The Bush administration issued a pair of secret memos to the CIA in 2003 and 2004 that explicitly endorsed the agency's use of interrogation techniques such as waterboarding against al-Qaeda suspects -- documents prompted by worries among intelligence officials about a possible backlash if details of the program became public. Full Story »
Posted by Glenn LaBauve
Classic Washington Post intelligence reporting -- well written, straightforward, detailed, with good background. Some of the sourcing smacks of selective leaking to me, but by and large this article appears well verified.
One administration official familiar with the meetings said the CIA made such a convincing case that no one questioned whether the methods were ... More »
This article reports that in 2003 and 2004 the White House issued secret letters endorsing the CIA's use of 'harsh interrogation techniques.' It reports that the CIA wanted those letters, which the White House was resistant to giving, out of fear that they would be left twisting in the wind if their practice became known by the public. This is written in an objective manner and many sources are cited. Unfortunately virtually all sources are anonymous. The classification of the letters is given as the reason.
Various pieces of this story have appeared over the years, but this story ties them together in a cohesive, credible bundle, authenticated by Secretary Rice's written declaration. Given the degree of mandated confidentiality, both warranted and suspect levels of secrecy, potential for liability and harsh penalties for the informants, and the overarching fear of possible additional terrorist attacks, Warrick has done an admirable job of connecting the administration directly to acts of torture conducted with highest level authorization.
This is one of the most important issues facing our nation. How we choose to address government-authorized torture of prisoners conducted by US agents will define the United States of America for all time. If we reject, renounce, and stop using torture and illegal detention, we have a chance of eventually regaining some level of credibility in the world. If we allow our fears to trump the basic foundations of our Democracy, we shall inevitably become what we set out to prevent: a ... More »
The repeated requests for a paper trail reflected growing worries within the CIA that the administration might later distance itself from key ... More »
In a story picked up by news services all over the world, the guilt of the US over torture is revealed to have been authorized in writing by the President's senior staff if not personally by his signature. What is not mentioned is that the world community considers this torture even if authorized by orders and the Nuremberg defense does not stand under law.
The story gives a lot of good information and it is obvious that the author is not being biased in their writing. More importantly, the author explains why the sources cannot be mentioned and if that was left out, I would not trust this article.
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