On Torture Tapes Destruction:Where's "The Heat?"

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 09:07:19 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

Jose Rodriguez said about his destruction of CIA torture tapes:

The videos showed CIA interrogators using waterboarding, a simulated drowning technique that's widely considered torture, on terrorism suspect Abu Zubaydah. The videos showed that interrogators did not follow the waterboarding procedures authorized by the Bush administration, the documents indicate.

Jose Rodriguez, the agency's top clandestine officer, worried the 92 tapes would be "devastating" to the CIA if they ever surfaced, the documents show. He approved the destruction of the tapes. Rodriguez told Goss and others he "felt it was extremely important to destroy the tapes and that if there was any heat, he would take it," according to a November 2005 e-mail.

The chances of Jose Rodriguez facing any "heat from the Obama Justice Department is zero. A Medal of Freedom is more likely. The only one who needs to worry about heat from the Obama Justice Department is the person who leaked the e-mail to the Washington Post. Change you can believe in.

Speaking for me only

< Friday Morning Obama "Change" Open Thread | What Is Fraud? >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

On Torture Tapes Destruction:Where's "The Heat?" | 19 comments (19 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

Nobody could have predicted (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by lilburro on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 09:23:41 AM EST

That with John Brennan as the top counterterrorism adviser there would be no heat.

Also WTF:

The videos showed that interrogators did not follow the waterboarding procedures authorized by the Bush administration, the documents indicate.[emphasis mine]

God only knows what was on those tapes in that instance.

Nazis (none / 0) (#16)
by Andreas on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 01:35:24 PM EST

Likely they were showing what Nazis are doing.

: I hope Dick Durbin (none / 0) (#19)
by Spamlet on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 03:26:31 PM EST

gets to retract that apology he never should have been pressured to offer.

Heat? (5.00 / 5) (#2)
by Anne on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 09:29:04 AM EST

What - Eric Holder will light a little match and call it a day?

I bet he doesn't do even that; he'll either soon go the way of Greg Craig, or he'll sell whatever remains of his soul and integrity to assist Obama in looking "forward."

My guess is, we're just going to let this stinking pile of garbage fester, and we're going to preserve the culture that created it.

I am just so, so proud.

: Everyone (5.00 / 2) (#8)
by lentinel on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 10:45:55 AM EST

should be proud.
OpenLeft should be proud.
Chris Bowers should be especially proud.
Kos should be proud.
Me, I'm exhausted.

there was a large block of (5.00 / 3) (#3)
by athyrio on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 09:35:36 AM EST

liberals that felt that Obama was republican light given his record...Guess they were correct...really sad IMO..

: Republican light??? (none / 0) (#9)
by observed on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 11:00:58 AM EST

More like "Chenge" you can believe in ..as in Cheney.

Change you can believe in (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by lentinel on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 10:43:44 AM EST

from the rock-star in chief.

: Unfortunately (5.00 / 1) (#13)
by DFLer on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 12:28:09 PM EST

that sounds like something Sarah Palin would say. Ouch! Is she right after all?

I always kinda thought that (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by inclusiveheart on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 11:03:07 AM EST

that change thing was a lot of hooey.

Is this any way for a (none / 0) (#4)
by oculus on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 09:47:24 AM EST

Centrist to talk/type/think?

: You trying to say... (none / 0) (#6)
by kdog on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 10:33:54 AM EST

centrists are pro-torture?
One would hope hard left, left, center, right, hard right would all be against torture and would speak out against torture...ok maybe not hard right and hard left:)

Investigate, not prosecute (none / 0) (#5)
by Realleft on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 10:32:06 AM EST

That was the plan all along...

Obama hasn't (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by lilburro on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 11:28:00 AM EST

investigated anything. The torture tape inquiry began before he took office (Jan 2008).


I just am getting a little bored (none / 0) (#14)
by Realleft on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 01:12:08 PM EST

of the "change" line when it doesn't fit the issue; it's lazy criticism. Things he campaigned on changing and isn't, criticize with this theme. If he never said he was going to do it, then it's disingenuous to say facetiously "change you can believe in" to score a point against.


Show me the commission. (5.00 / 1) (#17)
by lilburro on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 01:41:53 PM EST

There's no Truth Commission. There's no investigating. In terms of waiting for Congress or what not, the article you cited indicates that there was to be clear support in the Obama Administration for a Truth Commission. There is not and was not. And some of the sh*t is so f*cked up (see Valtin).

Oh and here is a great tidbit about a man who just left the CIA (and that I wrote about previously):

Former Oklahoma Sen. David Boren, for example, the former intelligence committee chairman who led a transition team to CIA headquarters after the 2008 elections, said he was nauseated by the pitch he heard from Kappes and other agency officials to "retain the option of reestablishing secret prisons and using aggressive interrogation methods," according to an account in the Post.
"It was one of the most deeply disturbing experiences I have had," said Boren, now president of the University of Oklahoma. "I wanted to take a bath when I heard it ... Fear was used to justify the use of techniques that violate our values and weaken our intelligence."

I just cannot believe that people seriously think this Administration will support an investigation of anything. Torturers have been kept on, and the anti-torture segment has left the building (Greg Craig, Dawn Johnsen).


: oh and here is a nice touch: (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by lilburro on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 01:52:41 PM EST

WaPo:

CIA officials portrayed the personnel moves as part of a long-expected transition. Kappes has made clear his desire to retire and was talked out of doing so twice by President Obama, officials said.
You can bet there's going to be some hard-hitting investigations there!

Well It's Red Meat (none / 0) (#15)
by squeaky on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 01:17:36 PM EST

And the major bulk of the target audience of the attack is obviously elsewhere in the blogosphere, but the feeding frenzy is here..

It is fun to make fun of cultists.


Frankly, the CIA (none / 0) (#12)
by ZtoA on Fri Apr 16, 2010 at 11:45:16 AM EST

is the fourth branch of government, is covert, and not responsible to the citizenry whatsoever. It is not responsible to Congress or the President either - no matter what they say or promise. Presidents and Congress are rather powerless when it comes to CIA activities, intelligence and intelligence gathering and also intentionally kept in the dark about them (as we see in this tape destruction). What other 'activities' will no one ever hear about? I think it is completely out of hand and it is way too late to do anything about it.

Another intelligence gathering technique that is out of hand: I have some friends who are highly respected business leaders, very wealthy, very politically connected (and on and on - you get the picture). Their teenage son said that he was a fan of Saddam's lawyer on his Facebook page for a joke in 2005 and three months later CIA agents showed up at their front door wanting further information.