NYT: Pressure Grows to Investigate Interrogations

[babylonsister]

This could be difficult to ignore...

Pressure Grows to Investigate Interrogations

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

President Obama spoke at C.I.A. headquarters as C.I.A. director Leon Panetta looked on.


By PETER BAKER and SCOTT SHANE
Published: April 20, 2009


WASHINGTON — Pressure mounted on President Obama on Monday for more thorough investigation into harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration, even as he tried to reassure the Central Intelligence Agency that it would not be blamed for following legal advice.

President Obama, in a visit to C.I.A. headquarters on Monday, said employees of the agency would not be prosecuted for taking part in harsh interrogations.

Mr. Obama said it was time to admit “mistakes” and “move forward.” But there were signs that he might not be able to avoid a protracted inquiry into the use of interrogation techniques that the president’s top aides and many critics say crossed the line into torture.

And while Mr. Obama vowed not to prosecute C.I.A. officers for acting on legal advice, on Monday aides did not rule out legal sanctions for the Bush lawyers who developed the legal basis for the use of the techniques.

The president’s decision last week to release secret memorandums detailing the harsh tactics employed by the C.I.A. under his predecessor provoked a furor that continued to grow on Monday as critics on various fronts assailed his position. Among other things, the memos revealed that two captured Qaeda operatives were subjected to a form of near-drowning known as waterboarding a total of 266 times.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/us/politics/21intel.html?_r=2&th&emc=th

[tekisui]

1. knr!~ Demands for investigations are getting into the mainstream!

[Supersedeas]

2. keep pushing people

[shraby]

3. One huge problem about calling them "mistakes".

They were not "mistakes", they were crimes that were planned, ordered and carried out.

[Echo In Light]

5. I'm not so sure the Orwellian euphemisms are taking root w/in the public mind on this one...

[L. Coyote]

4. Mr. Obama's Cover-up is on! CIA Has 3,000 Docs on Torture Tapes

and we won't see them!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5303329

[babylonsister]

6. Please. Cover-up? If he was into cover-ups, why'd he release

those memos? Nice try.

[blogslut]

7. He plays beautifully

Obama releases the memos> The press alerts> Public outcry ensues> Congress and lawmakers crank the wheels of justice.

[spanone]

8. keep up the pressure.....

[chill_wind]

9. K & R. And we have to continue to add our support.

(links)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8356181#top