In a rare press conference, CIA Chief John Brennan defended the organization, but also explained that “in many ways this was uncharted territory for the CIA and we were not prepared.” As to the question whether the “enhanced interrogation techniques” yielded any key intelligence, Brennan claimed that was “unknown and unknowable.” Among journalists and many on Twitter, the big story was Brennan’s refusal to use the word torture. Calling Torture “enhanced interrogation techniques” is like calling Cosby’s love life “enhanced pick-up lines.”

+ While Brennan was taking questions from journalists, Senator Dianne Feinstein was live-tweeting her rebuttals. The new age of media has arrived.

+ You can watch the press conference at C-Span.

+ Are Americans more forgiving of the use of torture than those who run the organization that carried it out? According to polling, we’ve become more accepting of torture.

+ Slate’s Fred Kaplan argues that there’s no way Bush and Cheney didn’t know. And Cheney seems to agree. He also called the report “a load of crap.”

+ Going rogue? The former CIA interrogation chief says reports of “rectal feeding” and people being forced to stand with broken bones came as news to him.