CIA Director Brennan’s self administered auto-de-fé fell flat. He met with the president this morning and was evidently told to get his statement in line with the president’s position “or else.” The “else” is pretty clear. He could easily find himself doing the “Hagel Two Step.” As a result the gospel according to Brennan backed away from any real defense of the deeds of CIA in its tormented and torturing history since 9/11.
On the one hand, he told us that information derived from torture was, at times, useful. On the other hand he told us that it is “unknowable” if the information so derived had any real value. He said that some of the things done by CIA officials were “abhorrent” but in answer to a question was ambiguous and non-committal as to whether or not it might be necessary to do the same kind of things in the future.
Well, the US is a signatory of the UN Convention Against Torture. This convention signature was ratified by the US Senate and for that reason has the status of US federal law.
The CIA and its Corps of Tormentors disgraced and soiled the United States as did the US Army at Abu Ghraib. Insufficient punishment was meted out to the senior army culprits at Abu Ghraib, but now there is a chance to make an example of the monstrous fools who motivated, directed and executed this renewal of the Inquisition. It should be mentioned that Cheney and Rumsfeld played a direct role in encouraging US Army intelligence to torture prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
I suggest the following as steps to be taken by readers.
1) Brennan has made himself an accomplice in what amounts to a criminal conspiracy to violate federal law.
He should be fired and should be prosecuted for that crime.
2) The Obama Justice Department should reverse its stated position and re-open investigations that may lead to the indictment of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rodriguez, and all those who participated in this criminal violation of US and international law. For the president and Holder to fail to do this would make them be in violation of their oaths of office. They swore to see that the law of the US would be upheld and enforced.
3) All interested readers of SST should press their governments abroad to have their courts indict all those guilty of crimes against the Torture Convention in international law.
4) The full senate report on this matter is over 6,000 pages long and is at present classified as was the 500 page summary. The full report should be de-classified and released to the public. The material to be released is mainly CIA cables and internal documents that support the summary judgments aleady released. IMO the full report should be released in an unredacted form so that those guilty of these crimes against US and international law can be identified and prosecuted for their crimes.
5) The large sums of money paid to the torture psychologists should be “clawed back” in the process of prosecuting these consultants.
I appeal to this committee to move history in this matter and to help restore the honor of the United States.
Reprinted with author’s permission from Sic Semper Tyrannis website.
