Larry, Moe and Curly

11 November 2005



Congress Moves Quickly to Drop CIA “Black Site” Leak Investigation

The Washington Post, America’s real paper of record, reported a few days ago, that the CIA is holding terror suspects in secret prisons in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Immediately, Congress sprang into action calling not for an investigation into the torture by Americans of prisoners, but rather of just who told the press that Americans were violating US and international law. Then, in a matter of hours, the idea had been shuffled off to the side. The Three Stooges seem to have lofty positions on Capitol Hill these days.

That the US is engaged in torture cannot be denied. The photos from Abu Ghraib prove it. Whether it is US policy is another matter. In the president’s own words, “We [the US of A] do not torture.” But if so, why is the White House, with the vice president leading the charge, so opposed to Senator McCain’s amendment to the defense appropriations bill that requires the government to follow the US Army Field Manual, which forbids torture? Unfortunately, Mr. Bush’s word is not good enough any more. That is the price for going to war over non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

If the CIA is operating these prisons, it is a very serious matter, probably illegal, and certainly detrimental to America’s image abroad. But Speaker Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Frist (both Republicans) didn’t see it that way. They think the whistle-blowing is the problem. If the Washington Post report is true, “such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences, and will imperil our efforts to protect the American people and our homeland from terrorist attacks,” wrote Senator Frist and Speaker Hastert asking for a joint leak probe by the Senate and House intelligence committees.

However, such an inquiry would allow Democrats to raise questions about the use of classified information. “If Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Frist are finally ready to join Democrats’ demands for an investigation of possible abuses of classified information, they must direct the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to investigate all aspects of that issue,” said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). That’s code for, “what about the classified information about weapons of mass destruction and the abuse of the system to get a war going with Iraq?” That can of worms is one the Republicans don’t want opened.

And so, Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Messrs. Frist and Hastert that they should drop the idea, at least until the Justice Department has finished its inquiry. When asked by journalists how long such an investigation could take, Senator Roberts is said to have joked, “Decades.” Or perhaps, he wasn’t joking. Senator Frist’s spokeswoman Amy Call said, “He always takes what his chairmen say into consideration.” That’s code for “Roberts is right.”

In the end, the Kensington Review comes back to the statement of Senator Lindsey Graham, a very conservative Republican from very conservative South Carolina, which he made upon hearing of Abu Ghraib. The Senator and former military prosecutor said, “When you are the good guys, you've got to act like the good guys.” Secret prisons and torture don’t seem to fit the bill. The Pentagon has this figured out – a directive signed on November 3 by Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, says, “All captured or detained personnel shall be treated humanely, and all intelligence interrogations, debriefings, or tactical questioning to gain intelligence from captured or detained personnel shall be conducted humanely.” If that wasn’t clear enough, “Acts of physical or mental torture are prohibited.” Now, if the rest of the US government would agree . . .


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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