A secret Central Intelligence Agency initiative terminated by Director Leon Panetta was an attempt to carry out a 2001 presidential authorization to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives, according to former intelligence officials familiar with the matter.Oooo. Pretty scary stuff. Our leaders actually wanted to kill the people responsible for committing acts of terror against the United States, taking a page from the Mossad.
The precise nature of the highly classified effort isn’t clear, and the CIA won’t comment on its substance.
According to current and former government officials, the agency spent money on planning and possibly some training. It was acting on a 2001 presidential legal pronouncement, known as a finding, which authorized the CIA to pursue such efforts. The initiative hadn’t become fully operational at the time Mr. Panetta ended it.
In 2001, the CIA also examined the subject of targeted assassinations of al Qaeda leaders, according to three former intelligence officials. It appears that those discussions tapered off within six months. It isn’t clear whether they were an early part of the CIA initiative that Mr. Panetta stopped.
What's not to like about that?
Well, the Democrats will try and turn this into a process story, much like the prosecution of Scooter Libby. The crime will not be the desire to end the miserable lives of those who are trying to kill Americans, but of keeping this program under wraps (and that's not even been confirmed).
Can you blame the Bush Administration for not wanting this infomation to get to congressional Democrats? I can't. It would have been in the NY Times the next day.
Given that the program never really went anywhere, the Dems will be hard pressed to make this into anything other than a distraction - an effort to divert attention from the rest of their agenda.
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5 comments:
In legal terms isn't this what they refer to as a "Red Herring"?
Whenever the democrats get their hands in something it usually smells somewhat "fishy".
Good point!! These democrats are such hypocrites. When it's fashionable to be anti-radical and support any means necessary, they are -- when it's opportunistic to gain political points to bash the military for tactics used to combat the same radicals, they demure. "come here come here come here -- get away get away get away."
The administration, by law, must inform the congress of it's activities, and if the activities run contrary to established law, the congress must present those findings to the judiciary. Regardless of whether you or anyone else feels these actions or suggested actions were appropriate, it was incumbant on the executive to inform the congress of the intended actions. Not only were they not informed, but they were intentionally misled. That is a CRIME. Only a moron or a crook would ignore that.
JMJ
Go ahead and enjoy your rant, but this whole thing is a diversion and it will never be prosecuted.
Mossad "advisors" just like at Abu Ghraib?
B52 errant nukes, USMilSpec anthrax, 7/7 London bombings, Madrid train bombings, Tillman's tight 3 shot group in the forehead, Benazir Bhutto?
DNC & RNC have BOTH sold out the country in order to enrich themselves.
Independents agree on more than we disagree.
Beware the divide and conquer.
Gravel Kucinich Paul Nader
McKinney Ventura too
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