Panetta says he would end harsh CIA interrogation tactics

[Shardik]

Source: MercuryNews.Com

Vowing a clean break from the CIA's controversial recent past, Leon Panetta, President Barack Obama's surprise pick to lead the spy agency, promised Thursday to end controversial detainment and interrogation practices used during the Bush years and bluntly declared that "waterboarding is torture."

The former Monterey congressman's denouncement of the harsh interrogation tactic used on suspected terrorists came during his first day of Senate confirmation hearings, which are expected to conclude today.

Describing waterboarding as torture is the toughest language yet used by a would-be senior Obama administration intelligence official. Panetta promised a thorough review of Bush administration policies at the Central Intelligence Agency, and he vowed to share findings with congressional intelligence committee members.

Already Obama has issued executive orders to start the process of closing down the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba and to assess what should happen to the remaining detainees. Panetta said he would not support prosecution of CIA agents who used harsh interrogation practices if they were following Bush administration guidance.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_11639383

[dcindian]

1. Ending it is not enough.

It has always been against the law according to the constitution. To not release the information needed to prosecute the animals who did this is tacit approval of torture. Hell the mere use of "harsh" is approval.

This is the most important issue the US has right now and it certainly appears to me the Democrats do not support the law. And if they do not they will never see another vote from me for any office period. The Republicans instituted torture as a policy and the Democrats approved it. And both of those are just as wrong as the other since one cannot happen with out the other.

I am so sick to death of this two tier justice in this nation. So sick of seeing the Republicans march to the right of me, then the Democrats march to the right of me.

Go to hell Panetta.

[No Elephants]

2. America, America. Who is going to help her?

[byeya]

3. Panetta The Fixer

Until and unless those who violated the law are prosecuted, Panetta will have failed the Constitution. I suspect this was why he was brought into his position - certainly his record with Clinton wouldn't lead a person to expect otherwise - and Panetta will overlook the worst violation of International Law and the US Constitution in decades.

[OneBlueSky]

4. saying it and getting it accomplished are two entirely different things . . .

the CIA is, and always has been, a semi-autonomous (fully autonomous?) entity that pretty much makes its own rules and is accountable to no one . . . unless you count those fully scripted sideshows that Congressional committees periodically conduts to demonstrate that they're on top of an issue . . .

remember, the agency is still stacked with hoards of free market Bushcovites who have the capacity for all sorts of mischief, misdirection and/or (God forbid) catastrophe . . . they need to be watched very, very closely . . .