Now that the Busheviks' evil torture regime has been exposed, it's every (wo)man for him/herself! AP's Pamela Hess has the scoop:

Release of Bush-era documents that shed more light on the origins of the CIA's use of harsh interrogation tactics has ignited a backstage battle between former Bush officials over a crucial May 2002 meeting that paved the way for use of waterboarding on a suspected al-Qaida leader.

A "backstage battle?" Do tell!

Some former Bush officials argue that they were not properly warned by CIA officials about the potential perils of the severe methods, while others insist there were explicit cautions.

Gee, I wonder who says they weren't "properly warned"?

A former senior Bush administration official familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press that during a meeting of Bush senior officials in May 2002, then-CIA director George Tenet, backed by agency lawyers and CIA officers, reassured former NSC director Condoleezza Rice, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and others that waterboarding and other harsh techniques were both safe and necessary.

The former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's continuing sensitivity, said Tenet and other CIA officials did not mention the techniques' potential legal and physical dangers.

So some anonymous Bushie says Tenet was the evildoer while Rice and Ashcroft were completely innocent dupes of his evil scheme. Does anyone care to go on the record?

Tenet was not available for comment Saturday. Rice and other former Bush administration principals involved in or aware of the May 2002 meeting have not responded to efforts by the AP to obtain comment in recent days.

Nope! What a bunch of cowards.