RSS Feed MenuFormer intelligence officials who spoke with FrumForum strongly criticized the February 10th, ruling by a London appellate court ordering the government to release classified intelligence given to them by the CIA. These officials denied claims that Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian-born British resident, had been tortured in American custody and stressed that the decision set a dangerous legal precedent which would inhibit future intelligence sharing between Britain and the U.S.
Mohamed was arrested in Pakistan in 2002 and charged with plotting to bomb high-rise apartment buildings in the U.S. In 2009, he was released to Britain because of the Obama administration’s concerns about torture allegations. Former CIA officials unequivocally stated that Mohamed was a terrorist who had planned to kill thousands of Americans. A former operative commented that he was “definitely a bad guy. [But] we had to turn him back over to the Brits for political reasons.” Mohamed alleges that he was innocent and had been tortured while in American custody. In the ruling, the judge ordered a classified seven page dossier documenting his treatment be released.
Mohamed claims that, while in custody, he was beaten and his genitals were sliced. But former officials with knowledge of the case claim that did not happen. One former operative very familiar with the interrogations noted that “in my experience, once these guys are released, the first thing they do is cry torture. We didn’t do anything like that to him, despite what he’s screaming to the press.”
The former intelligence officials who spoke with FrumForum agreed that Mohamed was probably deprived of sleep and shackled. They pointed out however that some prisoners in American jails are often similarly shackled. These officials also argued that while sleep deprivation was a harsh interrogation technique it did not constitute torture. A former high ranking CIA official emphatically stated that, “We made sure the harsh interrogation was designed to not permanently hurt anyone.”
In addition to dispelling Mohamed’s claims, all of the former intelligence officials who spoke with FrumForum agreed emphatically that the classified information about Mohamed should not have been released by the court and could compromise American security.
While lawyers for Mohamed praised the decision as a “resounding victory for freedom of speech”, a former high ranking CIA official explained it differently. He argued that the ruling was a “resounding defeat” for mutual cooperation between the U.S. and British intelligence agencies. He insightfully stated, “If you can’t protect our information, it will affect what we will share with you. It’s not trivial to give intelligence information to other countries. For the British Government to lose control of information we have given them in confidence is wrong.”
Furthermore, everyone agreed with his assessment that — at least for the short term — the sharing of information between the U.S. and United Kingdom would be limited. As a former senior CIA official angrily commented, “The ruling is absolutely ridiculous. Information shared is expected to be protected and conform to the desires of the originating nation. That’s just the way it is. This is not a trivial matter.”
joedee1969 // Feb 16, 2010 at 7:36 am
Why be upset with this court ruling? Not is private anymore:
http://americaspeaksink.com/2009/05/google-earth-good-or-bad/
teabag // Feb 16, 2010 at 8:51 am
Why don’t you name these sources? You have no credibility until you do. I don’t believe anything you have written here over the past year and you are wasting your time as some sort of Cheney apologist. Why do you do this?
GOProud // Feb 16, 2010 at 10:14 am
Leave it to TeaBagged to defend a terrorist who is dedicated to killing innocent people.
Why is it that the Democrat Party and people like TeaBagged are so intent on protecting the release of classified intel? Why are they so intent on making Americans and intelligence personnel the target of their anger rather than direct that anger appropriately at terrorists like Binyam Mohamed?
It’s the same kind of attitude and loyalties that allowed Obama to embrace domestic terrorists like Bill Ayers and his radical, bomb-throwing wife. It’s the same kind of pre-9/11 attitude that allows negligent public officials like Holder, Brennan and Napolitano to stay in office and adopt ACLU-like standards for the treatment of known, active terrorists. Close Gitmo? Retreat from Iraq irrespective of the conditions on the ground? Condition the surge in Afghanistan on unconditional withdrawl? Repeal the Patriot Act? Persecute CIA agents, US DOJ staff to show the world’s muslims that Obama has their back? What price is sufficient in selling out American interests in order to curry the muslim world’s love?
There’s a whole lot of reasons why Dick Cheney’s approval has continued to rise by spikes of 8, 10, 12 points each time he speaks out against the Obama Insanity on Terror. The American people want responsible, strong leadership on natl security and the war on terror –and all Obama wants is a War on Those who Fought the War on Terror. All the drunken, lying Irishmen like LyinJoeyBiden won’t change a simple fact: Americans know Obama is soft on the terror threat.
