Bush Acknowledges Secret CIA Prisons

[Theophylact]

NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — U.S. President George W. Bush acknowledged Wednesday the existence of previously secret CIA prisons around the world where key terrorist suspects have been held and questioned. He said the “small number” of detainees that fall into this category includes people responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 in Yemen and the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

“The most important source of information on where the terrorists are hiding and what they are planning is the terrorists themselves,” Mr. Bush said in a White House speech with families of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks making up part of the audience. “It has been necessary to move these individuals to an environment where they can be held in secret, questioned by experts and, when appropriate, prosecuted for terrorist acts.”

The announcement is the first time the administration has acknowledged the existence of CIA prisons, which have been a source of friction between Washington and some allies in Europe. The administration has come under criticism for its treatment of terrorism detainees. European Union lawmakers said the CIA was conducting clandestine flights in Europe to take terror suspects to countries where they could face torture.

Mr. Bush said the CIA program has involved such high-value terrorists as Khalid Sheik Mohammed, believed to be the No. 3 al-Qaeda leader before he was captured in Pakistan in 2003; Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged would-be Sept. 11, 2001, hijacker; Abu Zubaydah, who was believed to be a link between Osama bin Laden and many al-Qaeda cells before he was also captured in Pakistan, in March, 2002.

The list also includes Riduan Isamuddin, known additionally as Hambali, who was suspected of being Jemaah Islamiyah's main link to al-Qaeda and the mastermind of a string of deadly bomb attacks in Indonesia until his 2003 arrest in Thailand.

Defending the program, the President said the questioning of these detainees has provided critical intelligence information about terrorist activities that have enabled officials to prevent attacks not only in the United States, but Europe and other countries. He said the program has been reviewed by administration lawyers and been the subject of strict oversight from within the CIA.

Mr. Bush would not detail the type of interrogation techniques that are used through the program, saying it was tough but was not torture.

“This program has helped us to take potential mass murderers off the streets before they have a chance to kill,” Mr. Bush said. “It is invaluable to America and our allies.”

The President's announcement, which the White House touted beforehand and asked to be televised live on the networks, comes as Mr. Bush has sought with a series of speeches to sharpen the focus on national security two months before high-stakes congressional elections.

He successfully emphasized the war on terror in his re-election campaign in 2004 and is trying to make it a winning issue again for Republicans this year.

So, having denied or brushed off the question for a year or so, he's now making it part of his campaign strategy. Nifty. The networks didn't think it was worthwhile interrupting the daytime serials with this commercial, though.

[BBA]

Whats your point?

[Epidemic]

this is horrible. I can not believe this Bush administration and this horiffic admission.

what a bunch of idiots.

[The Real Bingo]

Yes, what is the point? That we're getting valuable information out of terrorists? Or that the CIA - which I thought was a spy agency - has (gasp) secret prisons? Or are you just upset that he's going to use this to his party's advantage?

[BBA]

On second thought, I am pissed he has admitted it. We really need to keep these things secret and that kind of blows part of it.

[The Real Bingo]

Anyone who assumed we didn't have secret prisons is silly. Just as long as we don't give away locations, I think it's okay.

[BBA]

good point

[uethello]

jus in bello. learn something.

Does anyone perhaps assume, jus in bello aside, that there may be further negative repurcussions from secret torture prisons?

Didn't we go into Iraq to stop Human Rights violations? That's what we're sticking with at this point, I believe.

Then what do we have? Let me agree with you completely on everything else. Still I have to ask, what have we achieved?

[dday]

How exactly is this news and , also, how else did people expect we were going to get any real useable intelligence out of these animals once we have them bagged?

We are at war with radical elements of a most dangerous type. They have no compunction when it comes to killing innocent people with whatever means are available to them. They are not civil or sane in any fashion we recognize in the west.

Snacthing them at night and putting a bag on their collective head's and flying them to who knows where to be questioned sounds fine to me. I want our intelligence and military assets to have as much latitude to quiz these rascals anytime, anyplace they like. Disorienting them and isolating them works for me, if it means I don't wake up a 6 am PST to watch more smoking holes open up in the earth, particulaly here in the US or within our allies borders.

If this makes the hand-wringers squirm, so much the better. They aren't on the right side of this deal anyway.

I reiterate, We Are At War !! If these vermin had been caught during WWII, we would not be transporting them to Club Caribe, we would have hanged them after we tried them in a military tribunal.

By my reading of the historical record, it seems we have had a habit of suspending the normal, civil rules of society during war, including Habeus Corpus, and reading all the mail and monitoring all foriegn nationals and their stateside contacts. The rules are merely a guideline, not Holy Writ. If this game goes sideways again lefty's will be screaming for real men with guns to go hunt down the animals and dispatch them by whatever means are available.

