Is it right and constitutional for the CIA to be engaged in wars?

[Bonobo]

Has President Obama ever expressed an opinion on this?

What is yours?

[Angry Dragon]

1. Simple answer----------NO!!

[Bonobo]

2. How important of an issue is it in your opinion? Small, medium or large? nt

[Angry Dragon]

5. In my world everything is inner-connected

You have the CIA running around shaping foreign governments by killing people
operating above the law, running drone attacks, creating terrorists,
and then you have this government saying we need protection from these evil
people that might be a different color than us, and then you have the religious fundies
saying how evil these people of a different color than us and they might have a
different religion than what they believe so we need to tighten up our borders
to keep these evil people out so you might have to give up some of your rights
but that is okay because you will be safe

And while we are at it we might have to control some of people here because you never know.

Everything is connected and our government hides behind National Security
The CIA operates as a separate government with either no oversight or very little
We have become the enemy.
We have become a closed society where the elected rule this country and taken the rule out of
the hands of the American people

You ask the importance of the issue and I will answer by saying it is just the one of the symptoms and not the disease
the disease is hidden from view and we need to cut out the cancer of hidden government
for this country to move forward

[TreasonousBastard]

3. No, but they do it anyway.

[AverageJoe90]

4. Only wars which are justifiable.

Sadly, we haven't had a lot of those..........at all, over the years. In fact, Afghanistan is the only one I can think of at the moment, and look at how badly Bush botched it!

[TheWraith]

6. You might get more answers if you explained your meaning.

What do you mean, "engaged in wars"?

What do you feel is the purpose of the CIA?

[Grey]

7. Really good question.....

What is the purpose of the CIA?

[Bonobo]

8. "Engaged in warfare"... better for you?

Why do you answer my OP with a question to me?

Was my question too difficult or do you not have an opinion or do you not wish to share your opinion?

[TheWraith]

22. Because your OP is not even remotely clear.

You say the CIA is "engaged in warfare," and that that's a bad thing. How do you define "engaged in warfare"? What criteria are there for that? What role do you think the CIA is supposed to play? What is the difference? How is an espionage agency ever not involved in warfare? If you have a definition beyond simple involvement, what is that, and where is the dividing line?

Are you, or aren't you looking for a discussion of ideas here?

[Enthusiast]

9. As long as it is

in the interests of the multinational corporations it's fine. How else can they get to the natural resources?

[Bonobo]

10. I hope the lack of interest in this question reflects a lack of interest in me the OP...

Because if you are not chilled by the idea of an intelligence agency with no real oversight or responsibility to answer to the people taking over the duties of the military, you need your head examined.

[biermeister]

11. read the book

Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the United States and the World by L. Fletcher Prouty

[Bonobo]

13. Thanks for the tip! nr

[biermeister]

24. you may find that you're happier now without knowing :)

[Lurks Often]

15. If there is no no real oversight or responsibility, then

you need to blame the President you voted for and for Congress for failing to uphold their responsibilities. The President controls the CIA and Congress has oversight of the CIA, so either both are failing to do their jobs or they are privy to facts that we are not and making decisions based on those facts.

Of course if both the President and Congress lack the courage to rein in a rogue agency, as you allege, then we're pretty much screwed anyway.

[Blue_Tires]

12. uh...The CIA operates outside of the law, so why would the constitution matter?

[Odin2005]

14. The CIA is our version of Rome's Praetorian Guards, UGH!

The real power behind the throne.

[treestar]

16. "engaged in wars"

must be defined legally. See if you are going to talk law, it is necessary to give us the legal definition of a term. Stretching the label "war" to its extreme in the English language will not do. Precedent will likely define "war" and what legally constitutes a state of war.

[Puregonzo1188]

18. How about committing acts of war as recognized by international law?

Such as say, mining the harbors of a country with a democratically elected government because they're interested in promoting the needs of their people and not US corporations?

[treestar]

19. because they are interested in the needs of their people

and not US corporations is a conclusion. The terms are too vague. That could stretch to include all kinds of fact patterns.

[Puregonzo1188]

23. You are aware of what historical example I was referring to?

[Puregonzo1188]

17. Have we ever declared war since the CIA was formed?

Though that doesn't seem to stop the CIA from doing pesky things like committing acts of war by overthrowing governments, mining harbors, training and backing death squads who commits acts of murder, rape, terrorism, and torture.

It strikes me as Unconstitutional to say the least.

[xchrom]

20. Central Intelligence Agency

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a central intelligence agency of the United States government, reporting to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers. The CIA also engages in covert activities at the request of the President of the United States.<9>

It is the successor of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) formed during World War II to coordinate espionage activities against the Axis Powers for the branches of the United States Armed Forces. The National Security Act of 1947 established the CIA, affording it "no police or law enforcement functions, either at home or abroad". One year later, this mandate was expanded to include "sabotage, anti-sabotage, demolition and evacuation measures...subversion assistance to underground resistance movements, guerrillas and refugee liberation movements, and support of indigenous anti-communist elements in threatened countries of the free world".<10><11> Through interagency cooperation, the CIA has Cooperative Security Locations at its disposal. These locations are called "lily pads" by the Air Force.<12><13>

The primary function of the CIA is to collect information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and to advise public policymakers. The agency conducts covert operations and paramilitary actions,<14><15> and exerts foreign political influence through its Special Activities Division.<16><17> The CIA and its responsibilities changed markedly in 2004. Before December 2004, the CIA was the main intelligence organization of the US government; it was responsible for coordinating the activities of the US Intelligence Community (IC) as a whole. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 created the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which took over management and leadership of the IC.

Today, the CIA still has a number of functions in common with other countries' intelligence agencies<18><19><20><21> (see Relationships with foreign intelligence agencies). The CIA's headquarters is in Langley in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,<22> a few miles west of Washington, D.C. along the Potomac River.

Sometimes, the CIA is referred to euphemistically in government and military parlance as Other Government Agencies (OGA), particularly when its operations in a particular area are an open secret.<23><24> Other terms include The Company,<25><26><27><28> Langley and The Agency.

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. What is the difference if it is a Marine or a CIA agent who kills the terrorist?