Obama Administration Rules Out Trials for Waterboarding

The memos detailed various techniques, including placing an insect into a suspect's "confinement box," slapping, sleep deprivation and shoving a suspect into a wall.

In one of the memos, waterboarding was represented as not being torture because there was no evidence it caused lasting mental harm. Right.

Obama's remarks indicated he wished to look, and move forward:

"We have been through a dark and painful chapter in our history. But at a time of great challenges and disturbing disunity, nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past."

Meanwhile, Attorney General Eric Holder added:

"It would be unfair to prosecute dedicated men and women working to protect America for conduct that was sanctioned in advance by the Justice Department."

There was much urgency around the release of these memos, and thus surely additional urgency around Obama's comments. There was a court deadline for today in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which had sued the government for the release of the Justice Department memos.