Breakking: Cheney hid AQ assasination program from Congress

[Perky]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/13/us/politics/AP-US-CIA-Concealment.html?_r=1

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government officials say the secret intelligence program canceled by CIA Director Leon Panetta in June was meant to find and kill or capture al-Qaida leaders at close range rather than target them with air strikes.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the program, said the spy agency was never able to pull it off.

Panetta canceled the effort on June 23 after learning of its existence, its failure to yield results, and the fact that Congress was not told about it after its inception in 2001. The U.S. has primarily relied on airstrikes from airborne drones, but the attacks have sometimes killed civilians.

The order to lethally target al-Qaida leaders was authorized by President Bush shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the officials said.



Why in the world would Cheney want this program concealed? It makes no sense. Did he really hold a Republican controlled Congress in such low regard? Was he that paranoid?


But the secondary issue becomes a problem for Panetta, I suspect. Why would Panetta cancel it?

[Junkdrawer]

1. ...or "Government officials" are lying about what the program was...

CYA

[Perky]

2. Well at least that makes some sense

[Junkdrawer]

5. "No, honest, it was just a program to hold bake sales to buy prepaid phone cards"...

for overseas CIA agents so they could talk with their families."

"Panetta canceled the program on concerns that the baked goods were cooked in uninspected kitchens."

[Andy823]

3. Could be

There were more than just al-Qaida leaders being targeted. This could be the program that came out earlier about his assassination teams. This could have been a cover for what he was really doing.

[tinrobot]

4. I doubt it was limited to Al-Qaeda operatives

If that's the case, then there wouldn't have been the need to keep it from Congress.

[Spinzonner]

10. Mission Creep

Once they have the permission, they can't help themselves from using it.

[The_Casual_Observer]

6. Is this what all that "Delta Force" special forces & navy seals

& all that other off the books clandestine shit is supposed to do? If none of it works then why do we have it?

[invictus]

7. Given the incompetence and lack of integrity of the CIA, they would probably assassinate the wrong p

Given the incompetence and lack of integrity of the CIA, they would probably assassinate innocent people or the wrong people and then try to cover it up.

[Perky]

8. Bhutto?

[MannyGoldstein]

9. This Might Be What Seymour Hersh Has Been Writing About

CIA assassins would go to US embassies with a cover, and go out and execute target. Not even the station chief would be told what was happening. In essence, we'd be using diplomatic privileges to kill foreign nationals.

[Jane Austin]

11. This Congress would stand up and cheer

a program to assassinate al Quida leaders.