Hayden: Obama Does not wish to investigate waterboarding

[EraOfResponsibility]

Damn. :(

Inquiry Into Interrogations Unlikely
Hayden: Obama Does Not Wish to Investigate Waterboarding

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/15/AR2009011504009.html

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 16, 2009; Page A17

President-elect Barack Obama has privately signaled to top U.S. intelligence officials that he has no plans to launch a legal inquiry into the CIA's past use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques, agency director Michael V. Hayden said yesterday.

Obama learned key details of the CIA's interrogation practices in a closed-door meeting last month, and afterward made clear that he was more interested in protecting the country from terrorist attacks than investigating the past, the outgoing CIA director said.

"He's looking forward," Hayden said, "and that's very appropriate."

The retired Air Force general made the comment at a farewell news conference at which he strongly defended the agency's role in the controversial program -- a role that he said was accepted "out of duty, and not with enthusiasm."

He also highlighted what he described as "remarkable" CIA successes in recent months in disrupting al-Qaeda's operations in the Middle East and South Asia, while also warning of serious challenges awaiting his successor. The list of threats ranged from the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran -- perhaps within Obama's term -- to the risk of a Mumbai-style terrorist attack on a U.S. city.

[Zhade]

1. What. The. Fuck.

NT!

[razors edge]

2. I think he's lying.

Wheres my old washtub, I'll get to the bottom of this.

:hide:

[EraOfResponsibility]

3. He said the same thing Obama told George S on ABC, is what he told him

so, that's that.

[razors edge]

4. I know,

he would implicate too many of our finest leaders like Reid and Pelosi.

That is why he can't.

[silverojo]

16. Bingo. - n/t

[AtomicKitten]

5. Obama may not have a choice. Apparently it violates a treaty signed by the U.S.

whereby we pledged to prosecute anyone that tortures. A federal judge ruled flat-out that we tortured at Guantanamo. I was under the impression Junior had broken all treaties including opting out of the International Court from the onset, and I need to research this.

Rachel talked about this tonight. If indeed this is true, I'd be hard-pressed to believe that Obama would violate a treaty. And this may be all that is needed to grease the skids towards justice.

[defendandprotect]

6. What's CIA Director Hayden Hidin'? by Ray McGovern

What's CIA Director Hayden Hidin'?

By Ray McGovern
January 15, 2009


Outgoing CIA Director Michael Hayden is going around town telling folks he has warned President-elect Barack Obama “personally and forcefully” that if Obama authorizes an investigation into controversial activities like waterboarding, “no one in Langley will ever take a risk again.”



http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/011509b.html

[EraOfResponsibility]

7. Yeah, for real

[AtomicKitten]

9. Waterboarding is torture. Period.

I'm getting pretty sick of the wingnuts staying unequivocally with a straight face that it's okay under certain circumstances. Bullshit. It is and has always been illegal.

Obama and Holder have knocked that shit back.

[sandnsea]

12. Hayden is running scared

and doing and saying anything he can to anybody who will listen to try to scare people away from investigating the torture. Too bad for him. If Obama can go after the top brass, without hurting the operatives following orders, I think he will.

[goforit]

32. Ding ding ding.......Absolutely hiding!!!!

[bvar22]

31. GOOD!!!!

I'm tired of Langley "taking risks" with OUR democracy.
I think this is a wonderful idea!

[Vincardog]

33. Cry me a little river for the poor spooks at Langley. I want to here what O has to say 1/21

[Thrill]

8. Obama is the President not a Prosecutor

There is a reason for Judiciary Committees in the Legislative Branch and there is a reason for the Department of Justice in the Judicial Branch. If they do their job, it will be investigated. I don't understand why people think Obama must give an OK

[IDemo]

25. Department of Justice is part of the Executive Branch, not Judicial

http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/Executive.shtml

[Ken Burch]

10. Was I the only one who read the thread headline and thought it was TOM Hayden they were quoting?

That would have made it even more disturbing.

[Webster Green]

11. He can appoint someone else to do it then.

Nobody expects him to micromanage. His new AG can do it. Set up a special commission. No pukes allowed!

It must be done though, or this country has no rule of law, and is therefore no better than a third world shit-hole run by a dictator.

