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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Dent Claims Torture Report Incendiary

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which must be awfully small, released what everyone is calling the torture report. Though former CIA directors have basted it as a factually flawed partisan rant, the report itself is disturbing. It might also be fairly stupid for an intelligence committee.

The main reason we're doing bombing runs in Syria and Iraq is because ISIS inflamed American passions with grisly videos of beheadings. yet the release of that report is bound to inflame many in the Middle East. It seems they don't need much provocation to start launching missiles into Israel or to commit far worse atrocities.

“Releasing this report at this time is not in America’s best interests,” is what Congressman Charlie Dent said last night. “This report is incendiary and its release will put American lives overseas at risk. Currently, U.S.-led forces are engaging ISIS forces. The release of the report could provide ISIS and other extremists groups an additional pretext to increase their gruesome practices that have included beheadings,” he notes.

Dent had previously requested Senator Diane Feinstein to hold off on releasing the report. But she let it rip anyway. Though i generally favor complete transparency, the lives of American soldiers trump that concern.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Though i generally favor complete transparency, the lives of American soldiers trump that concern"

As well as anything that drops out of Dent's mouth.

Anonymous said...

This has been coming for a few years, and everyone knew the high (low) points of what was in it. Dent is just playing the party line. Hey, McCain wanted it released.

Bill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bill said...

I have mixed feelings about this. I get the perspective of the need for secrecy in times of conflict to keep our men and women in uniform safe as well as to permit our government the ability to act to reduce threats to us.

On the other hand, we have been in a constant state of war since 2001, and the actions of our government to torture people has arguably made us less safe as it has gone too far. How can we keep a free society if there is no open discourse about what our government does? My sense is secrecy has let our government get to a point where it is no longer accountable to its citizens.

Anonymous said...

The best way to reduce the volatility of this report is to show to the world that the citizens of the USA do not support such behaviors by publicly and severely punishing those responsible. Bush, Cheney and company need to be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Anonymous said...

I hope and pray that water boarding is the the most severe torture that our soldiers will ever face. Our Viet Nam Veterans, our Korean Veterans and our Veterans in the hands of the Japanese during world War II would have thought this type of torture was a like a family picnic. The U.S.A. is wrong for making this public and the lunacy of the Democrats to do so at this time will have many Americans fearing for their lives.

Anonymous said...

That makes about as much sense as saying we need to protect child abusers because people might get mad at them for what they've done.

The USA presents itself as being morally superior, and we have an opportunity to prove that b holding these people accountable. Try them for their crimes and carry out a just sentence. The whole world knows Bush and Cheney are war criminals...

Anonymous said...

7:13. War criminals. Where you from ? Russia!

Anonymous said...

That'll teach the CIA to spy on Feinstein. She's extracting revenge at the cost of military, intelligence, and allies' lives.

The problem with the report is that it's being portrayed as the final word on enhanced interrogation. The report is one-sided and incomplete. She rushed it out before Ds lose the majority in a few weeks. Her purpose was payback before the report was shelved completely. What's a few dead soldiers and spies when you're settling a score, right?

If pouring water in the nose of some terrorist could've stopped the killing of my murdered 30-year old niece in the South Tower that day, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. I don't now, either.

Anonymous said...

7:13,

Is Nobel Peace Prize recipient Obama a war criminal for his brutal drone war that has indiscriminately killed mostly civilians?

Peter J.Cochran said...

'Bush and Cheney and company need to tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.''----Oh ya well what do you think happens in this arena? Maybe we should have sat down a talked it out/ Maybe the adversaries should have in for tea and honey? Psychological and deprivation is not-- battery cables on your testicles. WE COULD NOT HAVE played games at this time. . You say this now because your comfortable, no one is trying to presently kill your family and rape your daughter.The truth will be in front shortly. Water boarding is psychological and not physiological. TOO BAD.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to see how Mr. Dent's handler, the feckless John Boehner, responds to these revelations.

From what I'm reading, Feinstein is simply trying to distance herself from things she knew about all along and nodded in approval. Pretty similar to all those legislators who now choose to criticize an Obamacare plan THEY voted for and, till now, turned a blind eye toward.

What a self-serving cesspool Washington has become.

