By Via This Ain’t Hell comes the reason why no one involved in the torture memos will probably be prosecuted, because the Democrats were just as guilty in approving of the enhanced interrogation measures as well:
A disturbing epidemic of amnesia seems to be plaguing my former colleagues on Capitol Hill. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of the committees charged with overseeing our nation’s intelligence services had no higher priority than stopping al-Qaeda. In the fall of 2002, while I was chairman of the House intelligence committee, senior members of Congress were briefed on the CIA’s “High Value Terrorist Program,” including the development of “enhanced interrogation techniques” and what those techniques were. This was not a one-time briefing but an ongoing subject with lots of back and forth between those members and the briefers.
Today, I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as “waterboarding” were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience. [Washington Post]
Make sure to read the rest because former CIA Director and Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Porter Goss totally nukes the Democrats currently claiming ignorance to the enhanced interrogation methods they were briefed on.
I think that if lawyers giving legal advice, CIA operatives, or any other Bush administration officials are prosecuted over this issue then shouldn’t the Congress people who were brief on these measures and raised no objections also be prosecuted for not up holding the law as well?
I continue to believe the Dennis Blair provides the best viewpoint on this issue.
12:54 pm on April 26th, 2009 1
Its more than a "claim" its a disclosure, and "all" the high ranking democrats (as well as republicans) were involved and knew about it including Nancy, Harry, and probobly Ted as well. It is a very dishonest government that absolves itself from blame while pointing the finger at the previous administration. Politics, bleechhhk.
But, perhaps thats just our system. I'm getting used to the same old dishonest politicions. I won't vote for the continuence of dishonesty, however, I will vote, and hope for the best.
After all. who has a better system? There must be a better idea out there somewhere. (don't spew the 18th and 19th century failures as 'new'.
1:10 pm on April 26th, 2009 2
Just saying, I think his name is Porter Goss, not Peter.
1:27 pm on April 26th, 2009 3
It doesn't matter if the Dems knew or not.
Who signed the memos?
Who wrote the memos?
Who gave the authorization to write the memos?
Those are the ones who should be prosecuted.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky said it best here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-jan-schakowsky/…
"Hayden and Mukasey claim that critical information regarding terrorists and their attacks were derived from use of these "enhanced techniques" and suggest that anyone on the Congressional committees who heard Hayden's briefings could not conclude otherwise. As one of those who was privy to those briefings, I saw no empirical evidence to prove that assertion. Video tapes that were made of the interrogations have been destroyed. It is public knowledge that the interrogators administering the harshest techniques, pleaded to headquarters to stop, saying that Abu Zubaydah had nothing more to offer. Headquarters said no."
2:07 pm on April 26th, 2009 4
Congress holds a shair of the blame. Just that simple. They agreed and are now pointing in "other" directions, as if they where—what, worthless, stupid maby, but innocent? I think not. It does matter. If it doesn't matter, then Congress does not matter. We are paying them to matter. I am tired of the "misspoke, didn't understand, don't recall" so called leadership.
Term Limits are what is needed. Do away with the "Political Class".
10:52 pm on April 26th, 2009 5
Yes you are right, I miss read the guys name. I made the fix. Thanks.
10:58 pm on April 26th, 2009 6
Term limits is something I fully agree with because some of these people have been in office so long that it is almost like a political monarchy running the government.
11:21 pm on April 26th, 2009 7
Of course Rep. Jan Schakowsky is going to claim ignorance just as Goss said he is baffled how they continue to claim they didn't know what was going on. The claim the enhanced interrogation techniques did not get actionable intelligence is an absolute fraud. They did get lots of intelligence from the enhanced interrogation techniques the only question is if all other options were used to get this information before using the techniques. I am actually reading a book right now, Inside Gitmo that puts to rest many of the myths of Gitmo that I will eventually do a book review on. In any case I don't think they should have been waterboarding regardless because of the public relations backlash.
Something I do find interesting is that people like Rep. Schakowsky are concerned about the human rights of terrorists but they seemed unconcerned when President Obama ordered the Navy SEALS to snuff out three teenage Somali pirates. Was snuffing them out the last option or the easy option? Should the lawyers and Obama officials be tried by the next Republican administration that comes to power for violating the human rights of these Somalis?
1:11 am on April 27th, 2009 8
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this isn't the first time its been noted that high ranking members of congress were well briefed on the subject of the interrogations in detail. I believe one of the earlier articles even mentioned several members of congress inquiring if that was all they could do and asking for harsher methods. I for one would like to know those names.
1:19 am on April 27th, 2009 9
Senator Byrd has only been a Senator since January 3, 1959.