Former CIA official calls for release of report on CIA's post-9/11 interrogations
(CNN) - Former CIA Counterterrorism Official Phillip Mudd tells CNN host Michael Smerconish that a controversial report on the CIA’s counter-terrorism activities in the wake of the 9/11 al Qaeda attacks should be made public.
“Those of us who have names or titles in there, it will be a tough time. This is important for the American people to understand this era in American politics and war on terror. If this happens, I think it is okay,” Mudd told Smerconish.
However, Mudd admitted that it may be hard for the public to put the details of the report in the proper context.
“History can remember the facts, history cannot remember the feeling of sitting at that table every night in 2002 and 2003 and saying what's going to happen tomorrow and how do we find out what al Qaeda is up to? You can’t replicate the sense of tension that I remember,” Mudd said on CNN Saturday.
oh how quickly we abandoned our principals when gripped by fear. If we become monsters what is left to save.
Yeah I know what he means : 10 random nuts grab the steering wheel of a plane and crash it into a building in a plan that took about 1,000 dollar to execute and kill 3000 people so of course it makes sense that we would be justified in spending billions and killing hundreds of thousands -–as for myself,the day after 9-11 I was like oh well bury them ,tighten up our defenses,light a candle for the dead and move on. Call me crazy!
If the interrogations, covert surveillance, and other extraordinary actions were useful in preventing additional terrorist attacks by Al Qaeada and other groups, does it make the actions right?
Principles are easy to defend behind a safety blanket or on a leather chair watching CNN/Fox/MSNBC, but how about in the line of sight?
Liberals and Libertarians quote Ben Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety". However, the world is not the 18th century anymore, where armies took 3-4 months to march on New York or Boston. An attack can come at any place and any time, technology has reduced the fog of war to seconds after an event occurs, and America can no longer be isolated from the world. The America of the US Founders is dead and will never come back.
No matter, whichever party or political side wins in elections, we can't escape an essential truth; our world has changed and we must adapt to its new rules of engagement or else be footnotes in history like Roman Republic before us.
What I want to know is why the GOP didn't do numerous investigations against Bush? Couldn't be that he was a lighter shade than Obama could it?
Michael Smerconish looks like he is possessed by the devil in that picture. Does he always look that weird?
I'm sure every human rights abusing government in the world has similar excuses.
And of course, it's all OK now that Obama has announced "Al Qaeda has been decimated."
The dude's name is Mudd. LOL
Hmm, it just occurred to me, government discrimination is alive and well in terms of the U.S. draft. One group of people (males) have to register it and females don’t. Now, I am assuming that men are compensated for being forced to register for the military. I am guessing that upon reaching age 50 or so, each man is paid $500 for each year that he was eligible to be drafted. Wow, I can really use that $17,000. I suppose it would make more sense that men are able to claim a $1,000 deduction on our taxes each year, but I was just looking at my tax form and I don’t see it listed there. Well, I’ll assume Congress is working on it…
It should also be made public that the day after 911 when American aircraft were grounded, an airliner with the Bush White House approval flew out of the United States carrying the entire Bin Laden family back to Saudi Arabia. The Bin Laden and the Bush Families had been friends for years. It might also be noted that subsequently it was discovered that there had been cash transactions between several of those who were flown out and at least one of the attackers on 911. This is information you would not have had heard on conservative radio or TV.
What is the deal with the dude on the left's head?
Robert, so if one family member kills someone, we annihilate the WHOLE family.
Lizzie
That is the beauty of the Drone.
Only wicked minds would want to expose names of people.s jobs which would endanger their lives.