Posted on 05/02/2011 3:57:18 PM PDT by Kaslin
The, ahem, "man-caused death" of the world's most infamous terrorist is marvelous news for our country. It is a testament to the skill and dedication of our men and women in uniform, and to the tireless work of our intelligence agencies. It completes the hard and sometimes frustrating efforts of two successive presidential administrations. That justice has been visited upon bin Laden is an unmitigated, non-partisan good. But as the media pieces together the puzzle of how yesterday's surgical mission came to be, a politically controversial fact has arisen -- the investigation into locating and neutralizing bin Laden gained early momentum after we obtained crucial intelligence by subjecting several high-level detainees to rather unpleasant interrogations:
Officials say CIA interrogators in secret overseas prisons developed the first strands of information that ultimately led to the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Current and former U.S. officials say that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, provided the nom de guerre of one of bin Laden's most trusted aides. The CIA got similar information from Mohammed's successor, Abu Faraj al-Libi. Both were subjected to harsh interrogation tactics inside CIA prisons in Poland and Romania.
The news is sure to reignite debate over whether the now-closed interrogation and detention program was successful. Former president George W. Bush authorized the CIA to use the harshest interrogation tactics in U.S. history. President Barack Obama closed the prison system.
Some on the political Left have -- in certain cases shamefully and opportunistically -- exploited and lied about the issue of enhanced interrogation techniques for fleeting political gain. The mainstream media has at times publicized some of our most sensitive secrets on this front. The current administration, which deserves some credit for the timing and effectiveness of the bin Laden raid, chose to air what it considered to be America's dirty laundry in a wrong-headed act of misplaced international penance.
The Bush administration established secret CIA prisons in Europe and elsewhere to detain and question high value terrorists. 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was one of three men the CIA waterboarded to glean information. We now know that some of that intel led to Osama bin Laden's death (in addition to other documented useful information KSM coughed up under duress).
Former Vice President Cheney has been a forceful defender of the previous administration's counter-terrorism policies. His arguments have proven quite persuasive, even in these politically correct times. This new detail will surely buttress the case that far from being inhumane or unconscionable, the Bush administration's decision to treat terrorists as terrorists not only helped save lives, but directly contributed to an event that had Americans literally dancing in the streets last night. President Obama will receive kudos for ordering this strike -- and rightfully so. He eschewed an easier, less risky plan that may have left some doubt as to bin Laden's status. Today, there is no doubt. But Obama's much-maligned presidential predecessor also deserves the gratitude of all Americans today. After 9/11, his team worked 'round the clock to successfully prevent another attack on our soil, and implemented some hard-nosed policies that bore fruit years later in the early morning hours of May 2nd in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The national debate over enhanced interrogation techniques won't vanish with this revelation. People of good faith on both sides can disagree on the efficacy and morality of harsh tactics. I do hope, however, that we can dispense with one nonsensical anti-EIT talking point: That they don't work. They do. Just ask Osama bin Laden.
Thank President George Walker Bush for his interrogation techniques at club Gitmo.
Productive is a much better word.
Such as snarky remarks, innuendo and weapons-grade sarcasm.
The point is it helped nail him
BTW has Holder dropped the charges against the CIA guys that Wat....I mean harshly interrogated the pigs
Ummm... it got obama elected. How fleeting was that? The only thing the left didn't do, was murder the then president, though they fantasized loudly.
The Dems went after Bush on intelligence at every turn...and here we are...the day of reckoning...and the Dems are bowing to Obama for the capture.
I'm so disgusted...Of course I'm glad he's dead...more for the folks who have lost loved ones via these islamic b******* and their allah.
Very well said
I hope they waterboarded him while lighting up his dinkus with about 50,000 volts.
Indeed
Just so long as they don't exceed .1 amperes. Dead folks can't tell you a thing....
the infowarrior
as the media pieces together the puzzle of how yesterday's surgical mission came to be, a politically controversial fact has arisen -- the investigation into locating and neutralizing bin Laden gained early momentum after we obtained crucial intelligence by subjecting several high-level detainees to rather unpleasant interrogationsIn other words, from a perspective of nearly nine years, the interrogations weren't quite unpleasant enough.
Officials: CIA interrogators at secret prisons developed first strands that led to bin Laden
http://www.startribune.com/nation/121089124.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13512344
Bush’s “fault”!
Officials: CIA interrogators at secret prisons developed first strands that led to bin Laden
http://www.startribune.com/nation/121089124.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13512344
Big Sis talk, LOL.
Finally a thread on the REAL heroes. Just like the battle of Midway, Naval intelligence were the real heroes. Without the element of surprise our fleet, heavily outgunned and outnumbered, could never have pulled off what they did at Midway.
Same here, the seals did their job with typical expertise, but they couldn’t have pulled it off without superior intelligence.
Nothing wrong with forceful interrogations if it is done by professionals for war time purposes and it doesn’t approach actual torture,which is something entirely different then water-boarding.When you have people willing to inflict torture on US citizens and servicemen for the sake of punishing them......then it turns into so much nonsense.
Whatever got rid of this man,it is good to tie that particular knot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.