Of Torture, the CIA, and Eric Holder

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?

Will of WA 2:38PM September 20, 2009