CIA and torture

[Bob]

CIA and torture: In the cold light of day | The Economist In the cold light of day

Aug 25th 2009
From Economist.com


BARACK OBAMA has said that he does not want to dwell on whether the CIA previously tortured prisoners during interrogations in secret prisons overseas. The Department of Justice, however, is proposing to do just that. On Monday August 24th it released a report on the agency?s ?interrogation activities? that was written by the CIA?s internal watchdog in 2004. In addition the attorney-general, Eric Holder, announced that a special prosecutor will decide whether a full criminal investigation is warranted into the activities of CIA staff and contractors.

The CIA report includes some unpleasant new details. Ever since photographs emerged in 2004 showing the abuse of inmates by American guards in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, fresh revelations have lost some of their ability to shock. But the report includes examples of unedifying behaviour. Interrogators threatened one prisoner, Abd al-Rahim al Nashiri, with a pistol and power-drill, as they accused him of being part of the bombing of the American destroyer USS Cole, in 2000. One officer blew cigarette smoke into prisoners? faces for minutes on end, inducing them to vomit. Another put a detainee in a pressure-hold, blocking the arteries to his brain, repeatedly making him pass out.

 

[kkddbb]

bob, im impressed that you would post this. without me guessing which seams to be all to easy, what are your thoughts on this? this should be interesting folks......

 

[poppy]

bob, im impressed that you would post this. without me guessing which seams to be all to easy, what are your thoughts on this? this should be interesting folks......

Yeah Bob, why do you hate America? Are you a commie?

 

[sunspotbaby]

Terrorists need a little jack...

 

[drivingtheview]

On Monday August 24th it released a report on the agency?s ?interrogation activities? that was written by the CIA?s internal watchdog in 2004. In addition the attorney-general, Eric Holder, announced that a special prosecutor will decide whether a full criminal investigation is warranted into the activities of CIA staff and contractors.

Would-be attorney general Eric Holder haunted by Marc Rich pardon - Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Washington ? Seven years ago, after his name was dragged very publicly through the mud in a Clinton administration pardon scandal, President-elect Barack Obama's top pick for attorney general was certain that his long and successful career in public service was at an end.

"I'm done. Public life's over for me," Eric H. Holder Jr. told the Washington Post in March 2001. "I had a moment in time. That moment has passed."

Holder, who had been President Clinton's deputy attorney general, appears to have been wrong. Barring unforeseen circumstances, Holder "will be the pick," one Democratic official close to the Obama transition team said Wednesday. But his much-disputed role in Clinton's pardons, particularly that of fugitive financier Marc Rich, is coming back to haunt him.

When a White House lawyer called Holder on the last day of the Clinton administration, Holder said he was "neutral, leaning toward favorable" about the pardon. Later, he said he was unaware of some aspects of Rich's background.

Clinton and his aides said Holder's input was a factor in the decision to pardon Rich, whose ex-wife, Denise, was a frequent visitor to the White House and a major donor to Democratic campaigns and to Clinton's presidential library.

Marc Rich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[mtlinscomb]

CIA and torture: In the cold light of day | The Economist In the cold light of day

Aug 25th 2009
From Economist.com


BARACK OBAMA has said that he does not want to dwell on whether the CIA previously tortured prisoners during interrogations in secret prisons overseas. The Department of Justice, however, is proposing to do just that. On Monday August 24th it released a report on the agency?s ?interrogation activities? that was written by the CIA?s internal watchdog in 2004. In addition the attorney-general, Eric Holder, announced that a special prosecutor will decide whether a full criminal investigation is warranted into the activities of CIA staff and contractors.

The CIA report includes some unpleasant new details. Ever since photographs emerged in 2004 showing the abuse of inmates by American guards in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, fresh revelations have lost some of their ability to shock. But the report includes examples of unedifying behaviour. Interrogators threatened one prisoner, Abd al-Rahim al Nashiri, with a pistol and power-drill, as they accused him of being part of the bombing of the American destroyer USS Cole, in 2000. One officer blew cigarette smoke into prisoners? faces for minutes on end, inducing them to vomit. Another put a detainee in a pressure-hold, blocking the arteries to his brain, repeatedly making him pass out.

BARACK OBAMA has said that he does not want to dwell on whether the CIA previously tortured prisoners during interrogations in secret prisons overseas...but the healthcare debate has fallen out of his favor, so he decided to create this diversion, thus embracing his radical roots, and at this exact moment, start investigating the interrogation techniques that were used in an attempt to thwart future terrorist attacks on US soil. Like Rahm told him, never waste a good crisis.

Don't blame me folks, I voted for the war hero.

 

[30ashopper]

Holder is independent and not beholden to Obama's political whims, so we can't claim this is Obama's doing. However, Holder does owe Obama a great deal for resurrecting his career, and the timing of this is rather questionable.

In the end though we don't know thw facts, why they kicked this off now, etc.. So I'd say let it play out. Odds are it will backfire on Obama, regardless of whether or not he played a part in initiating it.

 

[CK1]

Yeah Bob, why do you hate America? Are you a commie?

I believe you just hit the nail on the head. Why else would he hate America so much is he wasn't a commie.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Holder is independent and not beholden to Obama's political whims, so we can't claim this is Obama's doing. However, Holder does owe Obama a great deal for resurrecting his career, and the timing of this is rather questionable.

In the end though we don't know thw facts, why they kicked this off now, etc.. So I'd say let it play out. Odds are it will backfire on Obama, regardless of whether or not he played a part in initiating it.

The word has consistently been -- and I have not heard otherwise, except from Dick "Mr. Projection" Cheney -- that Obama did NOT want this from Holder. Newsweek wrote extensively about Holder several weeks ago, writing about the Rich pardon and how he is haunted by it, and how he and Obama may end up clashing. It was interesting reading.

 

[kkddbb]

the word has consistently been -- and i have not heard otherwise, except from dick "mr. Projection" cheney -- that obama did not want this from holder. Newsweek wrote extensively about holder several weeks ago, writing about the rich pardon and how he is haunted by it, and how he and obama may end up clashing. It was interesting reading.

so because newsweek says so it means its real? I think we all know how credible newsweek has become-not!

Fact is, the president makes the final call-period. This is both a gift to the far-left and a distraction from the health reform debate. Thats politics and obama has mastered the political game of minipulation.

What the president hasnt figured out thus far is to not have the cia on your side is a big mistake. Can you imagine being one of these operatives and have to worry about some leftist attorney instead of the lives of perhaps thousands of americans? I dont care what an operative "says" to "threaten" someone in order to save american lives. If i knew my family was in danger, id cut the bastards arms off if thats what it took. And dont give me this nonsense that our place in the world is important. If it werent for the smearing coming from the left constantly for political gain, perhaps our place in the world would be better. And who cares what the rest of the world thinks anyway? They will always be jelous of our success. In this case, it thwarted further attacks and absolutely saved american lives. These lives would be past tense if it were up to the left-period.

But, proceed with smearing them and providing comfort to the enemy with such words and accusations. The enemy has echoed these kinds of words on almost every propaganda piece and will continue to do so until they are defeated.