CIA Morale May Be Low, But The Political Distraction Is Perfect
Morale has sagged at the CIA following the release of additional portions of an inspector general’s review of the agency’s interrogation program and the announcement that the Justice Department would investigate possible abuses by interrogators, according to former intelligence officials, especially those associated with the program.
Wow, I can’t imagine why morale has sagged. Issues that were previously dealt with by Congress and the DOJ are now back under a microscope and somehow the agency is experiencing low morale? Who’d a thunk?
Look, I think it is pretty well known by those that read this blog what our feelings are about torture. We don’t condone it. Period.
However, as I understood it, that issue had pretty much been settled, new guidelines issued and, as a policy, apparently followed (there may be some individual incidences where that isn’t true, but policy was settled). Point made, lesson learned, new policy in place. Move ahead.
We also watched President Barack Obama assure the agency that he wasn’t interested in looking back, implying he too thought this was all settled business, but instead looking to the future – and he further assured them of his backing.
And now this. I frankly don’t understand necessity of this at all – especially when we’re engaged in two wars in which this agency’s best is necessary.
But I do understand the timing. This is a complete waste of taxpayers money, but it is a political distraction and diversion of the first level when such a distractions and diversions from the health care debacle are badly needed. The CIA is always a favorite target of the left. And it handily resurrects the liberal left’s favorite bete noir – Darth Cheney – just when a bad guy is needed. What better to take the heat off the Dems than a witch hunt involving the CIA and Dick Cheney?
Nothing is new in politics – especially new lows. This, as far as I’m concerned, ranks right there with the lowest.
The Department of Justice? New Black Panther voter intimidation case with video of the crime? Dropped. Pay-to-play corruption case against Democrat Bill Richardson? Dropped. 5 year old case involving the CIA previously settled by Congress and DoJ? Oh, let’s do that. Hard to fathom a more obviously cynically political move than that from a department supposedly dedicated to the enforcement of justice.
This too has the potential to backfire, big time.
~McQ
Eric Holder seems to determined to beat Janet Reno for title of “Worst Attorney General of the Last 100 Years”.
This is 100% pure Grad A wag-the-dog. The last thing the Left cares about is avenging the psychological tormenting of a bunch of nobodies who aren’t even Leftists.
This is all about getting the now unpopular proposed federal take-over of the medical industry off of the national headlines “straight up!” (as the un-funny Garafalo-monster would say.)
Obama just declared political war on the CIA, and I don’t think he even knows he did. I hope his administration goes quietly, because the CIA has no problem putting American Security on the back burner if that is what they have to do to take him down.
Et tu, Panetta?
I’m quite sure that Amercan security and “taking him down” are not in opposition. I hope this is the last enemy he needs to make.
Apparently, this and the Kennedy “distraction” have done nothing to help Obama’s popularity number, which continue to sag.
Enjoying your echo chamber – I mean, comment thread – without me, Q?
Let me fill you in on some info that doesn’t reach your cloistered ears:
#1. The 2004 Inspector General’s report made it clear that a large part of the impetus of his report on the illegal behavior occuring on his watch and being justified by the DoJ came from… yes… CIA employees. Who didn’t like what was going on. Apparently, being forced into brutal, stupid, ineffective policies is bad for morale.
#2. On a related topic, who the heck knows how morale really is at the CIA? The anonymous sources leaking self-serving tales of the popular mood of the classified community to cover dick Cheney’s rear end? Give me a break. Please continue to report the evidence-free media blather that suites your preconceptions – that’s why they sell it to you, because you’ll buy it – but I bet the folks at the CIA who thought this was evil and dumb to begin with are pleased at the idea that the senior smirking chips who pushed this on the agency to begin with might be smoked out.
#3. Are you paying attention to what happened here at all? So far, it looks like the people really responsible for this – the suck-up lawyers at DoJ and the goons in the Vice President’s office – are going to walk, despite the despicable guidelines they put in place. The investigation is targeted at the few folks who went even beyond the terrible policies that were put in place and decided to freelance as sadists. You do know that tens of detainees were killed, right? Not slapped, pushed around or made to listen to rock music – murdered. In a nation of laws, when you kill people illegally you get punished for it.
#4. This is all about Obama’s political benefit? What are you smoking? What political benefit would this be? Did this generate some sort of fawning press coverage I missed? Unlike the last administration, Obama lets the attorney general decide who’s going to be investigated and prosecuted. You know, like a nation of law and not like a self-serving goon. Letting Attorney Generals make their own decisions never pays off politically – it burned Clinton with Janet Reno, and Obama will probably pay for Holder’s ability to act on his conscience. It’s about doing the right thing, but your cynicism and self-certainty runs too deep to give that idea the time of day.
I don’t miss this place, but I drop by when memeorandum highlights something excessively misanthropic.
Glasnost – we didn’t miss you, Erb took up the slack when resident sycophants like you were having their leg thrill serviced.
As usual, your commentary is fact free and non fattening.
McQ does mention those other investigations that Holder decided not to pursue. Any commentary on those.
And the Richardson investigation that was squashed?
And the Black Panther one?
It is pathetic that TAO and his gang are engaging in such an obvious ploy to shift attention from his failings on the health care takeover. It is doubly pathetic that it seems to work: just like Pavlov’s dogs slobbered when he rang the bell, lefties start growling and howling for blood when Bush and Cheney are mentioned and show no signs that they know how they’re being duped. It is grossly – almost criminally – irresponsible to keep making hazy threats of “investigating” and “prosecuting” people at CIA in an obvious effort to use them as the start of a chain that is clearly intended to ultimately get Bush and Cheney.
As for this backfiring… How? Those of us on the right already realize what TAO is doing. While we may grow more vocal if this turns into the witch hunt democrats seem to want, he’s already “lost” us. Lefties lack the brains and moral fiber to question TAO and their other leaders, so he’ll never lose them. “Independents” in American will believe what MiniTru tells them (when they’re not fretting over who won on “Idol” last night, that is)… and I think we all know what MiniTru will be pushing.
It’s all very depressing.