Panetta to Be Named C.I.A. Director

[nowhereman 1]

We cannot and we must not use torture under any circumstances. We are better than that.

As they say... "all is fair in love and war".

Let me guess... your toilet paper is printed with a Geneva Convention pattern?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, incoming chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, indicates she might oppose the pick.

...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who this week begins her tenure as the first female chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said today that she was not consulted on the choice and indicated she might oppose it.

...

A senior aide to Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), outgoing chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the senator "would have concerns" about a Panetta nomination.

Rockefeller "thinks very highly of Panetta," the aide said. "But he's puzzled by the selection. He has concerns because he has always believed that the director of CIA needs to be someone with significant operational intelligence experience, and someone outside the political realm."

...

As White House chief of staff, Panetta would have been privy to the nation's most sensitive intelligence matters.

...

Despite that background, some CIA veterans expressed skepticism, saying that it requires years of experience to understand the complexities of intelligence gathering.

"If you go in thinking your experience someplace else is going to transfer, it doesn't," said the former high-ranking CIA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,5514283.story

This concern seems a bit odd considering past appointees who didn't come from within the ranks of the CIA.

[mawilson 2,133]

If the CIA captures a terrorist who they think has knowledge of an imminent attack against an

American city, they'd better torture the ####### out of him until he talks. Use a blowtorch and a

carving knife, if necessary.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

This concern seems a bit odd considering past appointees who didn't come from within the ranks of the CIA.

I am guessing it has more to do with the fact that Obama didn't "consult" with them about it before making the pick. Injured egos.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

This concern seems a bit odd considering past appointees who didn't come from within the ranks of the CIA.

I am guessing it has more to do with the fact that Obama didn't "consult" with them about it before making the pick. Injured egos.

That makes more sense than the implication that Obama made a hasty choice.

[Ban Hammer 14,668]

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, incoming chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, indicates she might oppose the pick.

...

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who this week begins her tenure as the first female chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said today that she was not consulted on the choice and indicated she might oppose it.

...

someone's on a high horse, ain't she?

[mawilson 2,133]

If the CIA captures a terrorist who they think has knowledge of an imminent attack against an

American city, they'd better torture the ####### out of him until he talks. Use a blowtorch and a

carving knife, if necessary.

I actually agree with you; if we're in a friggin' Jack Baur situation where the whole Eastern seaboard is going to go up in a mushroom cloud unless they can get the code from the evil terrorist within the next 24 hours. (especially the Eastern seaboard, because that's where all my America hating buddies live!) But this is much different than institutionalizing the practice of torture in order to obtain routine intelligence, most of which will be wrong.

Dammit mox, keep it up and you will be expelled from the Collective Left!

[nowhereman 1]

If the CIA captures a terrorist who they think has knowledge of an imminent attack against an

American city, they'd better torture the ####### out of him until he talks. Use a blowtorch and a

carving knife, if necessary.

I actually agree with you; if we're in a friggin' Jack Baur situation where the whole Eastern seaboard is going to go up in a mushroom cloud unless they can get the code from the evil terrorist within the next 24 hours. (especially the Eastern seaboard, because that's where all my America hating buddies live!) But this is much different than institutionalizing the practice of torture in order to obtain routine intelligence, most of which will be wrong.

Exactly... rarely do you have a situation where you have concrete evidence that a suspect is a terrorist & hooking his nads up to jumper cables will save lives. Remember that Lieutenant Colonel who put a gun to an Iraqi's head (I believe it was an interpreter that was suspected of informing terrorists of his unit's movements)? Well in retrospect it turns out that the guy was probably not working with terrorists. I'm not saying that there are never situations where bending the rules isn't warranted, but a blanket "torture the bastards" policy will do a lot more harm than good.

[mawilson 2,133]

If the CIA captures a terrorist who they think has knowledge of an imminent attack against an

American city, they'd better torture the ####### out of him until he talks. Use a blowtorch and a

carving knife, if necessary.

I actually agree with you; if we're in a friggin' Jack Baur situation where the whole Eastern seaboard is going to go up in a mushroom cloud unless they can get the code from the evil terrorist within the next 24 hours. (especially the Eastern seaboard, because that's where all my America hating buddies live!) But this is much different than institutionalizing the practice of torture in order to obtain routine intelligence, most of which will be wrong.

