Senate’s inquiry into CIA torture sidesteps blaming Bush, aides

[Ichingcarpenter]

WASHINGTON — A soon-to-be released Senate report on the CIA doesn’t assess the responsibility of former President George W. Bush or his top aides for any of the abuses of the agency’s detention and interrogation program, avoiding a full public accounting of one of the darkest chapters of the war on terror.

“This report is not about the White House. It’s not about the president. It’s not about criminal liability. It’s about the CIA’s actions or inactions,” said a person familiar with the document, who asked not to be further identified because the executive summary – the only part to that will be made public – still is in the final stages of declassification.

The Senate Intelligence Committee report also didn’t examine the responsibility of top Bush administration lawyers in crafting the legal framework that permitted the CIA to use simulated drowning called waterboarding and other interrogation methods widely described as torture, McClatchy has learned.

“It does not look at the Bush administration’s lawyers to see if they were trying to literally do an end run around justice and the law,” the person said.

As a result, the $40 million, five-year inquiry passed up what may be the final opportunity to render an official verdict on the culpability of Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and other senior officials for the program, in which suspected terrorists were abducted, sent to secret overseas prisons, and subjected to the harsh interrogation techniques.

“If it’s the case that the report doesn’t really delve into the White House role, then that’s a pretty serious indictment of the report,” said Elizabeth Goitein, the co-director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program at the New York University Law School. “Ideally it should come to some sort of conclusions on whether there were legal violations and if so, who was responsible.”


Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/10/16/243669_senates-inquiry-into-cia-torture.html?sp=/99/100/&rh=1#storylink=cpy

[reddread]

1. good a time as any to put this behind us. we do need to look ahead

ebola ebola ebola

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Gee, I can't imagine why Congress lacks credibility, can you?

Unless, of course, the CIA was operating on its own, independent of Congress, the president and the public oversight, as suggested in the article:
“This report is not about the White House. It’s not about the president. It’s not about criminal liability. It’s about the CIA’s actions or inactions,”

Hmmmmm

[ReRe]

3. Whitewash

Nothing more than a 5-yr, $40 Million, 6,000 page, 35,000 footnoted whitewash and all we get to see is a lousy "Executive Summary." Kabuki theater. Kangaroo Court. On paper.

Look it... when the accused investigates himself, what do you think he's going to find?
I want my money back.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Money and investigations.

Amount of money allocated for the 1986 Challenger disaster investigation: $75 million

Amount of money allocated for the 2004 Columbia disaster investigation: $50 million

Amount of money allocated for Clinton-Lewinsky investigation: $40 million


Amount of money allocated for CIA torture report $40 million.


Amount of money allocated for the 9/11 Commission: $14 million.

The worse and largest intelligence and defense failure in the history of the United States...think about that



http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=49d_1190054204

[ReRe]

5. Hell...

My mind wondered back to the Warren Report. And yes, to the 9/11 Commission. Every single time, nothing but whitewash.

I wonder how our Constitution would read if all the loopholes were written in? T'would be comical.

[SamKnause]

6. You only conduct

investigations if you are looking for the truth.

The Powers that Be who control the U.S. are not interested in the truth. (9/11 'investigation', Wall Street 'investigations')

Investigations in the U.S. equal wasted tax dollars !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The corruption, greed, and illegal activities go all the way up the chain.

They will never been punished.

They will never see the inside of a courtroom.

They will be praised and exalted when they die.

Rinse and repeat.

[hobbit709]

7. +1 million

[Octafish]

8. Out of all the stuff that's come out since 2000, this is the worst.

It shows members of the BFEE -- and their "Money trumps peace" credo -- are above the law.

[questionseverything]

13. just so we know

http://generalstrikeusa.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/30-kinds-of-approved-torture-used-by-the-c-i-a/

[johnnyreb]

9. Run along, brave American!

"Executive Summary"....

Can't see the full torture report, can't see The 28 Pages, can't see supporting documents for the 9/11 Commission Report or NIST report, or those other reports you made us do, can't see all those state secrets, oh yeh and those government contractor and those product liability cases are state secret too, and oh hell no you don't even wanna un-gag that nut Sibel; can't see the FBI records that we can't find anyway, can't see the NSA wiretapping info, can't see TPP, can't see the trade secret voting machine stuff or the fracking stuff but that's not our fault. Energy Commission, torture kid pictures, White House logs? that's old stuff everyone's tired of hearing about anyway, and ya can't see those other documents from that other stuff neither! But do keep an eye on any monkey business!

song: BetterKeepAnEyeOnHim.mp3

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. "A lot of those folks were working hard under enormous pressure and are real patriots." Obama

[Octafish]

11. Thumbs up!

Or hang him up by his thumbs. Heh heh heh.

[woo me with science]

12. It's like reading the frakking "Onion."

Except that this is now our reality.

Kicking and reccing for CORRUPTION.

[Rex]

14. But of course! ANYTHING to cover for the crimes of the BFEE.

There would be no CIA report, IF BUSH AND CHENEY had decided not to go and illegally invade Iraq! Sad, but predictable. Of course I don't expect shit from Congress...they seem to be nothing more than a paper tiger.