Who's Politicizing Intelligence Now?

[nortech4play]

Things that make you go Hmmm....when reading press releases of the BHO administration. This one is about the real truth behind who knew what on the Interogation processes...

"Blair: Congress Approved CIA Interrogations

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 12:07 PM

By: David A. Patten


Before members of Congress rail at the CIA’s coercive interrogation of terrorists, they might want to blame those who authorized the measures in the first place: themselves.

Yes, members of Congress approved the interrogation methods many of them now decry as torture.

That revelation comes from an article posted Wednesday on WeeklyStandard.com by senior writer Stephen F. Hayes, who reveals that Adm. Dennis Blair, President Obama’s national intelligence director, circulated a letter within the intelligence community last week that could prove embarrassing to both Democrats and the Obama administration.

Blair’s letter reportedly states that members of Congress repeatedly signed off on enhanced interrogation methods such as waterboarding.

“From 2002 through 2006 when the use of these techniques ended,” Blair wrote, “the leadership of the CIA repeatedly reported their activities both to Executive Branch policymakers and to members of Congress, and received permission to continue to use the techniques."

Blair’s letter was distributed April 16, the same day the president released portions of newly declassified internal memos describing in detail how the interrogations were to be performed.

Obama has been widely criticized by former Vice President Dick Cheney and others for holding back information that shows how successful the enhanced interrogations were in disrupting al-Qaida operations, including attacks against U.S. citizens.

Blair’s letter also stated that coercive interrogation provided “high-value information” and contributed to a better understanding of al-Qaida. An abridged version of Blair’s statement was released to the public, but it did not refer to the program’s success or the authorization from Congress."


"Who's Politicizing Intelligence Now?
Obama's intelligence chief admits the value of tough interrogations.
by Stephen F. Hayes
04/22/2009 12:00:00 AM


Admiral Dennis Blair, the top intelligence official in the United States, thanks to his nomination by Barack Obama, believes that the coercive interrogation methods outlawed by his boss produced "high-value information" and gave the U.S. government a "deeper understanding of the al Qaeda organization that was attacking this country." He included those assessments in a letter distributed inside the intelligence community last Thursday, the same day Obama declassified and released portions of Justice Department memos setting out guidelines for those interrogations.

That letter from Blair served as the basis for a public statement that his office put out that same day. But the DNI's conclusions about the results of coercive interrogations--in effect, that they worked--were taken out of Blair's public statement. A spokesman for the DNI told the New York Times that the missing material was cut for reasons of space, though the statement would be posted on DNI's website, where space doesn't seem to be an issue.

Curious.

There's more. Blair's public statement differed from his letter to colleagues in another way. The letter included this language: "From 2002 through 2006 when the use of these techniques ended, the leadership of the CIA repeatedly reported their activities both to Executive Branch policymakers and to members of Congress, and received permission to continue to use the techniques." Blair's public statement made no mention of the permission granted by "members of Congress"--permission that came from members of Obama's own party.

Odd.

And then there are the memos themselves. Sections of the memos that describe the techniques have been declassified and released. But other sections of those same memos--the parts that describe, in some detail, the value of the program--have been redacted and remain hidden from public view.

Marc Thiessen, a speechwriter for George W. Bush, had access to the full memos and read them to prepare a speech for Bush in 2006. When Thiessen looked at the redacted version released by the White House last week, he noticed something strange.

He writes: "But just as the memo begins to describe previously undisclosed details of what enhanced interrogations achieved, the page is almost entirely blacked out. The Obama administration released pages of unredacted classified information on the techniques used to question captured terrorist leaders but pulled out its black marker when it came to the details of what those interrogations achieved."

It's not just those memos. Former Vice President Dick Cheney says he has read other memos that describe the intelligence obtained by using coercive interrogation and that demonstrate its value. He has asked for them to be declassified and made public.

It is possible, I suppose, that a series of fortunate coincidences has resulted in the public disclosure of only that information that will be politically helpful to the Obama administration. It is also possible that Dick Cheney has taken up synchronized swimming in his retirement.

It wouldn't be the first time the Obama administration has politicized intelligence. Back in the early days of the administration, the New Yorker's Jane Mayer wrote an article about Obama's decision to ban some of these interrogation techniques. She spoke with White House counsel Greg Craig, who described the deliberations.

Across the Potomac River, at the C.I.A.'s headquarters, in Langley, Virginia, however, there was considerably less jubilation. Top C.I.A. officials have argued for years that so-called "enhanced" interrogation techniques have yielded lifesaving intelligence breakthroughs. "They disagree in some respect," Craig admitted. Among the hard questions that Obama left open, in fact, is whether the C.I.A. will have to follow the same interrogation rules as the military. While the President has clearly put an end to cruel tactics, Craig said that Obama "is somewhat sympathetic to the spies' argument that their mission and circumstances are different."

