Cheney, Doing Damage Control, Calls For Release Of Classified Intel
There was an extraordinary moment during Dick Cheney’s interview on Fox News last night, in which he revealed that he’d “formally” asked the CIA to release classified intelligence that would prove that the torture program had been effective. Here’s what Cheney said, via Nexis:
There are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified.
I formally asked that they be declassified now. I haven’t announced this up until now, I haven’t talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country.
And I’ve now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was, as well as to see this debate over the legal opinions.
It’s unclear what Cheney means when he says he’s “formally” requested that the CIA release this info — after all, Cheney isn’t in office anymore. That aside, though, this is really striking. The release of this info is likely to have no practical impact whatsoever on actual policy under Obama. Obama has banned the use of the tactics, and he wouldn’t revive them, no matter what the intel showed.
The only possible impact the release of the intel could have — and this is unlikely, given recent reports about the ineffectiveness of torture — is to somehow blunt the legal and P.R. damage the disclosures of the memos has done to the Bush administration. In short, Cheney has called for the release of classified intelligence purely for the purposes of doing political and legal damage control.
Update: An intelligence source familiar with the situation says the CIA has received no such request from Cheney.
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This is self serving by Cheney. For one he knows the Obama administration can’t do it. For two he knows that if they should do it then he and every other wingnut neocon will say he made us less safe by doing so. But here is what I would be thinking if I were the WhiteHouse. What memos are there that describe Cheney’s complicity in driving the torture train? And if there are some can we construe his statement on national Tee Vee to be asking for the release of ANY memos relating to him. I would seriously consider releasing information that damages him permanently under the guise of honoring his request. But hey I am a vengeful ******* so sue me.
How about we declassify this?
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http://washingtonindependent.com/39787/ex-rice-aide-blasts-torture-program
Of course, this begs the question: if Cheney had this evidence that proves his torture program was justified, why didn’t he declassify it himself back when he was VP? Why wait until now to make this claim?
I would seriously consider releasing information that damages him permanently under the guise of honoring his request.
Heh, so would I.
How about they release it all. Including the contrary opinion legal memo’s written (ht- TPM) that the Bush White House actively squashed.
Cheney is up to no good – he’s still pulling strings and getting briefings.
So let me get this straight:
1. Cheney (along with other right-wingers) complained that release of the OLC memos — which merely described the TECHNIQUES used by CIA interrogators — would harm national security.
2. Cheney is now personally calling for release of the actual INTELLIGENCE gained from CIA interrogations.
Dick, you’re getting desperate.
It would be foolish to assume that the “secret information” Cheney is calling upon the CIA to declassify actually exists. The old “oh, if only you knew the secret things I knew, you’d be compelled to agree with me” line has been a been a P.R. speciality of the Cheney cabal since at least 2002. Indeed, claiming “its classified, so you’ll just have to trust me” game has been one of the favored fairy tales of hardline Republicans since the start of the Cold War.
Worse, even assuming Cheney is referring to actual documents rather than just cynically lying them into existance, it would be far from a foregone conclusion that a) they actually say or prove what he thinks they do or they weren’t manufactured by CIA bureaucrats specifically to feed and justify his personal psychotic need to have people tortured. I mean, come on–its not like the notion that Cheney leaned on the CIA to manufacture facts that conformed to his delusions and they ultimately obeyed in conformity to the bureaucratic imperative to survive is footless speculation.
But as to his authority, you’re obviously not familiar with the secret executive order signed by President Bush in the last days of his administration appointing Cheney Double Secret Vice President for Life. In this role, he is head of a secret Fifth Branch of the the government and accountable only to the ODSVP (”Office of Double Secret Vice President”).
President Obama just opened the door to prosecuting Bush officials saying he was leaving it up to Eric Holder. Cheney should have STFU!
I really do believe completely that Cheney is scared to death.
sgwhite – I saw that. God I hope that makes everyone on the left happy, finally.
What I always wanted was to see the professionals involved – especially the doctors and psychologists – hauled up in front of their respective boards of professional ethics. I’d like to see the lawyers disbarred and the doctors and psychologists lose their licenses.
The doctors violated the prime directive: First, do no harm.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090421/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_interrogation_memos_2
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Just fyi
I’m noticing a pattern here. Cheney opens mouth regarding Gitmo on how Obama is putting us in danger. Obama releases memo that confirm the illegal actions that went on at Gitmo that were so destructive to our image. Cheney opens mouth again and decries releasing of memos has put us in danger. Obama comes back and says prosecuting those that O.K.’ed the illegal actions could be put up on the butcher block.
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Maybe Cheney should stop taunting Obama and realize his little fear game is over and his world may come collapsing down around him before he realizes what is happening.
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My fear is this. Obama’s Presidency gets so overwhelmed with these torture issues his other big agenda items get put on the back burner. Or, what could happen is, while everyone is busy trying to incarcerate everyone over this, everything glides under the radar and gets implemented.
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Biggest problem I foresee is many might begin to turn on Obama if they believe he is coming out like an attack dog on this pandering to those that want to go after Bush/Cheney no matter what. I’d like to see some polling on independents on this matter because it is IMPOSSIBLE to gauge the middle ground of the populace from blogs and MSM.