The documents released Monday clearly demonstrate that the individuals subjected to Enhanced Interrogation Techniques provided the bulk of intelligence we gained about al Qaeda

“That’s not the same as saying those techniques were how we got that intelligence.

This intelligence saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks. These detainees also, according to the documents, played a role in nearly every capture of al Qaeda members and associates since 2002.

“Note: “a role.” Not, say, “a key role.” And again, note that Cheney’s not saying torture was how we got the information we needed from these people.

The activities of the CIA in carrying out the policies of the Bush Administration were directly responsible for defeating all efforts by al Qaeda to launch further mass casualty attacks against the United States….

“That would presumably include the non-torture activities as well as the torture activities.

“He’s underselling it. Even in his effort to set the terms of the debate, he’s not declaring that torture worked. All he’s declaring is that torture was part of how we interrogated the people who gave us some of the information that was part of what we used to fight terrorism. “

More.

Our Fourth Estate at work…still doing stenography for the Bush administration….

The guy getting out of the wheel chair or the guy riding the a bomb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxrWz9XVvls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueuauKKjPZI

I think I’ve moved beyond wondering whether Cheney is just a cynical liar or truly mad. I’m not sure I see the difference any more.

Ever heard of Stalin’s forced confessions?
From Jeff Kaye’s blog, an exerpt from Armen Victorian’s Essay on the History of Mind Control Operations

The notorious Moscow trials of 1937 during Stalin’s regime and the speed with which the defendants confessed to crimes against the state in the People’s Court, and in particular Cardinal Mindszently of Hungary, surprised the governments of the western world. “Characteristics and manner of the defendants, and formulation and delivery of the confessions, have been so similar in large number of cases as to suggest factitious origin.”[1] The evident incongruities prompted the CIA’s Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) in 1949 to undertake an “analysis of foreign work in certain unconventional warfare techniques, including behavioral drugs, with an initial objective of developing a capability to resist or offset the effects of behavioral drugs. Preliminary phases included to review drug-related work at institutions such as Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Valley Forge General Hospital, Detroit Psychopathic Clinic, Mayo Clinic and National Institute of Health (NIH). There was also extensive review of foreign literature, particularly work in the Soviet Bloc.

“This program shortly became Project BLUEBIRD,

http://valtinsblog.blogspot.com/

scroll to bottom

The Bush admin assured us that people were only rendered to countries that had given their assurance that they would not torture!

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 15:57 PDT
A union boss to oversee Wall Street
BY ANDREW LEONARD

“Denis M. Hughes, a former electrician, the grandson of a boilermaker and a carpenter, and the current president of the New York AFL-CIO, was named chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday.

“The news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Hughes has been acting chair since the resignation of Stephen Friedman in May, a former Goldman Sachs executive who somehow managed to continue owning Goldman-Sachs stock while supposedly overseeing the investment bank as a regulator. But the spectacle of a “union boss” — as the Wall Street Journal put it — chairing the Fed has caused some consternation among  socialism-fearing red-blooded Americans. Union thugs are taking over Wall Street! The horror. The horror!”

More.

******************

Federal Reserve loses suit demanding transparency
Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:39pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) – “A federal judge on Monday ruled against an effort by the U.S. Federal Reserve to block disclosure of companies that participated in and securities covered by a series of emergency funding programs as the global credit crisis began to intensify.”

More.

Cheney Statement on CIA Documents/Investigation

The documents released Monday clearly demonstrate that the individuals subjected to Enhanced Interrogation Techniques provided the bulk of intelligence we gained about al Qaeda. This intelligence saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks. These detainees also, according to the documents, played a role in nearly every capture of al Qaeda members and associates since 2002. The activities of the CIA in carrying out the policies of the Bush Administration were directly responsible for defeating all efforts by al Qaeda to launch further mass casualty attacks against the United States. The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions. President Obama’s decision to allow the Justice Department to investigate and possibly prosecute CIA personnel, and his decision to remove authority for interrogation from the CIA to the White House, serves as a reminder, if any were needed, of why so many Americans have doubts about this Administration’s ability to be responsible for our nation’s security.
http://bit.ly/18kKcN