Fred Windish

Anonymous said...

Bernie, you should also note in this article, (ignore if you did and I missed it)John Kerry's harsh criticism as well.

He was not a fan of this being released at all.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I was completely unaware that the Secretary of State opposed the release. Wow!

Anonymous said...

Peter J.Cochran, the catholic church has raped more of our children than our 'adversaries',and the time to 'sit and talk' about the danger should have been during the 41 days of daily intel reports warning of the attacks that the Bush administration chose to ignore. Just in case you missed the most pertinent part of the report, NO USEFUL, LIFESAVING INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED THROUGH TORTURE.....

Anonymous said...

The report doesn't contain a single statement from any CIA officer? It's sloppy work, at best. It's a political vendetta that likely got people killed in the last 24 hours. Thanks Diane. Perhaps her aiding and abetting our enemies is why she was investigated.

Anonymous said...

"The best way to reduce the volatility of this report is to show to the world that the citizens of the USA do not support such behaviors by publicly and severely punishing those responsible."

I agree. We should also don rubber bracelets and give those misunderstood jihadists a big hug!

Anonymous said...

The Republican Congress is outraged and plans to have another vote to overturn Obamacare in response!

Anonymous said...

While we're discussing torture, John Kerry has condemned the report's release and asked for an unfettered war against ISIS.

Anonymous said...

3:04,

Actually the obstructionist Democrats, the party of "no," led by Sen. Fauxcohontas Warren (D-MA) are about to shut down the government.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Anon 12;51 --I got a news flash for you and other know it all,s -The part of - NO USEFUL INFORMATION 'is a lie and this report is now on the news table to deflect the other crap this administration in Washington ,D.C,has screwed up. Other words this is the new focus point. This report is political and not something the general public should even deal with. Feinstein -WAS NOT even privy to the beginnings of these operations, she knows nothing. Like, Harry S Truman about an ATOMIC BOMB , he knew nothing as the Vise President Of this U.S. under Roosevelt.You don't know ,what you don't know.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Vice is not Vise and the Catholic Church and my family have no connections anyplace. If my kids were in danger of some pervert --well they would know what to do. BECAUSE I tell them before they are out there. -------Just like I advise my adult friends in business and at the school districts. Keep ALL THE PHONE BOOKS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY you can store. - you can become almost bulletproof if you stuff them in your clothing before your exit. Shots fired from the relatively untrained even at close range have about a 30% kill rate per round fired ,and most hand gun projectiles will stop of degrade in an average phone book . Who's fault is it after it's over. / You are responsible YOURSELF in the end.

Anonymous said...

John McCain a real veteran and a real POW who was tortured, gave a great speech about the report. He called the US actions reprehensible. Also pointed out that Pres. Reagan signed the International agreement to not torture in 1988.

All you arm chair generals and self-styled military brains are full of BSD. McCain is the real deal, you guys are wannabes.

Dent should listen to a real man tell it like it is and stop playing chicken hawk with his buddies on Capitol Hill.

Hooray for John McCain a real hero and not just one of these self praising blowhards who love to hear themselves talk on his blog.

Anonymous said...

John McCain tells it like it is. The only guy with the experience to speak to this issue. Bravo!!

Anonymous said...

John McCain personally destroyed more than $20 million worth of US aircraft, was complicit in the USS Forrestal disaster, and started giving classified information to the enemy 5 minutes after he was captured in exchange for survival treatment. He's a hero to the NVA

Anonymous said...

Peter J Cochran, is there anyone living near you who actually speaks and writes in English, and if so, could you possibly ask them to translate your comments into that language?

Thanks....

Peter J.Cochran said...

I can find one;but why? John McCain is the only person from Washington ,D.C. who's picture appears on my walls.The photo was taken in Texas at the opening of The Center for the Intrepid. I'm not passing any judgement on a man that has suffered as he did at the hands of the North Vietnamese. He gets a pass.

Anonymous said...

anon 6:06, Under torture everyone talks eventually. You would last 30 seconds creampuff.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Ok Bernie ,please let my detractors know when I posted my statement about this issue. SOME body ANON type says that I'm less than unknowing. READ the paper tomorrow,is all all I say.