President Bush and his surrogates can justify this program all they want, but they cannot change the underlying fact that it remains an illegal program. The continued approval for this unlawful program undermines the very freedoms and values that define America.

The photos and videos play a key role in ensuring government accountability for the torture that happened,

Any opinion coming from the Justice Department has to be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. Congress must hold open, substantive hearings to let the American public know how their privacy was invaded.

Rather than focus on this constitutional crisis, Attorney General (Alberto) Gonzales is cracking down on critics of his friend and boss. Our nation is strengthened, not weakened, by those whistle-blowers who are courageous enough to speak out on violations of the law.

There is no question that U.S. interrogations have resulted in deaths. High-ranking officials who knew about the torture and sat on their hands and those who created and endorsed these policies must be held accountable.

For a country that prides itself on due process and civil liberties, it's just indefensible.