The only thing I disagree with Glenn Greenwald about is the idea that the Obama administration’s decision to continue exerting the state’s secret privilege in the Binyam Mohamed case is aimed at covering up for Bush and Cheney’s crimes. I think it is fairly straightforward that the aim is to protect the intelligence community and, more importantly, our state-to-state relationships with Morocco, Syria, and whomever else was involved in extraordinary rendition.
What are the allegations?
The court papers describe horrific treatment in secret prisons. Mr. Mohamed claimed, for example, that during his detention in Morocco, “he was routinely beaten, suffering broken bones and, on occasion, loss of consciousness. His clothes were cut off with a scalpel and the same scalpel was then used to make incisions on his body, including his penis. A hot stinging liquid was then poured into open wounds on his penis where he had been cut. He was frequently threatened with rape, electrocution, and death.”
That’s the kind of allegation that the Obama administration is refusing to defend or admit to. I understand the quandary they find themselves in, but we need to know the truth and make amends. The Obama administration cannot allow itself to become complicit in the Bush administration’s crimes.
I got nothing.
You have to ask yourself why this is the policy. Who benefits? Not the Republicans. The only other answer is that this is protection for Democrats. Democrats who knew and said nothing and don’t want to have to explain why they said and did nothing.
I think it is more a matter of not wanting to blow up intelligence arrangements with Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Thailand, etc.
No. Who benefits? The CIA people who have committed heinous acts, and now want cover for their atrocities.
That’s who wants cover. And if history is any precedent, they’ll get anything they want. If they don’t, Obama may not live to see a second term. But I wish Obama would make that sacrifice so that, for once, some people would actually be held accountable.
I know. Too much to ask.
also, let’s not forget reid, pelosi, and the others who traveled to guantanamo a few years back, and not only didn’t object, but specifically said “do it harder”.
it’s definitely protection for democrats. very important people are implicated here, and since very important people don’t have to abide by the law, the law will have to be ignored or otherwise evaded.
heckuva job. changeriffic.
Democrats who knew and said “This is a good idea” have to say even less, I assume.
Prosecuting that of course would cost a fair amount of Democrats their seats, so nothing will be done.
I think there is another possibility: that they haven’t figured out how to deal with this sort of stuff and back-burnered it while dealing with other stuff.
I think it stinks. I think the world needs to know the truth about America’s Concentration Camps. More to the point, I think America needs to know the truth.
But “no change” doesn’t necessarily mean “buy in.” It might just mean delaying tactic: “Oh crap, what are going to do about this?”
I am prepared to watch for developments.
Then, again, I spell gamble L-O-S-E.
Holder has been AG for 4days.
You don’t have to be very smart to know torture needs to be rooted out wherever it’s found. Hell even I know that.
Because, of course, the DOJ is only doing one thing at a time.
Get a grip. 120,000 employees. In charge of guidelines for CIA interrogation. Includes FBI and BATF and USAs.
“I think it is fairly straightforward that the aim is to protect the intelligence community and, more importantly, our state-to-state relationships with Morocco, Syria, and whomever else was involved in extraordinary rendition. “
I never understood how you can trust Syrian and Egyptian intelligence for these (or any) purposes. So, given that torture itself yields poor quality intelligence and that foreign government control of the interrogation or subject at any point also only works to reduce intelligence quality, exactly what value are we protecting here, going forward?
Again, why will these intelligence community fools torture on command, but are somehow unable to stand the horrible experience of being pardoned for crimes THEY WILLFULLY AND KNOWINGLY COMMIT?
There is a fine line between the desire to maintain the right to protect intelligence privilege and the desire to maintain the illegal procedures. It appears that at some level there is a desire to maintain the option to protect the executive’s right to “privacy,” as opposed to the desire to continue the privileges…Ah, how complex law can be.
I hope that a very clear statement of policy comes soon; I agree that there is some level of stall tactic going on here, because Obama’s Attorney General and security advisors appear equivocal on this sort of security privacy.
State secrets has been abused for 50 years. When will it end?
Never.
Simple answers to simple questions.
nalbar
It will end when the empire crumbles, which seems to be happening fairly rapidly. I think, however, the imperium will go bankrupt first what with all the great work done by Wall St and the Republican Party. The military probably will have some part to play in this fiasco so expect someone liken General Petraeus to come galloping to the rescue.
“The Obama administration cannot allow itself to become complicit in the Bush administration’s crimes.”
well, that ship’s sailed.
Who knew that change and hope involved cutting penises with scalpels?
That’s our Changey McHopesalot, just changing away.