Personally I believe they are still rat-holing some of these scum-bags and squeezing them slow and hard for all they will puke up. God, I can only hope.

Like it or not folks, it is more important for us to live and prosper than it is for them to plot against us and fester lke some cancerous wound. My father, a veteran of 2 really nasty little wars put it most succinctly, 'Some people just need to be killed!'.

Let the game begin!!

Now let's all get back to the game of using and consuming services and products to keep the machine well oiled. Happy faces for everybody, OK ???

[uethello]

Now let's all get back to the game of using and consuming services and products to keep the machine well oiled. Happy faces for everybody, OK ???

No. it is not OK.

We are fighting an asymmetrical war. These have a tendency of being either won by the little guy or at the least, lost by the larger force. An asymmetrical war generally has a smaller force introducing new tactics to defeat or at least stymie the greater foe.

I ask again, what have we achieved?

What numbers are you frigging kids staring at when you tell me my fellow Marines are doing better in Iraq? Do you know what an amputation feels like?

The ONLY places doing better are small areas with excellent COs around that go into the peoples houses and talk to them. They frigging eat with them, ask them what WE can do to make this crap a little more bearable for them. You shytes with your gung-ho, hide and torture the raghead attitude have seen war through one screen. THE ONE ON YOUR DESK.

That's why the only thing that works is talk. This Iraq quagmire will simply be looked back upon as another embarassing stupid Vietnam Redux.

Why the HELL do you think that most of the previous Generals think Bush and his crew are a bunch of worthless poges?

[MTAtech]

Whats your point?

Although I can't speak for Theo, my take is that Bush defenders and apologists have made two major points on the topic of secret camps 1) that they either didn't exist, or 2) if they did exist, their mission is so critical to national security that any disclosure would harm national security and public safety.

Yesterday's announcement by Bush effectively blew both arguments out of the water. He admitted that they do exist and unless he doesn't care about national security or public safety, it's his opinion that the disclosure won't harm national security.

The reason for this disclosure is plainly obvious and it's not our safety. It's two months before the midterm elections and Mr. Bush wants to play the terrorist card again so that his party wins. It's about politics not security.

If Mr. Bush wanted to prosecute those 14 suspects that he admitted were held by the Central Intelligence Agency, instead of transferring them to Guantánamo Bay and asking Congress to change the law and allow military tribunals, he could have prosecuted them in regular courts long ago without raising constitutional issues. (The Supreme Court’s ruled that military tribunals for these prisoners is illegal.) We've prosecuted many spys this way during the cold war and there was never a problem.

However, the White House's main interest was to place terror suspects beyond the reach of the law. If America is the showcase of justice that we want to display to the the rest of the world we need to operate in a way consistent with our constitution.

[The Real Bingo]

I don't understand how a simple admission of such an ambiguous thing can compromise security. Like I said, if you thought we didn't have CIA prisons, you really have a lack of faith in our black operations.

[Epidemic]

I still can not believe what stupidity the Bush admin. this is horrible I mean




To actually acknowledge this is idiotic. This is supposed to be kept quiet and take place . You do not tell anyone about it...

[uethello]

Ep, you are Stephen Colbert, right?

[BBA]

I think some of you have missed what Bush has been doing - telling the truth. I understand why that throws liberals off.

My theory is he doesn't care who gets elected, it's not going to be him and he is determined to get done what needs to be done with a smile and screw you hippies who dont like it.

So, if you ask him a question, you may get an answer you dont know how to deal with, one thats true.

[uethello]

WTF are you talking about? Are you in some alternate reality?

Of the many intelligent responses to the good arguments from both sides of this that I have heard, extolling the honesty of someone who has just admitted himself a liar is ... funny.

[pickel]

Maybe all our fantasies will be realized in the next episode of "Without a Trace " and dubya will just disappear .

[quantumlight]

well i dont get the hype.....even canada has the not withstanding clause in the constitution that says citizen rights can be revoked if deemed a danger to the state....

[BBA]

WTF are you talking about? Are you in some alternate reality?

Of the many intelligent responses to the good arguments from both sides of this that I have heard, extolling the honesty of someone who has just admitted himself a liar is ... funny.

Show me somewhere Bush said there were not secret cia prisons.

Show me the lies.

It's pretty obvious he said there were so at least thats a truth. He pretty much also said point blank Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, which is true...so where are the lies? Or are you just imagining he would have said something and your running with it?

[Chuckiechan]

Why do you guys insist the terrorists, who are not US citizens, have so many rights? They are hard, professionally trained soldiers, as hard and as tough as Spetsnaz.

These are the terrorists most able operatives. How'd you like to spend a night in a cell with them? It's a pretty sure thing they wont be after your booty!

I suppose if you are nice to them they will spill the beans on their future plans and techniques, as well as safe houses and couduits for money and materials?