It isn’t even a pre-9/11 mentality anymore that animates these radicals –it’s like they enjoy rooting for those who want Americans to die. These folks need to be pushed from office faster than a JimmineyCricketCarter single term.
balconesfault // Feb 16, 2010 at 10:34 am
It is a shame that had those allegations been made during the Clinton era, or the Bush Sr or Reagan eras, most of the world community would have said “no, the US does not torture like that”, and dismissed the allegations as spurious.
Thanks to Dick Cheney, there really isn’t any reason to doubt. The US is forced to be in the place of proving our innocence in the court of world opinion, rather than the accuser being charged with providing evidence of our guilt.
For years, civil libertarians were arguing that this would poison cooperation with foreign nations who don’t take a “torture is a no-brainer” position of moral relativism. One more crappile left over from the Bush era that needs to be cleaned up.
sinz54 // Feb 16, 2010 at 1:01 pm
balconesfault: It is a shame that had those allegations been made during the Clinton era, or the Bush Sr or Reagan eras, most of the world community would have said “no, the US does not torture like that”, and dismissed the allegations as spurious.
Would they really?
Statement of Mr. John Kerry before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 22 April 1971
I would like to talk, representing all those veterans, and say that several months ago in Detroit, we had an investigation at which over 150 honorably discharged and many very highly decorated veterans testified to war crimes committed in Southeast Asia, not isolated incidents but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command….
They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.
sinz54 // Feb 16, 2010 at 1:08 pm
balconesfault:
The propaganda that “Americans are war criminals” didn’t start with the Bush administration.
It started in earnest way back in 1950, when the U.S. didn’t become a socialist country as the Left had hoped, but began to actively oppose their darling Soviet Union in places like Korea. And so the Left cranked up its propaganda machine to paint America as monstrous: In the Korean War. The Vietnam War. The Gulf War. Etc.
I agree with you that Cheney gave the Left more ammunition for its incessant attempt to paint America as an evil, fascist, imperialist, warmongering empire bent on rape and pillage.
But when the Left didn’t have such political ammo, they faked it.
Ask John Kerry.
balconesfault // Feb 16, 2010 at 1:15 pm
They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.
And during Vietnam, we also had the Mi Lai trial to show to the world that our soldiers were expected to perform more nobly even under the stresses of combat … and even as rabid a partisan as Spiro Agnew never took the stage to claim that we should torture and abuse the Viet Cong.
What was special under the Bush Administration was that wonderful touch of Dick Cheney making the case that America should torture.
I’m sorry that you disbelieve all of the stories told by the winter soldiers. I’m sure that helps you sleep better at night.
GOProud // Feb 16, 2010 at 1:48 pm
BlankHead offers: “The US is forced to be in the place of proving our innocence in the court of world opinion, rather than the accuser being charged with providing evidence of our guilt.”
Well, I guess some American patriots defending the use of enhanced interrogation techniques to confront a singularly deadly terrorist threat is better than letting more US citizens and soliders die because Democrats are squeamish about 3rd world muslim countries not loving us. Big Hugs Heal, eh? I think the Obami have been working that angle for a while now… didn’t stop the Christmas Bomber, did it? Didn’t stop the pro-jihadist Brit judge from releasing key American intel on terrorist activites, did it? But I think even the most fervent of Obami have left the Bug Hugs Heal Apology Tour off the travel schedule for 2010. Didn’t get your copy, eh?
America doesn’t and hasn’t had a policy of torturing enemy combatants, BlankHead. That you would claim so tells us more about your loyalties to the terrorists and underscores your failure to understand the nature of the conflict and the threat. Even the leader of the Obami –Obama Messiah– explained that we’re in a war with radical jihadist al Qaeda. Did you not get the memo? (Please see the SOTU)
Cheney continues to climb in approval ratings every single time the Obami drag out the latest ACLU-inspired trial lawyer trick for “protecting” the terrorists. No surprise you’d retreat to the ol’ tired refrain of “we tortured under W” canard.
Massachusetts, the premier bastion of farLeft, hard core Democrat union families in their 5th, 6th, 7th generation, even thought waterboarding was necessary and not “torture”. It’s why Scott Brown, who made natl security and specifically waterboarding a part of the winning campaign, won.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/01/19/public_backs_gop_position_on_harsh_interrogations_99952.html
You’re still railing against Dick Cheney in a pre-2008 style. You lost America when you & your pals dispatched the threat of terrorism coming back to America’s shores. Unilateral disarmament has never been popular except in the salons of America’s farLeft. Of course, those same liberal salon denizens don’t like guns, don’t like the military, don’t approve of using military force with diplomacy, don’t care for conflict or fighting for the good in the world… just let ‘em give Big Hugs to Heal.
