WASHINGTON -- I can understand why back in 2005 the CIA
destroyed tapes showing its agents "waterboarding" with notorious
terrorists. My guess is that the tapes would reveal them all having
a lot of fun. There the Rev. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the planner of
the 9/11 attacks, would be seen waterboarding like mad, his
baseball hat turned backwards, his eyes alight with excitement.
There Mr. Abu Zubaydah can be seen having an equally exciting time,
possibly gurgling a bit, but riding his waterboard to the limit.
And on the sidelines can be seen the dusky chaps' new best friends
from the Langley Aquatics & Waterboarding Club (LAWC),
applauding and urging the chaps on.
Does the above paragraph strike you as absurd? Well, it is no
more absurd than the indignation vented last week by assorted
eminences in Congress. The congressional indignados, led by the
Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Squeaker of the House of Representatives, affect
outrage over the "harsh" interrogation measures used in 2002
against several terrorists, two of whom are manifestly evil
anti-Americans. The others have yet to be identified. It now turns
out that back then the Hon. Pelosi and other key members of
Congress were fully informed of these interrogation measures, which
they approved and with good reason.
One of the terrorists introduced to the delights of
waterboarding, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, actually planned 9/11. How
long it took him to confess to that and to other barbarisms I do
not know, but former CIA interrogator John Kiriakou told has told
ABC that after weeks of uncooperative silence the other identified
terrorist, Zubaydah, an al-Qaeda kingpin, broke 35 seconds into his
waterboarding session. "From that day on, he answered every
question," reports Kiriakou, who adds that the information offered
was critical to protecting America and pursuing terrorists. At the
time, we had every reason to anticipate more attacks. That no
further 9/11s have taken place in six years speaks well for the
efficacy of waterboarding.
Unfortunately, in the Democrats' campaign to turn this war into
a partisan political issue, the interrogation of some of the most
vicious brutes ever to be captured by American forces has become
"controversial." Hence Squeaker Pelosi and other members of
Congress have apparently completely forgotten that they were
briefed on the 2002 interrogations. Were it not for the
Washington Post news story Sunday (headlined, "Hill
Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002") revealing that they were, the
histrionics on Capitol Hill would continue. As it is, committee
hearings will take place and CIA operatives will be embarrassed and
perhaps indicted.
The congressional indignados' residual complaint is that the CIA
destroyed the tapes of their 2002 waterboarding festival. I ask
you, which is more reprehensible, destroying those tapes or lying
to the American people about one's knowledge of the "harsh"
interrogations? Actually, I have understated the misbehavior of the
mendacious members of Congress. They are not only deceiving us
about their knowledge, they are threatening CIA agents for
interrogations that former CIA Director Porter Goss says had their
"approval and encouragement."
This is not the first time members of Congress have abandoned
the CIA when its actions became controversial. During the Reagan
Administration we witnessed a similar display of congressional
cowardice and opportunism. In 1984, after it was reported that the
CIA had mined harbors in Communist-controlled Nicaragua, leading
figures on the congressional intelligence committees played the
role of the congressional indignado. They insisted that the CIA
actions had taken place without the knowledge of congressional
intelligence committees. Some committee members called for CIA
Director William Casey's head. Casey responded by reminding them
that he had briefed committee chairmen three times in early 1984.
Eventually the CIA revealed 11 congressional briefings had taken
place.
Not everyone in Congress joined in the melodrama against our own
security personnel in 1984. Congressman Henry Hyde wrote a
memorable piece wherein he questioned whether Congress was even
capable of intelligence oversight once a national security matter
had become subject to partisan bickering. Hyde passed away two
weeks ago, but wherever he is today the Hon. Pelosi has answered
his question.
topics:
Nancy Pelosi, Law
