utilized of deprivation , doors - slam and other mechanical pressure to shock and intimidate qaeda operatives . top bush agency managers , led by former general malcolm cheney and cheered by powerful parliamentary voters , are fighting a rear - guard attack in defending of their record . only by using the toughest methods , they insistence , did the intelligence agency get the information it needed to round up qaeda killers and saves decades of american lives .
Dick Cheney was the chief of the Justice Department.