Renditions still allowed under new Obama directive

[Freddie Stubbs]

Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON – The CIA's secret prisons are being shuttered. Harsh interrogation techniques are off-limits. And Guantánamo Bay will eventually go back to being a wind-swept naval base in southeastern Cuba.

But even while dismantling these discredited programs, President Barack Obama left an equally controversial counterterrorism tool intact.

Under executive orders he issued last week, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as "renditions" – secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States.

Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that the rendition program may play an expanded role because it is the main remaining mechanism – aside from Predator missile strikes – for taking suspected terrorists off the street.

MORE: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-renditions_01int.ART.State.Edition2.4c55e62.html

[wildbilln864]

1. Sad! nt

[Maat]

2. It's wrong; it's illegal; it's morally reprehensible.

Just say "no" to it, Obama. Tell the all-too-powerful C.I.A. (and its sister intelligence agencies) to forget about it.

We do NOT want to be torturers - either directly or indirectly - period.

I plan to keep the pressure up (in terms of letters and other legal tools, Agent Mike) to end this practice. Live in peace and with justice for all.

[zipplewrath]

3. Raw story says no.

Raw story says that the LA Times got it all wrong. The only thing Obama "kept" was the standard policy of turning over criminal suspects to foreign countries. However, the policy of turning them over to countries that will torture them is prohibited, the "extraordinary renditions" so to speak. Apparently there are a group of current and former CIA officials busily running around trying to convince people that Obama isn't deviating much from the Bush years. But it ain't true

[ellacott]

4. He also addressed that false report in his interview with Matt Lauer

I wish other people would do a little more research before they come out and criticize. This is how false stories get circulated.

[Maat]

5. Thanks.

One would have to keep a policy around on dealing with turning suspects over to foreign countries (in which a crime may or may not have been committed).

Maybe this is why we, hopefully, won't do it anymore.

[jenmito]

6. Yesterday, Dianne Feinstein said she believes it's not true, that the sites would only be used as

temporary holding places, NOT to have people sent to these places to be tortured.