Of Torture, the CIA, and Eric Holder
To me it is very simple: Were laws broken ["Obama's Torture Probe Betrays the CIAs Terrorist Hunters," usnews.com]? If so, prosecute; if not, drop it. This is not about betrayal of the CIA as Mortimer B. Zuckerman states. The special prosecutor may find no reason to prosecute and the debate is over. If the roles were reversed, you can bet Cheney et al. would be calling Ken Starr back to active duty. I doubt that much intelligence was gained by the methods used. The success of the methods is not the issue, only the legality. We are a nation of laws; were any broken?
Comment by Chuck of IN
There is not and never has been an obligation to obey an illegal order, especially one which requires betrayal of everything that makes the United States different from, and better than, those countries where torture is routinely used. Those who issued and followed illegal orders betrayed the United States and its citizens.
Comment by Rosemary Williams of CA
Attorney General Holder, pursuing an obvious political agenda to please Obama's left-wing agenda, may in the future face investigation and indictment himself if his actions debilitate the CIA's ability to protect the United States from another major terrorist strike. This time the CIA would not be held accountable for lapses in intelligence. Rather it would be the actions of the attorney general of the United States and President Obama against the CIA that allow successful terrorist attacks on the United States. There will be hearings, indictments, and Holder will bear the brunt of an outraged country. Like Jimmy Carter, who decimated the CIA, Holder will become the catchword for traitor.
Comment by R. Oka of CA
The CIA bears much responsibility for betraying Americans by getting us into a war in Iraq by deception, one of numerous instances that the CIA has been wrong, befuddled, and misinformed. Their inaccurate intelligence betrays their mission and it's inexcusable. If we can't rely on the CIA to get their information right, we shouldn't use them for intelligence anymore. If we can't count on the CIA to work in the interests of the American people, we should count them out. If we can not trust the CIA, then disband them and start anew. Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, Iraq, 9/11, Air America, Contra-Narco deals ... the list of errors goes on and on. And now they have been evidently torturing—clearly against our laws and against international laws. We need to get this renegade outfit in line or pull the plug on the whole gang.
Comment by Tom of MT
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Reader Comments
CIA
There are many thoughts on what the CIA is and what it can do, unfortunately most of our conceptions about this agency are wrong. When it comes to gathering intelligence from foreign operatives, how are they to conduct themselves? Ask the terrorists politely when they are going to launch another attack to kill American citizens. Interrogation is not a pleasant experience. What the key of the matter to most Americans is the use of ‘harsh’ techniques. Water boarding and other similar techniques, while they may sound horrible, they are not, by definition ‘Torture’. While some oversight in to interrogation techniques maybe warranted, the information gathered, with corroborating sources has led to the halting of several terrorist activities over the last 10 years. Just this week in New York City, we saw the arrest of several suspected terrorists, was due to intelligence from various sources.
To those who are critics of the CIA, maybe you should investigate what they really do, and not what the media and Hollywood says. Their role is unlike any other government agency, as they only work abroad, have no laws or statutes to back them. If the covert operatives are caught oversees, they can be incarcerated, tortured and killed with little or no recourse available to them or the US government.
As to the failures in intelligences, the CIA has been systematically neutered by Administrations going back to Jimmy Carter’s. intelligence gathering is much more than wire taps and satellite coverage. For wiretaps to work, there must be a functioning communications system in the country or area that the target is in. and we have nowhere near enough satellites to cover every square foot of the world 24/7. The best and most reliable sources of intelligences come from trained operatives, on the ground, in the troubled areas of the world, infiltrating the terrorist’s networks. If we continue to beat this horse, our intelligence will always be second rate.
As far as lying about Iraq, I feel that Iraq lied about Iraq, and got the rest of the world to buy into that lie. Every intelligence agency in the world was reporting that indeed Iraq had WMD’s. Was it a lie by the CIA and other intelligence agencies, a hoax perpetrated by Sadam, or are there WMD’s buried in the millions of square miles of dessert that make up the middle east? Who knows, but watching and gathering more intelligence in this area of the world is vital to our security here in the US.
I could go on listing further needs of the US in this area but I think most reasonable people in this country want to remain safe. The real question facing us then is to what lengths are we willing to go to, to ensure that safety and security? And what are we willing to compromise?
WASHINGTON TERRORIST PIMPS
Prostitution, Blackmail, and Political Corruption
By CIA Agents of the United States
(CIA Kyle Foggo, DC Madam Palfrey, etc...)
Sex Slavery, Forced Prostitution, Human Trafficking, extortion, blackmail―of the most egregious kind―of U.S. Citizens by the U.S. Government
My name is Robin Head, previous owner of Playboy Escorts in Houston, Texas. I was approached by various law enforcement agency's, FBI, ATF, etc... who wanted me to abet them in entrapping "State and political officials" having sex so they could extort, control and blackmail them, not to charge them with misdemeanor prostitution. At the same time, women at my service were being tricked and trafficked overseas to Bangkok and called me collect from a jail in Vienna.
A madam from Alabama was found hanging in a federal jail cell in nearby Brazoria County. When I refused to abet in the extortion, I was thrown in jail, no bond, a 'Life' sentence filed on me, and then my son and family were harassed and attacked endlessly in some kind of gang like Mafia style.
I went to the FBI, but it was like reporting the devil to the witch, they said they would help me but only if I would help them, again, to set up officials. They had no interest in the corruption aspect. Some very high profile names were involved, people seen on TV news commentary.
Who are these agents with this monstrous agenda and what do they want? This is not a left/right wing thing it is a most vicious entity in this country.
This country has become as fearful as any other 3rd world country when it comes to reporting crime to officials just exactly like in Russia, Iraq, Africa, Mexico, etc... where it is the officials that are the perpetrators of the crimes, kidnapping, ransom, drugs, and it is dangerous to report to them.
http://www.defraudingamerica.com/robin_head.html
http://fbicorruption.250free.com
I absolutely agree
Pull the Plug On em so if we investigate you what are you going to do CIA , stage another Terrorist Attack to get tyour way !!! B.S
The CIA have thier own agenda instead of the interest of the american people .
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