Tortuous reply to torture quiz

Former US vice president Dick Cheney has said there is no contradiction in advocating harsh interrogation tactics against suspected enemies and opposing it when used against US citizens.

He was asked on NBC’s Today show about a hypothetical case in which Iran was waterboarding a suspected US spy. He said: “I think we would object on the grounds that we have obligations to our citizens.”

Cheney, 70, promoting his new memoir In My Time, was asked if he was embracing a double-standard. He replied: “These are not American citizens.”