THE NARRATIVE AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS


Threats to freedom of speech, writing and action, though often trivial in isolation, are cumulative in their effect and, unless checked, lead to a general disrespect for the rights of the citizen. -George Orwell

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

THREE MARTINI LUNCH: DECEMBER 9, 2014

National Review's Jim Geraghty joins host Greg Corombos. Today's topics: John Kerry demands a delay of the Senate's CIA report to get security ready, the report's dubious premise, and dangerous drones at TGI Friday's.



NBC foreign affairs reporter: Interrogation report "rewriting history and scapegoating"
Is the report from the Democratic majority on the Senate Intelligence Committee on post-9/11 interrogations a "badge of honor," as Joe Biden put it — or an attempt to scapegoat the CIA for doing what it was asked to do? NBC's Richard Engel told Ronan Farrow that it's much more the latter, allowing the political leadership in the Bush administration and Congress off the hook. It also curiously doesn't address the interrogation programs in the military, which leaves the CIA "held out to dry," as Engel's sources tell him:
"So many people knew what was going on. This wasn't a program that was over one or two weeks in a couple of dark sites," Engel told MSNBC's Ronan Farrow. "Everybody knew about it."
Engel said that some of those implicated told him that they were being used as scapegoats by the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by outgoing Chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.).
"The CIA was asked to do this; was given authorizations to do this. And now many people involved are saying to me privately, 'Now we're being held out to dry. You asked us to do this, and now the world is coming down on top of it,'" Engel said.
If you're wondering why CIA officers are telling Engel that Senate Democrats left them twisting in the wind, you can read their explanation on the website they've set up to rebut the SSCI majority report.
Recall that the Department of Justice already did an investigation into these interrogations, a much-ballyhooed probe that was supposed to prosecute the people who supposedly besmirched America's reputation. The effort started in 2009 amid much posturing, but it ended a few weeks after Barack Obama ordered the hit on Osama bin Laden — which was only made possible because of the enhanced interrogations as noted above. The DoJ continued its prosecution of two cases where detainees were killed during interrogations, but all of the other criminal probes were summarily dropped — without any explanation from AG Eric Holder at the time.
This feels like a way for Democrats to take a second bite out of that apple, and one in which they can shield their own leadership from blame. Democrats can't go after the Republicans without going after the Congressional Democratic leadership that was in on the loop, so ipso facto the criticism gets limited to the CIA, with allegations that the agency lied to political leadership about the tactics and the results...
Also read:

Hayden rebuts 'torture' report: Senate's conclusion 'defies human comprehension'

An Interrogator Breaks His Silence

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1 comment:

  1. Just a small sampling of headlines the soon to be out of power Senate Democrat staffers coveted with their partisan hit on the CIA and Bush/Cheney.
    Mission Accomplished.

    Their "report" comes with a huge * (see below)


    Panel Faults C.I.A. Over Brutality and Deceit in Terrorism Interrogations - New York Times

    Senate report: CIA misled public on torture - CNN

    US Senate report condemns CIA brutality - Al Jazeera

    The Senate Committee’s Report on the C.I.A.’s Use of Torture - New York Times

    Report Says CIA Misled Congress, White House On Interrogation Program - NPR

    Senate report: CIA misled public, Bush on use of torture - Politico

    Senate report on CIA program details brutality, dishonesty - Washington Post

    Senate Releases Historic CIA Torture Report Condemning Bush-Era Detainee Treatment - National Journal

    America’s Shame: What’s in the Senate Torture Report? - The New Yorker

    Senate report says CIA torture methods yielded no useful intelligence - Los Angeles Times

    Senate Finally Releases Bombshell Report on Grisly Bush-Era CIA Torture - Gawker

    Senator John McCain Delivers Speech Condemning CIA Torture - The Atlantic

    5 Appalling Takeaways From the Senate's CIA Torture Report - New York Mag

    Senate Democrats Release Scathing CIA Torture Report - BuzzFeed

    Senate report: CIA misled lawmakers, public on enhanced interrogation - CBS News

    Senate Report Says Torture Program Was More Gruesome, Widespread Than CIA Claimed - Huffington Post

    Senate CIA Torture Report Details 'Ruthless' Brutality of Bush Era - Common Dreams

    The Most Gruesome Moments in the CIA 'Torture Report' - The Daily Beast

    17 Disgraceful Facts Buried In The Senate's 600 Page Torture Report - Think Progress

    CBS’s Pelley Asks Former Acting CIA Director If He Feels ‘Ashamed’ After Release of ‘Torture’ Report - Newsbusters


    *Ex-CIA Directors: Interrogations Saved Lives

    The Senate Intelligence investigators never spoke to us—the leaders of the agency whose policies they are now assailing for partisan reasons.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/cia-interrogations-saved-lives-1418142644

    "This is the first opportunity for these former intelligence chiefs to respond to the allegations made in the report: None of them — in fact no current or former CIA officials — were interviewed by the Senate Intelligence Committee for their report." - ABC News

    It appears that the only people the Democrat staffers spoke with in compiling their "report" was the lawyers for the terrorists.

    America is the root of evil in this world...especially when Republicans are in power, aka S.O.P. for Democrats. Torture was the choice made by those in the WTC on Sepember 11, 2001, to die by fire or leap to their death. THAT was the REAL torture!

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