Obama Avoids Taking Sides on Effectiveness of C.I.A. Techniques

[Derek V]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The C.I.A. maintains that the brutal interrogation techniques it used on terrorism suspects a decade ago worked. The Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that they did not. And on that, at least, President Obama is not taking sides.

Even as Mr. Obama repeated his belief that the techniques constituted torture and betrayed American values, he declined to address the fundamental question raised by the report, which the committee released on Tuesday: Did they produce meaningful intelligence to stop terrorist attacks, or did the C.I.A. mislead the White House and the public about their effectiveness?

That debate, after all, has left Mr. Obama facing an uncomfortable choice between two allies: the close adviser and former aide he installed as director of the C.I.A. versus his fellow Democrats who control the Senate committee and the liberal base that backs their findings.

“We are not going to engage in this debate,” said a senior administration official close to Mr. Obama who briefed reporters under ground rules that did not allow him to be identified.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/us/politics/obama-effectiveness-cia-torture.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

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[shraby]

1. He damn well better take a stand. Torture is illegal. The DoJ is supposed

to enforce the laws of the land. The Geneva Conventions is the law of the land and it outlaws torture.
Nuff said.

[Sunlei]

12. A stand like directing the report to be done & mandating a ban? (his first month in office)

The report is not even released yet.

[Skittles]

35. let me know when these bastards are prosecuted

[Sunlei]

38. apparently from what the director just said live, The people who broke the guidelines and went over

went over the line, made 'mistakes' (whatever that means) the DOJ did not make any charges on any of the 'mistakes'. Very similar to police and prison guard torture 'mistakes' that go unpunished in our society.

They still haven't released the report but the media & the director spoke like they did. Anyway the report is generated from just papers from the CIA.

[Skittles]

40. if no one is held accountable the report is WORTHLESS

[thesquanderer]

2. Except, it doesn't MATTER whether or not it was "effective" - it's still wrong (n/t)

[tularetom]

3. '"We're not going to engage in this debate' said a senior administration official…"

I don't think it's a debate anymore. We did it, it was a crime, and it was not effective.

But somehow I'm not surprised to hear that Obama is avoiding taking sides.

[NYC_SKP]

4. I think he just refuses, wisely, to play their game. Any answer would be negatively spun.

His actions have already spoken.

[cheapdate]

5. +1

[840high]

10. What actions?

[NYC_SKP]

11. "Obama Catches Blame on Tactics of Torture That He Ended" NY Times.

Where have you been, under a rock?

Obama Catches Blame on Tactics of Torture That He Ended

By PETER BAKERDEC. 10, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday found himself caught in the middle of a collision between the Central Intelligence Agency and his own Democratic allies, who accused the White House of helping to cover up a legacy of torture and put the president on the defensive over an interrogation program he never supported.

A day after the Senate Intelligence Committee released a blistering report on the C.I.A.’s interrogations of terrorism suspects a decade ago, Mr. Obama, who banned such methods when he took office, came under fire from Democrats on the committee for declining to endorse the report’s conclusion that they were ineffective and standing by the C.I.A. director, John O. Brennan. His attempt to find a balance on a polarizing issue inherited from his predecessor was seen by those critics as a failure to hold the agency accountable.

snip

After Tuesday’s release of the executive summary of the report, Mr. Obama repeated his belief that the techniques used after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, constituted torture and betrayed American values. But he declined to address the fundamental question raised by the report: Did they produce meaningful intelligence to stop terrorist attacks, or did the C.I.A. mislead the White House and the public about their effectiveness as the committee asserted?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/us/politics/obama-effectiveness-cia-torture.html

There you go.

[Derek V]

13. "Under a Rock?" No:

He's been under Iraq.

[NYC_SKP]

14. That's clever, "Under Iraq"!

Most excellent!

[Derek V]

48. Thank you

But you really should PM an apology to 840high, whaddaya say? I mean, you were a tad snarky!

[840high]

15. Your comment was not appreciated-

[Cha]

19. Of course.. everything is Pres Obama's fucking fault.. he wants the report released..says

it's torture..

