Cheney's secret plan pushed legal limits

[sabra]

Source: The Age

FORMER US vice-president Dick Cheney ordered a highly classified CIA operation to be hidden from Congress because it pushed the limits of legality by planning to assassinate al-Qaeda operatives in friendly countries without the knowledge of their governments, say former intelligence officials.

Former officials who retain close links with the intelligence community say the hidden operation involved the CIA and the military launching the operations, similar to those of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, without informing the foreign governments concerned, even though some were regarded as friendly if unreliable.

...

Another former senior intelligence official responsible for dealing with al-Qaeda said that assassination plans were reined in after similar covert military operations were botched, particularly the killing in Kenya. He did not give details of that operation.

He said he believed from conversations with serving members of the CIA that the area of real concern in Congress was that the planned operations might also have involved the covert surveillance of US citizens.

...

Peter Bergen, a senior security analyst at the New America Foundation, said the secret operation must have gone further than that to have created such a backlash in Congress, as it was "hardly surprising" that al-Qaeda leaders were targeted.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/cheneys-secret-plan-pushed-legal-limits-20090714-dk1p.html

[redqueen]

1. Cheney belongs in jail.

That's all there is to it.

[PearliePoo2]

2. There must be more to it than CIA hit squads targeting al-Qaeda.

Jan Schakowsky on MSNBC described committee members as "stunned" to hear what Panetta briefed them on.
I don't believe anyone in Congress could actually be "stunned" that the CIA was going to target al-Qaeda after 9/11.
No....there has to be more to it. Something shocking and REALLY illegal.
Something so "stunning" Panetta fessed up and shut it down immediately.

[Hydra]

4. Read #3

This "Targeting Al-Qaeda" BS is just smokescreen. How many real Al-Qaeda members are in Gitmo? In our "rendition" program? How about the missing woman whose kids were tortured and probably killed, the so called "Grey Lady"?

No, as the person below put it in such simple eloquence, this was Cheney's hit squads, attacking in countries we're supposed to be playing nice with.

[global1]

6. I Agree - I Think All This Talk About Targeting Al Qaeda Is......

just a smokescreen to detract from the real reason. Cheney, the Repugs and their supporters think that if you get the people to believe it was al-Qaeda then it looks bad for the Dems.

I believe it is something 'really shocking and illegal' as well. I think if the real reason comes out the Repugs will get hurt bad again for trying to put up a defense for Cheney for this. I really think that they need to say - let's get to the bottom of this and put this to rest once and for all - and they should support further investigation.

[truthisfreedom]

3. This is all about cheney's private hit-squad.

Kill anyone anywhere anytime, above the law.

Cheney's little mafia.

[Hydra]

5. Well said

And referenced above

[LeftHander]

7. Cheney's Plan Broke the Law"....(better headline)..nt

[primavera]

14. I was going to say...

"Pushing the limits" is exceedingly generous: there's no question whatsoever that it violated pretty much every international and domestic law there is.

[yellowcanine]

8. I suspect that what made it illegal was that American citizens were on the hit list.

In other words, if you were a "suspected al-Quaeda operative" you could be targeted regardless of your nationality or how reliable the evidence was against you. That made Cheney the judge, jury and executioner. This is where the "war on terrorism", "enemy combatants", and "unitary executive" bs will get you.

[bobthedrummer]

9. Remember John Poindexter's Total Information Awareness became Terrorist Awareness System

TIA was in existence before 9-11, there were many agencies involved besides CIA, NSA, US military, law enforcement-not to mention the "privateers"

Historic TIA page from Electronic Privacy Information Center
http://epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/

[Spazito]

10. Peter Bergen nails it!

"Peter Bergen, a senior security analyst at the New America Foundation, said the secret operation must have gone further than that to have created such a backlash in Congress, as it was "hardly surprising" that al-Qaeda leaders were targeted."

These anonymous "former senior intelligence officials" are Cheney accolades sent out to deflect, obfuscate, whitewash, cover up the truth and it could NOT be more obvious, imo.

[No Elephants]

11. Targeting Al Qaeda for arrest is one thing. Sending out an execution squad that Congress knows

nothing about is another thing entirely. And yes, American citizens were probably on the list. Remember all that talk of "sleeper cells?"

[peaches2003]

12. WTH is MSNBC doing with Liz Cheney

They are constantly pushing Liz Cheney on Morning Joe especially and on other shows. This morning she was on with Mika and they let her blab about her precious father and how innocent he is, not only for her own interview, but she overtalked Eugene Robinson the entire time of his regular morning appearance. I hate to think what it will be like when this Cheney finally comes out and runs for an office. Maybe it will be Palin/Cheney 2012. Mika will freak out kissing their asses.

[lovuian]

13. we are al quaeda

that was Cheney's Assasination operations
Anybody who disagreed with him was Al quaeda

Congress isn't surprised they SUPPORTED him

this is getting actually to be a comedy
Congress doesn't have a clue at how far ahead of this game Americans already know

[damntexdem]

15. If Cheney's plan 'pushed legal limits,' then it was from the outside.

But I really doubt that Cheney's plan was ever close enough to legality to even approach, much less push, a legal limit.