Release of Interrogation Memos Undermines U.S. Security
It is certainly the prerogative of the new president to say “we are not going to do that anymore” and thus assume the risk and the responsibility of taking away one of the essential tools we have used since 9/11 to prevent another terrorist attack. It is indefensible, however, for him to selectively release documents and waffle on partisan witch hunts. Whatever the press speculation has been, releasing the official memos that describe the 13 techniques hands al-Qaeda our playbook. One of the critical factors working in our favor during interrogations is the uncertainty of what is going to happen. That uncertainty is gone. Beyond that, the terrorist trainers must be quite encouraged. Now they know that if caught, they will get solid food, a good night’s sleep, and run no risk of being physically threatened. In other words, keep quiet and they can’t touch you.
The effect of all of this is to leave those on whom we depend feeling that they have again been left dangling because of political expediency. They will be less inclined to take risks, at least without consulting with a lawyer first. And other countries will think twice before working with us for fear of the political winds changing and their cooperation becoming exposed.
It is even worse for congressional leaders, such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was among the group regularly briefed on the program — including the specific techniques — now to call for some kind of “truth commission” when they know the truth firsthand. Speaker Pelosi and the other congressional leaders who were briefed on the program at least 30 times starting in 2002 deserve accolades for supporting the necessary actions to keep our country safe. It is sad that their willingness to defend the nation and support those who are on the front lines does not extend to a “bright, sunny, safe day in April 2009″ and beyond.
God forbid, if America gets hit again, Obama’s “yoof” voters will look fondly upon the Bush years.
Waterboarding as carried out on the top 3 al Qaeda leaders – supervised by a doctor – was safe and effective. It is not torture. Torture is listening to liberals run their country down by either ignorantly or disnonestly comparing this safe and effective waterboarding – which caused no bodily harm to the dousees – with Japanese water torture on uniformed soldiers, and then complaining that the standing of their country has been diminished by this safe, effective humane technique rather than by their odious and foolish lies.
And extreme torture is listening to the extreme, know-nothing pro abortionist Obama moralize about this issue.
2. No, THIS is torture . . . the fair and balanced version
http://www.buzzfeed.com/endswell/100-days-for-obama-100-days-of-fox-news-hatin-3f2
Yeah, right:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/mac-thornberry-admits-systemic-failures
Confession of a good FBI agent:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/opinion/23soufan.html?_r=3&ref=global
And about that there Abu Zubaydah fellow:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/19/AR2006061901211_pf.html
Shmuck.
“The CIA’s detention and interrogation program was run by professionals under carefully controlled conditions.”
Funny, that’s exactly what Joseph Mengele said.
This is great. Mac Thornberry gets bitch slapped by Chris Matthews and the damage is so dire he’s trotted out the very next night on O’Reilly for damage control spin. it’s the same thing O’Reilly does for himself every time Letterman makes him look like an idiot . . . go out the next night with a sycophant or two who say, “You actually took it easy on him, Bill.” It’s the same thing Hannity is doing with Robert Gibbs . . . the Leprechaun was so completely humiliated by Gibbs calling him out on his anti-Semitic guests that Hannity now devotes daily (and futile) segments to try and recover his own dignity. (Good luck with that one, Sean. By the way, when can we expect to see that waterboarding for charity thing go down? I’d hate to think that promise was just another example of a right wing chickenhawk spewing patriotic crap. And now to trot out Elizabeth Hasselbeck to float that “he already gives a lot to charity” balloon . . . very sad . . . hiding behind the skirt of a celebutard. The children of our troops deserve better than that.)
Terry Gain: “Waterboarding as carried out on the top 3 al Qaeda leaders – supervised by a doctor – was safe and effective. It is not torture. Torture is listening to liberals run their country down by either ignorantly or disnonestly comparing this safe and effective waterboarding – which caused no bodily harm to the dousees – with Japanese water torture on uniformed soldiers, and then complaining that the standing of their country has been diminished by this safe, effective humane technique rather than by their odious and foolish lies. “
The doctors you mentioned who were there to supervise the safety of the “interrogation” had to perform tracheotomies in cases where the tortured individual got too much water into their lungs. So obviously you’re full of crap when you claim that waterboarding caused no bodily harm to the dousees.
But yeah, I could totally see how “listening to liberals run their country down” is far worse than being drowned, stabbed in the throat and having a breathing tube forcefully inserted into your brand new neckhole.
Doesn’t violating the state’s secrets act constitute a high crime? Is it possible for any government is any country in any era to survive with full disclosure of all of its secrets? Will American spies be forced to wear name tags under the pseudo-morality of transparency?
I think I will keep a record of Congressman Mac Thornberry’s article, and then we can all compare it to his comments when the Obama Adminstration begins such “carefully supervised” and “professional” interrogations of right wing extremists.
@ 7 POM
The doctors you mentioned who were there to supervise the safety of the “interrogation” had to perform tracheotomies in cases where the tortured individual got too much water into their lungs. So obviously you’re full of crap when you claim that waterboarding caused no bodily harm to the dousees.
If you have proof that any of the troika had tracheotomies post it.
#10 Terry Gain
His proof probably comes from KosKooks
Proof of anything from Pastor of Muppets? Don’t hold your breath. I’ve requested it many times on other articles to no avail. He’s a serial drive-by commenter. If he does come up with anything remotely looking like evidence, I’m going to have to agree with #11 Steve, it’s probably something spoonfed to him from the Daily KO’s or the HuffPo.
“It cannot be contested that the techniques were effective at eliciting information. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed refused to talk until the techniques were applied. He then divulged information about a second wave of attacks.”
Here is a link to Slate, where Timothy Noah demolishes that argument:
http://www.slate.com/
It can and is contested.
I think we should all just calm down and wait until we get our marching orders from Elizabeth Hasselback.
No worries, we have a democrate president. Aren’t they the ones who use the deadliest weapons? (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) No torture of people there, righ, Sheesh? And the democrats are the ones that issue campaigns and contingencies instead of wars that require following the Geneva Convention. Remember Clinton and all of these: Operation Desert Fox, Operation Allied Force, The Battle of Mogadishu, and a few others?
Geez Sheesh…with Obama in office we can now continue the Bush years but call it a different name.
No, Mac, the release of the memos undermines the case for torturing terrorist suspects.
But since you’re so far up Bush’s colon, I can see how you’d think it would undermine US security.