Posted on 04/09/2014 7:13:11 AM PDT by xzins
Michael Morell purportedly exudes credibility on the Benghazi talking points. Well, the ex-CIA acting director also says roughing up terrorist prisoners helped catch Osama bin Laden.
Morell noted that in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, "the threat reporting about another possible attack was sky high" including the possible use of nuclear weapons in New York City.
Senior al-Qaida leaders in U.S. custody "were proving very, very difficult to interrogate because they were so ideologically committed, and they had counterinterrogation training," Morell emphasized. "So we weren't getting anything out of them, and we knew that they would know about these attacks" that might be coming.
"I believe that the program was effective," Morell told Rose. "When we questioned Khalid Sheik Muhammad about Abu Ahmed, the courier who eventually took us to bin Laden, he denied knowing Abu Ahmed. When he went back to his cell, we were monitoring him, and we heard him tell other detainees, 'Don't say anything about the courier.'"
Morell concluded: "I've really studied this, and I believe the techniques were effective." He told PBS, "the information they provided prior to the techniques was limited, vague, not specific. After the techniques: volumes of information, specific, actionable."
His most salient point: The Bush administration's enhanced interrogation practices "led to the capture of other senior al-Qaida officials and saved lives, yes."
Morell also made it clear that high-ranking congressional Democrats who condemn enhanced interrogation today were "briefed on it previously and did not oppose it" during the Bush administration.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
And not a single prisoner was injured.
Scared silly...but not injured.
The morons on Capitol Hill who claim enhanced interrogation doesn’t work are the same morons who handcuff our military with their “ROEs” and cause what should be a three month *** whipping to drag out for over a decade. Congress can KMA.
Duh. The debate is over on that one. ;-)
You have to keep in mind that loudmouth, idiot liberals never let the facts stand in their way.
There was a reason torture was banned. It becomes the go to method of getting convictions no matter what.
Enhanced interrogation does not mean maiming, injuring or crippling; and it does work.
A few truisms of enhanced interrogation is that it didn’t work, but for reasons other then are mentioned.
What we call waterboarding was first used during the Philippine Insurrection. Can you think of any other technology that hasn’t advanced since then?
Not surprisingly, interrogation technology is just as high tech as everything else today. So why are we using an antiquated technique?
There are probably dozens of chemical we could inject them with that would leave them singing like canaries in a few minutes.
That we used waterboarding leads me to suspect that it was not used to gain information, but to conceal that we already had the information we wanted, but needed to hide our sources.
And, it does permanent damage to the physiology of the brain. This certified by CIA in public source testimony before the US Senate.
But, I'm like totally OK with that and support its application on Terrorists and Mass Murderers.
Does that mean that Americans subjected to waterboarding as part of their SERE training are subjected to the same psychological stresses?
Should we go after the enemy that employ those or more horrible techniques routinely on our captured soldiers?
Some, yes. More than one has a VA disability over it.
It depends on the method and duration.
In my case I was subjected to Khmer Rouge style and not allowed the opportunity to capitulate. Even the CIA has said that their Special Field Operators who volunteered...capitulated, on average, in 14 seconds with the longest being 20 seconds.
My board time was 3 (or 4, I'm not sure) events of 40-45 seconds each, while they asked questions of another person.
We should go after our enemies and kill them whether they employ these techniques or not.
On that I totally agree.
Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge used a variety of water-based tortures at their prison camps which housed Cambodian civilians, suspected Khmer Rouge defectors, and at least one American reporter.
Which of the six variants were used on you?
I was completely immobilized and my entire face covered with a towel folded 4x. A water hose was running over the towel.
Do you fancy yourself an expert?
No, I asked a simple question. SERE training uses one type waterboarding. I’m not nor I have ever been an expert in the field.
I just goggled Khmer rouge. See:
1975~1979: Khmer Rouge, Cambodia
Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge used a variety of water-based tortures at their prison camps which housed Cambodian civilians, suspected Khmer Rouge defectors, and at least one American reporter.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2209/2158026599_fe7e18e173_s.jpg
Of course FASO West (Navy SERE, Pacific) was always known as the most hard-core of them all.
They were the very last to employ the board...and may still. It's banned everywhere else.
Hmm... I wouldn’t put it passed the Viet’s. BTW they don’t use drinking water for the “Water torture”. Why bother...
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