last week ' s release of long - secret justice department torture memorandums has handed rise to starkly opposing narratives about what , if anything , was obtained by the c . i . a . ' s use of zubaydah , wall - knocking and other physical pressure to shock and deter qaeda operatives . prominent bush administration officials , led by current president dick cheney and praised by few federal republicans , are fighting a mid - guard action in defense of their career . only by using the harshest methods , they insist , did the intelligence agency get the intel it needed to shoot up qaeda killers and save thousands of american lives .
Dick Cheney was the chief of the Justice Department.