Thursday - April 23, 2009

Obama intelligence official says interrogation provided ‘high value information’.

So then, just what is the savior of the world up to with his looney tune release of top CIA documents?

I don’t think I need to post the entire article.  In fact, you can read it in papers at home no doubt.
What I want to post instead is this other bit that appeared this morning.
Naturally there’s one part that sticks out ....

President Barack Obama’s top intelligence official sent a memo to his staff saying “high value information” was obtained during interrogations using controversial techniques.

TOBY HARNDEN in WASHINGTON

Last Updated: 12:51AM BST 23 Apr 2009

Adml Blair’s original note to his staff last Thursday said “high value information came from interrogations in which those methods were used and provided a deeper understanding of the al-Qaeda organisation that was attacking this country”.

The memo is an embarrassment for Mr Obama because the conclusion reached by Adml Blair, who oversees the CIA and 15 other US intelligence agencies or departments, undermines a central plank of the White House argument – that the harsh techniques did not work.

Personally, I thought the article was of interest, especially as O’s own man claims info gotten from terror scum was valid.

Now for another bit of news from Mr. Harnden, in Washington.

Q&A: Barack Obama and the CIA ‘torture’ memos
What was the purpose of the memos?

By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 6:19PM BST 22 Apr 2009

The four memos, written by Justice Department officials Jay Bybee, John Yoo and Steven Bradbury in 2002 and 2005, describe the harsh interrogation techniques that they judged to be legal and available for use by the CIA against al-Qaeda suspects.

What were the methods?

They included depriving prisoners of sleep for up to 11 straight days, keeping them in a dark, cramped box, placing them in “stress positions” and putting insects into the box to exploit their fears. The most controversial method is “water-boarding” - a type of simulated drowning, used since the Spanish Inquistions and prosecuted by the US as a Japanese war crime after the Second World War.

Were these methods torture?

Most now judge that they were, particularly when used in combination for extended periods. Some former Bush administration officials maintain, however, that the arguments in the memos were essentially correct because the prisoners suffered no long-term damage. The methods have not been authorised since 2005.

Were they effective?

Opinion is sharply divided. Former CIA chief Michael Hayden maintains they were, as does Vice President Dick Cheney. Even Mr Obama’s own intelligence chief, Admiral Dennis Blair, says that “high value information” was given up. Critics, however, say that prisoners will say anything when tortured and information is therefore unreliable as well as morally tainted.

Why did Mr Obama release the memos?

He was responding to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, though he could have resisted. The White House said that most of the details had been leaked anyway and that making the memos public was a way of getting all the information out and “moving on”.

Could this backfire on Mr Obama?

Yes. The issue shows no signs of going away and congressional investigations could turn into a political circus. CIA operatives say that the saga has torpedoed morale and will lead to spies avoiding taking risks for fear of prosecution - thereby making America more vulnerable to another terrorist attack.

AMERICA VULNERABLE

Posted by peiper     on 04/23/2009 at 09:53 AM   
Filed Under: • Commies • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Obama, The One •  
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