"Mr. Obama repeated his belief that the techniques used after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, constituted torture and betrayed American values."

But, who cares.. they'll find an angle to get the mouths foaming with Obama hate some way.. ah yes.. let's say he said those "sodomizing prisoners are patriots".. that'll work.

[NYC_SKP]

32. Have you received your new iPad from Obama yet for spinning this into a no big deal, yet?

They sent me two, one is solid gold, I can't believe it.

I called to see if it was a mistake and Obama, himself, said, "No dude, keep it! We're gonna send one to Cha, too!"

And he ended with "Peace Out!"

[Cha]

41. No, must on a boat..

[crim son]

16. I'd like to know too.

Assume I've been living under a rock. What actions?

[Feral Child]

20. Why should he care?

His term of office is nearly over. He's unlikely to get any cooperation from the House and Senate for passing legislation.

If he doesn't take a stand the GOP will spin that as well and it's unlikely to affect the next elections.

I find his waffling to be mystifying and suspicious.

[NYC_SKP]

24. Why should he care, you ask. I ask, Why Should He Bother?

He's got things to do.

[Feral Child]

25. Because the CIA needs to be contained.

But also because this reflects on his credibility. Many feel that he's compromised. Even on this site he's been accused of collusion and cooperation with the Corporate Shadow Government. That entity (real or imagined) would seem to suffer from an unlimbered CIA. After all, the CIA isn't euphemistically referred to as "The Company" without reason, is it?

You say he's too busy, but c'mon, he's got staff that could knock out a press release condemning torture about as fast as you can come up with excuses for his inaction.

[Odin2005]

31. LOL, here comes the spin machine.

[NYC_SKP]

33. Hey, it pays the bills. In fact, thanks to Obama and his ObamaCare, I have a condo at the beach.

It's actually true, without ACA I would be paying crazy fees.

[Sunlei]

6. "The techniques constituted torture and betrayed American values" release the full report.

[OnyxCollie]

18. And then what? Look forward?

The Obama administration has already shirked its obligation under the UN treaty to prosecute acts of torture.

Yeah, some folks were anally raped with a feeding tube. Get over it.

[Skittles]

36. he let us know ahead of time nothing would be done

then decided to find out what happened? That is some f***ed up shyte right there.

[Aerows]

8. There's a surprise.

Not.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. Why? Does Hillary have a few people she wants to torture?

[jwirr]

17. I am a disappointed. So much of what he has said leaves the door open for the next president to

do it again. We need to put a stop to this once and for all.

[blkmusclmachine]

21. We know where Obama stands on the issue. Right with the torturers, who he called "true patriots."

[Scuba]

22. Sometimes BHO has a spine made of Jello. This is one of those times.

[WilliamPitt]

23. Profiles in courage.

[ann---]

26. Of course, he does

Coward that he is.

[geek tragedy]

27. The efficacy shouldn't be debated. To debate it is to

imply that it is relevant.

[ladjf]

28. If Obama "avoids taking sides", he tacitly shows that he doesn't think it's a crime to use torture.

I wouldn't have expected any other position from him.

[XemaSab]

29. I'm going to avoid taking sides in whether it's okay to fly passenger jets into buildings

Yeah, I guess it's wrong, but sometimes the ends justify the means, ya know? I don't think we should be taking any options off the table, and besides, it's a little late to be pointing fingers.

[Skittles]

37. this IS sarcasm, right?

[XemaSab]

43. Um...

Yeah.

[Skittles]

45. it's hard to tell these days

I live in Texas yet see some weird stuff right here on DU

[XemaSab]

46. It's not just you

[Skittles]

47. honestly though, I'll kick my own ass

XemaSab - heck, I should have known......I plead job fatigue

[Odin2005]

30. Obama is a moral coward.

There, I said it.

[Psephos]

34. Leading from behind. n/t

[DisgustipatedinCA]

39. This is a real shame. I wish I could respect his actions more than I do. nt

[quadrature]

42. 2nd terms are always difficult

people refuse to take any action.
everybody is prepared to quit.

[sendero]

44. Obama makes John Kerry...

.... look like an alpha male. It's pathetic.