Cheney Requests Release of 2 CIA Reports on Interrogations

[sabra]

Source: WP

Former vice president Richard B. Cheney is asking for the release of two CIA reports in his bid to marshal evidence that coercive interrogation tactics such as waterboarding helped thwart terrorist plots, according to documents released yesterday by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Cheney's request was submitted March 31, more than two weeks before President Obama decided to release four "top secret" memos in which Bush administration lawyers sanctioned harsh tactics for questioning prisoners.

...

The request applies to CIA reports issued on July 13, 2004, and June 1, 2005, that were held in a file marked "detainees" inside the office of the vice president, according to archives documents. Cheney's initial request said the reports were eight and 13 pages long, respectively; archives staff determined they are 12 and 19 pages long, including attachments.

Stephannie Oriabure, a presidential archivist, wrote in an April 8 letter to Cheney that the documents require "an agency review" before they can be released.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the review will take "up to about three weeks' time."

Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU National Security Project, said Cheney is attempting to "cherry-pick" intelligence to support his argument in favor of coercive interrogation tactics. "If we really wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of the CIA's interrogation program, we have to look at more than two small documents," he said.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403645.html

[Blandocyte]

1. Elderly Paranoid and Possibly Delusional

When will this aged paranoid delusional piece of crap from the Nixon administration be shown to be the sick bastard he is? We'd had enough of Nixon years ago; I don't know how we let Cheney and Rummy get back into power with their Nixon-era ideas of executive branch power and outmoded world views.

[EFerrari]

4. We didn't. The Supreme Court staged a coup. n/t

[PNutt]

16. This Soap Opera Is Waaay Too Obvious.....

This dumfuck is about to die, and the Village Idiot & his minions are going to let him take the fall, so nobody else will be prosocuted. I can see the end of the show, and it's just now starting......

[Thor_MN]

32. He's trying to rehabilitate Spiro Agnew's reputation

Of course, doing by becoming the most corrupt, evil Vice President ever is a questionable tactic, but the GOP isn't known for doing anything right.

[DeepBlueC]

2. and according to Rachel, these particular two

were prepared as they were trying to cover their asses over two unfortunate revelations, Abu Ghraib the first and I forget the other one. Both CYA memos though.

[No Elephants]

11. Of course they were. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to parse that.

[Jefferson23]

3. I love reading how Cheney must be freaking out, lol

paranoid fucking bum can't be trusted though..schmuck.

[Jeep789]

5. Yep. And he has good reason to be paranoid. nt

[Oak2004]

14. I think it is only fair that Cheney spend his days in terror that an unfeeling agent of the state

might strap him into a gurney and execute him for his crimes.

I oppose the death penalty, even for him (though I do think under current law he is guilty of capital crimes), but I do not oppose him getting a taste of the fear and dread felt by the men he ordered strapped to a gurney and drowned.

[alfredo]

6. they weren't holding them, they were found in his office. They don't

prove shit. He was probably hoping that they couldn't find them so he can complain that Obama was hiding evidence that torture works.

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. NPR had some crap on about how abu whatnot cracked & spilled the beans

& charney saved the world from 9/11 part deux. It's pretty laughable actually.

[EFerrari]

10. Abu Zubydah was talking to the FBI and stopped giving good info

when CIA started torturing him. That's about the time FBI bailed out of the program.

ETA: Can you find a link for that? I'd like to put it up in our Pushback thread in the morning.

[Merlot]

8. "Cheney's request was submitted March 31, more than two weeks before ..."

Hmmmm, so cheeeenny is doing some proactive pro-torture publicity manipulations. Almost sounds like he knew before anyone else that Obama was going to release the memos.

Hmmmm how in the world would cheeeeeny know this information? Was he a fly on the wall of the Oval Office? Or maybe a bug in the rug?

[FreakinDJ]

9. What - more "Cheery Picked Intel"

Oh please spare us.

We still remember what you did to build a case for going to War with Iraq

[No Elephants]

12. Since when does a FORMER VP ask the CURRENT POTUS to release diddly? Sit down and shut up.

[EFerrari]

13. Bush gave him the power to classify and declassify.

I wonder if that makes a difference now.

[No Elephants]

15. Yes. Now, that means he USED to have the power to declassify, but, he should sit down and shut up.

[struggle4progress]

17. Hey DC! Let's just open up your VP papers in their entirety!

No need to pick-and-choose: let's see what you've got!

[No Elephants]

21. Way too late. Shredded.

[struggle4progress]

23. A certain court might be interested in what's missing

[SlingBlade]

18. This is very curious, Why ????

Cheney's request was submitted March 31, more than two weeks before President Obama decided to release four "top secret" memos in which Bush administration lawyers sanctioned harsh tactics for questioning prisoners.

Is this just another clue that Cheney's tentacles extend deep into the Obama administrations
decision making team ?

Tin Foil firmly attached !

[PNutt]

19. According To HuffPost....

The decision on releasing those documents wasn't made until 9:30 the night before. Apparently there was a huge debate in Rahm's office, with Obama as moderator, and his decision wasn't made until both sides were heard.....the he immediately drafted a press release, and the documents were released the following morning. Our National Dick would have had only a few hours notice, at best.

[SlingBlade]

20. Thanks, I'm obviously a tin foiler when it involves Cheney

[No Elephants]

22. Not buying it.

[PNutt]

24. Here Ya Go....

From HuffPost article out of Wash. Post......

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042304718.html?sub=AR

[Lasher]

25. Cheney might be the worst hypocrite who has ever lived.

With his record of having kept everything locked up in his walk-in safe, he has the nerve, after only 3 months out of office, to ask the Obama administration to declassify & release something? I say make these documents Double Dog Triple Top Secret, never to see the light of day while Cheney lives. And release everything else. And throw him in jail for talking about them on TV. He's revealing classified information.

[EJSTES2005]

27. The Obama team

should tell Dick they will release them when you release your 2001 energy task force meeting documents.

[Lasher]

30. Better yet, Obama should release the task force records himself.

But I'm pretty sure they are now in the archives and won't be released for 12 years.

[Pharlo]

26. Has anyone bothered to ask Mr. Cheney

why, if these documents are SO crucial to public viewing, they were not released BEFORE January 20, 2009?

After all, he had four or five years to figure it out and release them.

[radfringe]

28. more cheney-cherry picking....

I say screw selective de-classification - release ALL reports

[PNutt]

29. I Bet That This Dick Is

Setting up to invite the whole current administration on a bird-hunting trip!:crazy:

[sofa king]

31. The administration which never told the truth wishes to cite itself.

I hope those reports are released. They will be amusing.

[classysassy]

33. Why

isn't that criminal charged with the rest of the bush thugs,where is the justice in america?.