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Obama Administration To Release CIA IG Report On Torture?

In my discussion of Stuart Taylor's view (I intemperately accused Taylor of dishonesty and later apologised for my characterization) on the effectiveness of torture, I relied on published reports regarding a 2004 report by the CIA Inspector General to support my view that torture was ineffective. Via Greg Sargent, the Washington Post reports that the Obama Administration is considering releasing this 2004 report. If the report is accurate, this should be big news:

Government officials familiar with the CIA's early interrogations say the most powerful evidence of apparent excesses is contained in the "top secret" May 7, 2004, inspector general report, based on more than 100 interviews, a review of the videotapes and 38,000 pages of documents. The full report remains closely held, although White House officials have told political allies that they intend to declassify it for public release when the debate quiets over last month's release of the Justice Department's interrogation memos.

According to excerpts included in those memos, the inspector general's report concluded that interrogators initially used harsh techniques against some detainees who were not withholding information. Officials familiar with its contents said it also concluded that some of the techniques appeared to violate the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, ratified by the United States in 1994.

Although some useful information was produced, the report concluded that "it is difficult to determine conclusively whether interrogations have provided information critical to interdicting specific imminent attacks," according to the Justice Department's declassified summary of it. The threat of such an imminent attack was cited by the department as an element in its 2002 and later written authorization for using harsh techniques.

(Emphasis supplied.) This report is critical to discovering the truth about many issues - who tortured? who decided the US should torture? Who decided the Us should continue to torture after being informed by the CIA Inspector General that the US was engaged in torture in violation of US and international law? And important as a political matter, did torture work? Earlier reporting has indicated that torture in fact did not work.

To credit Taylor's argument (and Cheney's), people like Obama Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair have intimated that torture did work. The release of this crucial CIA report would answer a lot of these assertions.

In my view, it should also lead to the resignation of Dennis Blair as Obama Administration Director of National Intelligence.

Speaking for me only

< Monday Morning Open Thread | Is Cheney The Leading Advocate For A Torture Investigation? >
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    Noting the bold-face you added (none / 0) (#1)
    by scribe on Mon May 11, 2009 at 11:04:56 AM EST
    it seems the administration intends to keep poking this sore with a pointed stick, and each time the furor quiets, dump out some more.

    Either that's to normalize torture by desensitizing the public, or build a call for prosecutions and investigations.

    Care to guess which?

    How about the opposite? (4.00 / 1) (#13)
    by jbindc on Mon May 11, 2009 at 01:09:38 PM EST
    Either that's to normalize torture by desensitizing the public, or build a call for prosecutions and investigations

    Yes, plus the added bonus:

    This allows Obama to keep "Bush-Cheney" in the headlines and keep the campaign against them going.  Most people still believe the Bush administration was a disaster and that the Obama administration is all roses and sunshine and by seeping this out little by little, Bush can still be blamed for all that is bad and Obama can still appear as the savior to the average voter (not people who spend hours poring over blogs) - "See, look what I inherited" is the Obama administration mantra.

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    Neither (none / 0) (#2)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Mon May 11, 2009 at 11:08:49 AM EST
    This is Dick Cheny's doing imo.

    He has accused Obama of making the country less safe by ending torture.

    Obama believe he has to respond to the charge - the best way politically is to say tortutre did not work.

    I believe the 2004 CIA IG report says precisely that.

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    Cheney would not be doing this if he (none / 0) (#3)
    by scribe on Mon May 11, 2009 at 11:13:07 AM EST
    thought he didn't have something to gain from it - one or more objective(s).

    So, what do you think the objective(s) might be?

    And, further, he wouldn't be doing this if he thought he could not win his objective(s) by doing it.

    So, why does he think he can win his objective(s)?

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    I think the objective (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Capt Howdy on Mon May 11, 2009 at 11:17:38 AM EST
    as sick as it sounds, is that he hopes we will be hit again.  as almost everyone thinks we will, so he can say I told you so.
    it is a perfect example of republican framing.
    except I dont think it will work.


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    Or, as Hillary stated (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by MKS on Mon May 11, 2009 at 12:19:04 PM EST
    Cheney is not a reliable source.

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    No idea (none / 0) (#4)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Mon May 11, 2009 at 11:14:20 AM EST
    History? Cheney's thinking is hard for me to understand here.

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    Cheney long maintained (none / 0) (#9)
    by MKS on Mon May 11, 2009 at 12:18:19 PM EST
    a connection between 9/11 and Iraq long after even Bush abandoned any such pretense....

    Cheney defines his own reality within his own cesspool of paranoia and fear.

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    His objectives are both (none / 0) (#11)
    by oldpro on Mon May 11, 2009 at 12:33:45 PM EST
    defensive and offensive.

    He will defend to the death what they did.

    Offensive is political.  Keep fear alive.  Keep alive the acceptance of the idea that torture 'works' to defend America. My guess is that because it would 'work on them,' most people think it probably 'works.'  The nuance of whether the information could have been obtained another way is lost on the average citizen.  They don't want to discuss it...they just want protection.

    Sort of like support for the death penalty in this country...all evidence to the contrary...

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    Cheney takes charge of the discussion (none / 0) (#12)
    by MyLeftMind on Mon May 11, 2009 at 12:55:29 PM EST
    by changing it from whether or not the Bush admin broke the law to whether or not torture is effective.  It's a distraction that delays the push for accountability and retribution, and provides more time for people to become desensitized to what happened.  After a while, the momentum is lost and most Americans will want to "move on."  If we can't agree on whether or not torture works, or even what torture really is, how can we hold Bushco accountable.  Especially since they only did it to protect us from the bad guys (c.f. Oliver North).


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    Cheney does not realize (none / 0) (#15)
    by NMvoiceofreason on Mon May 11, 2009 at 02:33:43 PM EST
    That his conspiracies are crumbling around him. People are going to get indicted, and testify, and more people are going to get indicted and testify, and one day Cheney will be indicted for the murders of those who were tortured to death, for the conspiracy, and for the war crimes.

    Whether it happens in our courts or a Spanish one is our choice. Whether it happens or not isn't.

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    Well, they've expressly said (none / 0) (#6)
    by lilburro on Mon May 11, 2009 at 11:29:00 AM EST
    they don't want to prosecute anyone in the CIA...inevitably, someone in the CIA is going to look bad when this report comes out.  Particularly Hayden, who went after the report's author, CIA IG Helgerson.  No, they won't look as bad as the Exec. Branch but still.

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    Point of Order (none / 0) (#14)
    by NMvoiceofreason on Mon May 11, 2009 at 02:30:36 PM EST
    CIA IS part of the Executive Branch

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