Cheney on the Value of Interrogations and Human Intelligence

the Weekly Standard Blog ^ | December 16, 2008 12:04 PM | Thomas Joscelyn

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

During a recent interview on ABC News, Vice President Dick Cheney said the following with respect to waterboarding senior al Qaeda terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM):

“There was a period of time there, three or four years ago, when about half of everything we knew about al Qaeda came from that one source [KSM]. So, it's been a remarkably successful effort. I think the results speak for themselves.”

Put aside for a moment the debate over waterboarding, which has been discussed ad naseam, and think about what Cheney is saying with respect to the totality of America’s intelligence on al Qaeda. Cheney claims that half of everything the United States knew about al Qaeda as late as 2004 or 2005 came from one source: KSM. If true, what does this say about America’s intelligence capabilities and the value of human intelligence?

[Dick Bachert]

Back around 1975, Senator Frank Church held hearings on the operation of the CIA and found that -- HORRORS -- taxpayer money was being paid to foreign citizen snitches who had CRIMINAL RECORDS for vital human, on-the-ground intel on the activities of those who were planning the destruction of this country. Church commented at one session that "Gentlemen do not read other gentlemens’ mail." Interesting how Church and his fellow Dimocraps viewed men who would destroy America “gentlemen.” Glad that a**hole didn't serve during the run-up to WWII. (Although he may have handled the "delayed" communication to Pearl Harbor that the Japanese were on the way!)

When he became president, Jimmy Carter fully supported and enforced the Church Amendment. The sorts of people who consort with -- and, more importantly, get cozy with -- the leaders of terrorist organizations are not normally choir boys. Church moved the legislature to PROHIBIT any US funds going to these potential informants. Since it can take upwards of 20 years for these guys to move close enough to the top to be seriously valuable, we had virtually NO humintel on bin Laden's plans for 9-11!

While there are still Church-like imbeciles (Reid, Pelosi, et come to mind) at the levers of power here, I THINK the law has been changed.

While the NSA wiretaps and eavesdrops on US citizens HERE, isn't it comforting to know that in just 15 or 20 years we may be able to thwart a plan hatched THERE for some future 9-11 with information gathered THERE.

Anybody else see a pattern here?

[TigersEye]

Stop wasting time trying to make a list of names and start carpet bombing these barbarians until they beg us to stop.

[razorbak]

“Gentlemen do not read other gentlemens’ mail.”

This was said by British political opponent of MI5 and the OSS during WW2.

[Cailleach]

ping

[Erik Latranyi]

Cheney is right. Liberals are wrong.

It is that simple.

[norwaypinesavage]

"The questions going forward are: How will America interrogate terrorists in the future?"

The answer is clear, they will be invited to tea at the White House, and The Messiah will ask them to "please tell us what you know".