I’m betting that even our ACLU president will embrace waterboarding after the next major terrorist attack… if his pollsters tell him it will win him votes in ‘12.
By the way, why hasn’t Obama caught bin Laden yet? It’s been a year of broken promises… maybe Obama’s waiting for air time on CSPAN to televise the capture? Yeah, that must be it. Til then, nice try at equating enhanced interrogation techniques with terror. We can always count on liberals to sell out America to our enemies, eh?
By the way, last year was the deadiest year for US and Coalition troops in Afghanistan… and the best year for the Taliban. 317 US soldiers out of 520 Coalition deaths… the Obami have helped raise the Taliban’s success by nearly 100% over the worst year under Bush-Cheney. That’s quite a talent those liberals have for turning things around.
I guess the Obami can take some solace in the terrorists winning some of the battles, if they can’t win the one where they get NYC and world stage to propagandize their “plight”. Terorrist as victims; Alice in Wonderland led by Eric Holder, Grand Knight and Coward of the Obami Cult.
balconesfault // Feb 16, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Delusions of coherence…
GOProud // Feb 16, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Nope, dots your side failed to connect.
Go back three spaces and get a different color of crayon… the Obami is toast.
GOProud // Feb 16, 2010 at 2:33 pm
BlankHead offers: “I’m sorry that you (Sinz54) disbelieve all of the stories told by the winter soldiers. I’m sure that helps you sleep better at night.”
I’m not too sure much will help independents and unaligned political observers sleep very well at night until it becomes evident that Obama has changed his tack and approach to the terror threat and military justice.
For me, as a GOPer, nothing will make me sleep quite as well as knowing that the entire Obami Movement is imploding all of its own volition. Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts and now it looks like control of the US Senate may be up for grabs.
Where’s ACORN when the Democrats need some good ol’ Chicago-styled political corruption and vote fraud? I guess the elephant stepped on the ACORN and ate the peanuts.
balconesfault // Feb 16, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Nope, dots your side failed to connect.
lol – trying to connect your dots, MI-GOPer, is like trying to connect the dots in a Jackson Pollock painting. A thousand points of over-the-top jingoism.
jreb // Feb 17, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Sign of coming attractions..KSM and his motley crew walk under the great Eric Holder.
GOProud // Feb 17, 2010 at 5:39 pm
BlankHead, I gather you would have problems even admitting you see the dots. But they’re connected. It’s something the Bush-Cheney people were able to do with great effect and kept America safe for 7 yrs.
Not so with Obama, the Obami and LyinJoeBiden. In one year on their watch, we’ve had a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We’ve had a loss of control over civil peace in Iraq. We’ve lost any ground we had in replacing the corruption in Kabul –even if it does look more like Chicago and that ACORN is running things in Kabul. We’ve lost more US soldiers, announced a unilateral retreat from Afghanistan after tentatively and incompletely surging the troop levels there. We’ve eaten into the Coalition’s morale and support of the mission. We harmed our ability to effectively wage counter-insurgent actions because of budget decisions to cut weapon systems. We’ve extended 1st A rights to combatant terrorists, given them free lawyers, unlimited access to the courts, empowered ACLU lawyers to take over the agenda of the DOJ and failed to employ in-place assets in the prosecution of military justice that did enjoy bipartisan support.
Dots you can’t see, BlankHead… because your Democrat Apologist head is still stuck deep in the cooling sands of your alternative universe.
No surprise you failed in this, as well. Anti-American liberals usually do.
GOProud // Feb 17, 2010 at 5:45 pm
It’s one of the reasons why 52% of Americans don’t think Obama deserves a 2nd term. And a majority of Americans agree with Cheney.
Boy, I didn’t think in 1 yr so many Americans would be missing W and the good ol’ days. It’s a squandered “mandate” the Obami have lost –that, and your best chance to re-steer America’s growing conservatism begun by Ronald Reagan and the GOP.
Maybe after another 25-30 yrs of conservative and center-right policies, you’ll get the opportunity again. From the old folks front porch. LOL.