Despite such sentiments, Obama's executive orders will undoubtedly rein in the C.I.A. Waterboarding, for instance, has gone the way of the rack, now that the C.I.A. is strictly bound by customary interpretations of the Geneva Conventions. This decision, too, was the result of intense deliberation. During the transition period, unknown to the public, Obama's legal, intelligence, and national-security advisers visited Langley for two long sessions with current and former intelligence-community members. They debated whether a ban on brutal interrogation practices would hurt their ability to gather intelligence, and the advisers asked the intelligence veterans to prepare a cost-benefit analysis. The conclusions may surprise defenders of harsh interrogation tactics. "There was unanimity among Obama's expert advisers," Craig said, "that to change the practices would not in any material way affect the collection of intelligence."

That's interesting: "top CIA officials have argued for years that so-called 'enhanced' interrogation techniques have yielded lifesaving intelligence breakthroughs," but the team of "expert advisers" from Obama's presidential campaign apparently knows better.

All of this leads to one obvious question: Who needs intelligence professionals when you have campaign advisers?

Stephen F. Hayes, a senior writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD, is the author of Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President (HarperCollins). "

[Chris]

The undeniable offshoot of this is the best and the brightest in our intelligence services will avoid service anywhere near the counterterrorism field. Who wants that kind of career jeopardy?

The Obama administration as well as the democrats in Congress need to feed the machine. Their constituency demands some sort of retrribution against the prior administration. And they won't be feeding senior officials to the lions. Just like the Army fiasco at Abu Ghraib, they'll lynch some not-too-bright private and the CoC will get a pass.

[Wobble]

I am sure they will still find a way to contract out this type of interrogation. No doubt the Israeli's wont have a problem with these methods and more.

[nortech4play]

The undeniable offshoot of this is the best and the brightest in our intelligence services will avoid service anywhere near the counterterrorism field. Who wants that kind of career jeopardy?

The Obama administration as well as the democrats in Congress need to feed the machine. Their constituency demands some sort of retrribution against the prior administration. And they won't be feeding senior officials to the lions. Just like the Army fiasco at Abu Ghraib, they'll lynch some not-too-bright private and the CoC will get a pass.

I agree totally with that sentiment but what really pi$$es me off is the constant media Grand Standing and "Holier than Thou" attitude of this present administration.

It just wreaks of hypocrisy, the last Congress was well aware and approved of the techniques that were being used during the terrorist interrogations. BHO would have known to if he wasn't too busy running around the country campaigning.

The real sad part is the main stream media is complicit in puking out the drivel without even a hint of a challenge or investigation to see if it is factual and complete or is being spinned to suit their political ideology...

[Ted]

Obama Lied, the Economy and now People will die....

[Chris]

I am sure they will still find a way to contract out this type of interrogation. No doubt the Israeli's wont have a problem with these methods and more.

The Obama administartion has limited that as well. They brought the intelligence agencies under the same rules as the military, which bar transfer of prisoners to any entity for the purposes of interrogation. We used to job it out to the Turks with great effect.

[LotoSteve]

Its all a diversion to get the masses away from thinking O is an idiot imho

[cuda]

Its all a diversion to get the masses away from thinking O is an idiot imho

Didn't work. I still think he is an idiot, and although he was voted in, that just shows the ignorance of the idiots who voted him in.

[Ratickle]

Didn't work. I still think he is an idiot, and although he was voted in, that just shows the ignorance of the idiots who voted him in.

You don't have to be smart to buy votes, just a weasel....

[Chris]

Its all a diversion to get the masses away from thinking O is an idiot imho

Obama is downright brilliant and a once-in-a-generation orator. That, combined with what I consider truly misguided idealism make for a truly dangerous combination.

I'm not going to make the mistake of underestimating him, nor his ability to undermine the interests of the U.S. for his own world vision.

[Ratickle]

Wait a minute now... I did not authorize ATTACKS on the pirates.

I authorized A TAX on the pirates.

[tunnelvision69]

we are witnessing a premeditated terrorist attack on our country & way of life from the potus. Bill Aires must be proud of his prized student!

[Ratickle]

Interestingly, The congressman from west Michigan, Pete Hoekstra, was on tonight calling for an independant investigation of the Obama team that put the information out. He said it has made our country so much less safe they should be investigated ? The way it was put out was a breach of Congressional rules because it was all secret briefs to the intelligence committees for both branches?

He is running for Governor next year I believe.

"An honest and thorough review of the enhanced interrogation program must also assess the likely damage done to U.S. national security by Mr. Obama's decision to release the memos over the objections of Mr. Panetta and four of his predecessors. Such a review should assess what this decision communicated to our enemies, and also whether it will discourage intelligence professionals from offering their frank opinions in sensitive counterterrorist cases for fear that they will be prosecuted by a future administration."

[catmando]

Obama Lied, the Economy and now People will die....

Bu$h lied and our soldiers died. That's a FACT.

[catmando]

What do they call those people who get cult members...oh yeah, 'deprogrammers'. That's what y'all need, political deprogramming.

[J.T.]

That's what y'all need, political deprogramming.

Isn't this just like the pot calling the kettle black

[cuda]

Isn't this just like the pot calling the kettle black

I just said the exact same thing on one of this idiots other posts. He's been an idiot his whole life, don't waste time trying to make him a non-idiot. That ship has already sailed.