MoveOn.org made a new push on Friday to persuade members of Congress to support the closure of Gitmo and back the White House in its decision to end the use of torture on detainees.
In a video made with VoteVets.org, the group showcases the testimony of Afghanistan veteran and counterintelligence agent, Jay Bagwell, insisting that torture and Gitmo were both counterproductive to U.S. military interests.
"As a counterintelligence agent it is very clear to me, torture puts our troops in danger, torture makes our troops less safe, torture creates terrorists," he says, later adding, "All to often, detainees have pamphlets on them, depicting what happened at Guantanamo."
In addition to the video, MoveOn also distributed a petition to its subscribers, urging them to express their support for the closure of Gitmo to elected officials in Congress.
"Guantanamo Bay is a constant reminder of the Bush-era abuses of our laws," it reads. "Please support President Obama's decision to close the prison by January 2010."
The petition and video come just over a week after the Senate rejected the Obama White House's request for funds to help close Gitmo. But the politics of the clip are as noteworthy as the timing. The main voice in favor of keeping Gitmo open and continuing harsh interrogation techniques has been the civilian figure that paved the way for the use of both.
Dick Cheney has been ubiquitous in recent weeks in defense of the previous administration. And now, it seems, the former vice president's critics feel the best way to push back is to contrast his words with the testimony from the people who, in implementing his policies, found them failing or counterproductive.