Can we get the Writ of Habeas corpus back too, or shall we go on living in the thirteenth century? :wtf:

[kenny blankenship]

13. Don't you love it when the CIA Director says what's appropriate for a President and what's not?

[noise]

14. Hayden doesn't think the public has a right to know

what is done in their name. He opposed the release of the CIA 9/11 IG report executive summary claiming it would distract CIA from their mission. He never explained his bizarre conduct at the NSA in the lead up to 9/11.

[orleans]

15. he can look forward all he wants as long as he goes after this

criminal administration.

if he doesn't have the spine to do it then i hope several international communities come in and do it for him and embarrass the shit out of him for not helping to clean up our own mess and preserve our constitution and the oath he will swear to "uphold" it.

[shadowknows69]

17. Part of proving we're not a nation that tortures

Is prosecuting those that allowed it to go on. I guess we should have just told the Nazis at Nuremberg that they better "Just not let it happen again"

[warrior1]

18. did ya'll ever thing

that they just don't want to telegraph their intention till after he's president? My thinking is, he wants bush to think that he's not going to go after them so bush won't pardon anyone.

[shadowknows69]

26. His Atty General just testified that he wouldn't recognize such a pardon

So what are we waiting for?

[KoKo]

19. Maybe this is a case of Hayden trying to get out in front of the issue

by setting up Obama when in fact it's not Obama who should do the prosecuting but his Justice Department. :shrug: Hayden is that guy who wears his military uniform ...which used to be against the rules in Government unless one is on active duty, if I remember correctly.

He's probably shaking in his boots wondering if he is a target.

[mmonk]

23. Probably.

[spanone]

20. wishful thinking on hayden's part

'remarkable cia successes'

yea, sure

[ThomWV]

21. He might want to consider starting getting interested in investigations

[mmonk]

22. Is Hayden playing a game for public persuation, jumping to conclusions based on previous

statements, or working on Obama to protect him and other international criminals?

[Sheepshank]

24. And after I parked my pretty unicorn

along side the lake where rainbow fish were jumping I got to thinking. Obama has a crap load on his plate. During his campaign, he constantly reinforced the need to move forward. You see this is nasty horrid relationships all the time. Unless you can put some things behind you it's the past the eats you up, not the job ahead.

I really don't think it's wise to take on the job of dealing with the past when the future lives of billions is calling for a reprieve. I honestly think that time, energy, recourse aright now are better used looking ahead to address the dire straights that has become the US financial systems and the threats of terrorism.

While I honestly hope at some point, Obama's energies and efforts can eventually be splintered in many more directions (including Cheney et al)...right now, the more pressing issue is not dredging up and attempting to prosecute the past misdeeds of a few, but in addressing the future needs of the many. I'll bet you all are going to start calling me a troll, because it seems the majority would prefer the resources and energy and time be spent on prosecution immediately.

Those guys and their atrocities are not going anywhere. At least once I wander back over to my pretty unicorn, that has actually turned out to be a Ford Pinto, I'd rather I'd be given some hope that there is a reason to move forward and try just that much harder rather than slap around some mealy face, lying, schlep who will drag this out with the best attorneys available and have already destroyed as much evidence as possible.

[Vincardog]

34. Unless we face and prosecute the traitors we assume their stain. That is the problem with the

"Forward looking" push. AS of now the crimes belong to the Neo-Convicts and little boots. IF we do not allow the prosecutors to do their jobs the crimes become ours.

[Sheepshank]

36. You must have mistaken

your assumption that I said "NO" to prosecution, for "let's prosecute when more important matters are under control". Revenge to the exclusion or detriment of more important issues will serve no one and nothing.

[Vincardog]

37. Returning the country to the RULE OF LAW is not revenge. It is required if we are to

have any claim of national honor.

[noise]

35. The criminality is connected

The WoT was used to loot the treasury. NSA used to spy on important people to keep them in line. Torture used to attain desired answers.

Would you truly have us believe the Bush crowd acted in good faith? That is the justification for all this illegal police state bullshit.

[NNN0LHI]

27. Let him keep thinking this until the cuffs are on him

[Avalux]

28. Um, I don't believe anything Hayden says.

I'd like to know how Obama "privately signaled" - how exactly does that work? ;)

[NNN0LHI]

29. A wink and a nod

[lynnertic]

30. ...the same way that it worked when Ms. Clinton said that she was given an offer

to be SoS when no such thing had taken place yet?

[Canuckistanian]

38. US torture caused more recruits to Al Qaeda

If Obama does nothing about the perpetrators, he sends the message that he's no different than Bush.

Al Qaeda flourishes.