Post by dgriffin on Aug 25, 2009 6:45:17 GMT -5
Prosecutor Named to Probe CIA Prisoner Abuses
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday named a special prosecutor to probe CIA prisoner abuse cases, a move that could distract President Barack Obama from his drive to reform the healthcare system.
Holder's decision, which promises political headaches for Obama, came after the Justice Department's ethics watchdog recommended considering prosecution of Central Intelligence Agency employees or contractors for harsh interrogations in Iraq and Afghanistan that went beyond approved limits.
"I fully realise that my decision to commence this preliminary review will be controversial," Holder said in a statement. "In this case, given all of the information currently available, it is clear to me that this review is the only responsible course of action for me to take."
Bush officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, have denied that torture was used and defended their interrogation practices as legal.
But they went beyond sleep deprivation, withholding food, and so-called waterboarding ... In one instance, interrogators told alleged September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that his children would be killed if any further attacks on the United States occurred ..."
MORE AT:
www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/08/25/world/international-uk-usa-cia.html
Does it make any sense that while the barbarians are gathered at the gate our leadership is playing games about what to call them, and worried that our retaliatory threats during interrogation might not be "sporting?"
Obama is playing a dangerous game, not only for the country as he dismantles our prudence, but for himself as he tries to simultaneously please the liberals who bought him the election and the vast majority of conservative Americans.