Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Presidential pep-talks may not suffice for an anxious CIA.

Although President Obama received a warm welcome—including extended cheers—in a meeting Monday with employees at CIA headquarters, current and former intelligence officials say that some of the agency's undercover operatives remain anxious and angry about Obama's recent decision to declassify and release Justice Department documents detailing "enhanced" interrogation techniques the agency used on terrorist suspects during the Bush Administration.



During his appearance, Obama assured agency employees that "I will be as vigorous in protecting you as you are vigorous in protecting the American people." That was clearly the message of the day. Paul Gimigliano, a CIA spokesman, made the same point:  "Early on, Director Panetta made very clear his view that those who followed legal guidance from the Department of Justice should not be punished.  That is now the official position of the administration as a whole. People here are focused, as always, on getting the job done in accord with the law.  That's what counts most of all."

So what is your take on this?  Should the Obama administration have released the memo's on CIA torture tactics? Might such information in the hands of radical extremist come back to haunt the CIA with such methods being used against CIA agents in the future?

2 comments:

  1. I think that he should not have released those memo's. We have to be the only country in the world that feels the need to tell everyone just exactly what we are doing. I mean have you ever heard Iran, Korea, Russia, Germany, England or any other country give out as much information as we Americans do? Crazy.

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  2. I like Obama and even voted for him BUT I think that he's making some poor choices as of late. Why would you want to give our enemies this kind of information.

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