Exactly... rarely do you have a situation where you have concrete evidence that a suspect is a terrorist & hooking his nads up to jumper cables will save lives. Remember that Lieutenant Colonel who put a gun to an Iraqi's head (I believe it was an interpreter that was suspected of informing terrorists of his unit's movements)? Well in retrospect it turns out that the guy was probably not working with terrorists. I'm not saying that there are never situations where bending the rules isn't warranted, but a blanket "torture the bastards" policy will do a lot more harm than good.

No need for a blanket torture policy, but the President should be able to sign an executive order

approving the use of torture in certain cases.

[nowhereman 1]

If the CIA captures a terrorist who they think has knowledge of an imminent attack against an

American city, they'd better torture the ####### out of him until he talks. Use a blowtorch and a

carving knife, if necessary.

I actually agree with you; if we're in a friggin' Jack Baur situation where the whole Eastern seaboard is going to go up in a mushroom cloud unless they can get the code from the evil terrorist within the next 24 hours. (especially the Eastern seaboard, because that's where all my America hating buddies live!) But this is much different than institutionalizing the practice of torture in order to obtain routine intelligence, most of which will be wrong.

Exactly... rarely do you have a situation where you have concrete evidence that a suspect is a terrorist & hooking his nads up to jumper cables will save lives. Remember that Lieutenant Colonel who put a gun to an Iraqi's head (I believe it was an interpreter that was suspected of informing terrorists of his unit's movements)? Well in retrospect it turns out that the guy was probably not working with terrorists. I'm not saying that there are never situations where bending the rules isn't warranted, but a blanket "torture the bastards" policy will do a lot more harm than good.

No need for a blanket torture policy, but the President should be able to sign an executive order

approving the use of torture in certain cases.

I'd agree with you if it were most Presidents, but I wouldn't let Bush sign my kid's permission slip to miss school.

[john & jean 37]

If the CIA captures a terrorist who they think has knowledge of an imminent attack against an

American city, they'd better torture the ####### out of him until he talks. Use a blowtorch and a

carving knife, if necessary.

mawilson, been watching Rambo re runs???

[nowhereman 1]

No need for a blanket torture policy, but the President should be able to sign an executive order

approving the use of torture in certain cases.

It doesn't even need to be that. I mean, if you are a CIA/FBI/whatever agent and you've got someone in your custody who you need information from RIGHT THE #### NOW or thousands of lives will be lost, you are going to do what it takes. That's how it's always worked, and the President doesn't even need to know, quite frankly. Because seriously if you've only got a matter of hours, you're not going to wait for a Presidential directive, and you're not going to consult a lawyer to see if an executive order covers this situation. You're just going to shove a propane torch into the guy until he starts talking.

I'd agree with you if it were most Presidents, but I wouldn't let Bush sign my kid's permission slip to miss school.

I wouldn't let any President, even Obama, have the authority to authorize torture. Obama can sign my kid's permission slip though, so I can sell it on eBay.

I think you mention propane torches up the poop shoot WAY too much!!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Hey, we're all kinky in our own way.

[mawilson 2,133]

No need for a blanket torture policy, but the President should be able to sign an executive order

approving the use of torture in certain cases.

It doesn't even need to be that. I mean, if you are a CIA/FBI/whatever agent and you've got someone in your custody who you need information from RIGHT THE #### NOW or thousands of lives will be lost, you are going to do what it takes. That's how it's always worked, and the President doesn't even need to know, quite frankly. Because seriously if you've only got a matter of hours, you're not going to wait for a Presidential directive, and you're not going to consult a lawyer to see if an executive order covers this situation. You're just going to shove a propane torch into the guy until he starts talking.

Well that's exactly what happened to Jack Bauer - he tortured some terrorists and saved

the country, only to be served a subpoena to appear before the U.S. Senate regarding

torture charges. How unfair is that?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Well that's exactly what happened to Jack Bauer - he tortured some terrorists and saved

the country, only to be served a subpoena to appear before the U.S. Senate regarding

torture charges. How unfair is that?

The left hates America and loves to be the cause of dead Americans. They'll resist anything that gets in the way of that.