Obama DNI choice won't call waterboarding torture

[babylonsister]

Obama CIA choice won't call waterboarding torture
Thu Jan 22, 2009 7:32pm GMT


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's choice to head National Intelligence declined on Thursday to call waterboarding "torture," only days after his attorney general nominee condemned the interrogation practice as precisely that.

Retired Adm. Dennis Blair replied cautiously when pressed on the waterboarding question at a hearing on his nomination to be director of national intelligence.

The caution reflected a public debate over whether to prosecute CIA employees who used the simulated drowning technique. Torture is banned by U.S. and international laws.

"There will be no waterboarding on my watch. There will be no torture on my watch," Blair said, refusing to go further.

In contrast, attorney general nominee Eric Holder flatly told his confirmation hearing last week, "Waterboarding is torture." The statement was a break from years in which Bush administration officials rejected that characterization.

Michigan Democratic Sen Carl Levin told Blair, "If the attorney general designee can answer it, you can too,"

more...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/usPoliticsNews/idUKTRE50L63F20090122?sp=true

[Lex]

1. well then, time for some water-boarding

to see if we can get an answer

[Taverner]

2. Wait - what happened to Panetta?

Did he drop out?

[bigtree]

6. Panneta is to be head of CIA

Blair is up for Director of Intelligence who oversees ALL of the (16?) intelligence agencies

[Hope And Change]

3. Hmmmm.

[cali]

4. uh, Leon Panetta is director of the CIA.

Pathetic that they can't even get that right.

[babylonsister]

9. Yes, you're right. Blair is the nominee for Director of Nat'l Intel. OP edited. nt

[Enrique]

10. especially bad for this story

it would have been a major flip flop if it were Panetta.

[jsamuel]

5. this is badly written, unless I am mistaken - Blair isn't the head

he is the sub-head. Panetta is going to be the head, while Blair is a holdover from Bush.

[tekisui]

7. "There will be no waterboarding on my watch. There will be no torture on my watch,"

He is probably not wanting to call his future employees torturers. It will be up to Holder and the DoJ to call it torture and pursue investigations and indictments. It is Blair's job to end the practice.

[Enrique]

8. good for Levin for asking him

:thumbsup: