Here's what Obama should have said after receiving the court order to release the CIA documents:
I categorically refuse to release these memos on the grounds that so doing would endanger national security, by compromising certain CIA interrogation tactics. During my presidency there will be no public discussion of classified CIA operations by this administration. And anyone found to be leaking such information will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
This administration has already made its position clear on interrogations, and what is and is not acceptable. There is no point in obsessing about every detail of the former administration's policies. President Bush acted as he thought best in order to protect the country in the wake of 9/11. Naturally some of my actions would have been different. But there will be no politically-motivated prosecutions during my presidency, not of the CIA members who interrogated our enemies, not of the politicians who ordered them, or of the lawyers that advised them on the legal issues involved. That is all.
I know, I'm dreaming that Obama would ever have the nerve to do anything like that. I might as well wish he was a Republican. But it would be nice to see him take a strong stand to protect the secrecy of CIA operations, which is vitally important to national security. Hopefully the CIA has already used the experience gained from their various interrogations of Al Qaeda members to develop new, improved, secret methods of using psychological torture to break down terrorists and extract useful information. If so, maybe the release of the memos does no real damage. But it would be nice to see the president err on the side of protecting the country.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Aye, nothing to see here besides illegal war crimes. No point obsessing over the details, these things happen all the time. Best we can do is hope our crafty CIA operatives come up with new and improved secret methods of torture.
ReplyDelete"Aye, nothing to see here besides illegal war crimes."
ReplyDeleteObviously I find the idea that the torture of Al Qaeda members were somehow "war crimes" laughable. There's no such thing as war crimes when it comes to dealing with non-state alien terrorists.
"these things happen all the time"
They certainly do. They happen in pretty much every war involving terrorists/insurgents/guerillas. And they will happen again.
"Best we can do is hope our crafty CIA operatives come up with new and improved secret methods of torture."
The CIA should use whatever methods work best: old, new or some combination.
> There's no such thing as war crimes when it comes to dealing with non-state alien terrorists.
ReplyDeleteBecause human rights, due process, and the rule of law are things best restricted by geopolitical borders.
A militant or terrorist who crosses a border without the official backing of one side should no longer covered by anything resembling domestic law or international laws of war. They become non-persons and can be treated however their captors like. Makes perfect sense.
And dont forget Gherald, these people are enemy combatents becuase crooked people in other places sold them to us and that's how we know, cos we never took them to court (except when we did and lost) and there's a clock ticking regarding an imaginary bomb which may go off some time in the next TWO MONTHS and if we waterboard them for maybe 160 times they will confess to where the body of Jimmy Hoffa lies.
ReplyDeleteWOW way to make the country a total emabarrassment.
Gherald,
ReplyDelete"Because human rights, due process, and the rule of law"
These individuals have no rights and due process shouldn't apply to them.
"A militant or terrorist who crosses a border without the official backing of one side should no longer covered by anything resembling domestic law or international laws of war. They become non-persons and can be treated however their captors like. "
Exactly. That is the way such persons have traditionally been viewed, and for good reason.
yoyo,
"these people are enemy combatents becuase crooked people in other places sold them to us and that's how we know"
Ridiculous strawman. I've specifically & repeatedly stated that no one who is a mere suspect should be tortured. We know for a fact that individuals like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are Al Qaeda members. Those are the only type of people that I argue should be subject to possible torture.
People only loosely identified as terrorists should have been well-treated and investigated to determine whether or not they actually posed a threat.
If you are incapable of reading and understanding my arguments, and would rather argue against your own strawmen, please don't bother.
"But it would be nice to see the president err on the side of protecting the country."
ReplyDeleteYes it would, but as you saw, it was too much to ask of a leftist.
I for one am no leftist, and I certainly approve of the release of these memos.
ReplyDeleteAlternatively it would be nice to see a president err on the side of protecting the country's reputation for freedom, transparent democracy, and moral standing.
The last decade or so of Republican control fouled things up nicely. So just relax and enjoy your hard-earned time in the wilderness.