Eric Holder announces he will appoint a special prosecutor to look into the CIA's treatment of Gitmo detainees. He does this as the Obama family is on vacation and after Obama said that we must move on as a nation and not dwell in investigations of the past. Is this some sort of payback to the far left as he loses their support in the health care reform debate?
Or is it truly a lack of respect for the intelligence gathering agencies? The CIA methods were investigated and in 2007 found to be within the law, except in one case. As Director Mullins now says, this new investigation, after a previous investigation, will only serve to make intelligence agents 'timid' and not reach for the boundaries. Essentially they will no longer feel the backing of the administration and morale will sink further.
Do we want intelligence gatherers to simply ask basic questions written on index cards and leave it at that? No firm follow up questions? The question is - does this nation want an intelligence agency or not? Stop the charades. They are dangerous, especially as a nation at war and they are disheartening to those out in the field doing the tough work to keep us safe at home.
On January 22, 2009 Executive Order 13491 created the Special Task Force on Interrogations and Transfer Policies, according to the FBI web site. At the very beginning of his administration, President Obama was asked by Atty General Eric Holder to "establish a specialized interrogation group to bring together officials from law enforcement, the U.S. Intelligence Community, and the Department of Defense to conduct interrogations in a manner that will strengthen national security consistent with the rule of law." I don't remember any announcement of such a special task force.
More of the current special task force recommendations: "The Task Force also made policy recommendations with respect to scenarios in which the United Sates moves or facilitates the movement of a person from one country to another or from U.S. custody to the custody of another country to ensure that U.S. practices in such transfers comply with U.S. law, policy and international obligations and do not result in the transfer of individuals to face torture."
Holder is confident the policies will have "no tension between strengthening our national security and meeting our commitment to the rule of law, and these new policies will accomplish both." Just like the good old days when he and Janet Reno were pursuing the war on terror as criminal acts and not terrorist acts. In just a short time, our nation will remember the 8th anniversary of 9/11/01 and the terrorist acts of that day, executed after eight years of the Reno/Holder team.
So, Holder has appointed John Durham - a career Justice Department prosecutor from Connecticut, according to The Washington Post, to "lead the inquiry, according to sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process is not complete."
This announcement came the same day that the Obama administration decided to issue a 2004 CIA Inspector General report to the public. This is the report that questions the effectiveness of harsh interrogation methods. It is being released after a federal judge ruled so. The ACLU filed a lawsuit to make it public.
A letter has been written and signed by Senators Kyl, Sessions, Cornyn, Hatch and Grassley stating, "The intelligence community will be left to wonder whether actions taken today in the interest of national security will be subject to legal recriminations when the political winds shift." All of these Republican Senators are seated on the Senate Judicial Committee.
Rumors persist that after only a few months on the job, CIA Director Leon Panetta has threatened to quit.
Senator Lieberman issued, in part, this statement: "I respectfully regret this decision by Attorney General Holder and fear our country will come to regret it too because an open ended criminal investigation of past CIA activity, which has already been condemned and prohibited, will have a chilling effect on the men and women against of our intelligence community whose uninhibited bravery and skill we depend on every day to protect our homeland from the next terrorist attack. Career prosecutors in the Department of Justice have previously reviewed allegations of abuse and concluded that prosecution was not warranted, with the exception of one CIA contractor who has already been convicted. President Obama has established clear guidelines to ensure that past abuses are repeated and has stated his desire to look forward rather than backward."
President Obama shirks responsibility, as is his habit, and puts it all on Holder. His press secretary said, "The President has said repeatedly that he wants to look forward, not back, and the President agrees with the Attorney General that those who acted in good faith and within the scope of legal guidance should not be prosecuted. Ultimately, determinations about whether someone broke the law are made independently by the Attorney General."
Good cop, bad cop.
The report released shows a direct line from interrogation techniques used and intelligence gathered that saved lives in our own country by preventing attacks. That is some hard truth that the far left apologists will have to reconcile. We have not been attacked since 9/11/01.
Gotcha politics have no place in homeland security policy. The continued Bush hate has to be put aside at some point.
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