CIA Was About To Train Anti-Terror Hit Squads When Panetta Ended The Program

Washington Post:

CIA officials were proposing to activate a plan to train anti-terrorist assassination teams overseas when agency managers brought the secret program to the attention of CIA Director Leon Panetta last month, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[rich misty]

willt7311: Not that it bothers me but Obama did allow the assassination of Somali pirates.
------------

Republicans are not very smart. The US Constitution charges the President specifically to target pirates.

http://law.jrank.org/pages/9216/Piracy.html

[emBARRYsing]

Hey, whatever happened to Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson?

And Cindy Sheehan?

[egapmar]

We give up, what happened to them?

[abby4ever]

Part 1

It's hard to even know what does or does not constitute an @ss@ssination. Earlier I quoted this from Merriam-Webster( I know: it's just a dictionary definition, intelligence agencies around the world will have their own):

@ss@sinate:
1 : to injure or destr0y unexpectedly and tre@cherously 2 : to mur_der (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret att@ck often for political reasons
2 : to mur_der (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret att@ck often for political reasons

On 1, the person taken out isn't ALWAYS a prominant person, and given that and on the rest of it, the kil_ling of John De Menedez here in London. could be called an @ss@ssination. He was believed to fit the description of a known and active terr0rist. As it turned out and as most of you know, he wasn't a terr0rist, active or otherwise. They made a mistake ...when they sh0t him 7 times in the face at close range (inches) and in a packed subway car. They didn't opt for subduing him because, they said, they were worried he had a be_lt on and would det0nate it even as they pinned him down.

(Ok but this doesn't explain being sh0t 7 times at range that close; the first bu_llet would have done the job. More likely, the gov't seized an opportunity to show us that, as they claim, they really are tough on terr0r. (No they aren't but never mind.)

[abby4ever]

Part 2

The De Menedez case could be used as an argument against going around taking out suspected terr0rists, @ss@sination style. We have to remember that with @ss@ssinations, the person is deprived of a trial, judge or jury, of a chance to answer the charges. Before the De Menedez incident, I'd have said that where you have a proven terr0rist putting the final touches on a planned att@ck, especially a 'spectacular' (as some terr0rists call them) and many lives are at risk, it's time to bring in the hi_t squad.... but after De Menedez, though I still lean that way, I don't lean as hard.

One last thing. The 'So little time, so many lives to save' argument has been used, hypothetically, to justify t0rture. And rejected by some. Presumably, those who reject it as a defence of t0rture would, a fortiori, have even stronger objections to its being treated as a defence of kil_ling. (Unless you just wanted to argue that @ss@ssinations are more merciful, being so quick and everything, than long t0rture sessions...).

[Jesusland]

NEWSFLASH!!!! The CIA was trying to kill Osama!

In other news, water is wet, kittens are cute, Liberals are hypocrites.

[JGDC]

This all boils down to the definition of significant activity. Personally, I believe something doesn't become an activity until it is ready for employment. This capability was, at best, nascent. Mountains out of molehills. Understandably, the activity seems bizarre, scandalous, and abnormal to mainstream America. However, to the Intel and Special Operations communities, this capability is routine, expected, and necessary.

[monicaangela]

When they get their own government, they can continue to do this until they are individually eliminated, as long as they are a part of ours, they will report to congress...PERIOD.

[hortonhearsdawho]

they tend to forget that constitutional concern....

[slinkymom]

So if the terrorists were only in the planning stages of assaulting America, you wouldn't find anything wrong with that because it was only in the planning stages Just making a mountain out of a molehill?

[RattleCat]

Orders from a sitting President would be considered routine.

Orders from a Vice President are far from routine.

Why a VP assumes the authority to issue such an order, and why a CIA Directors grants respect for such an order is the crux here.

[Grunty1]

There wasn't a president around to order anything between 2001 and 2009.

So Ch3n3y did it.

[ThatOne4Me]

This is a timely distraction to keep dems and repubs feuding. PLEASE keep your attention on passing REAL Health Care for everyone and REPAIRING the Economy and Bank Regulation.

Don't fall for the distraction.

[monicaangela]

Ever heard of Multi-tasking?

[RattleCat]

Democrats can work on numerous initiatives at one time.

Republicans want nothing to do with any domestic programs.

Hence, no distraction.

[Grunty1]

Repubs side against the law
Democrats side FOR the law.

Gee, some feud.

[abby4ever]

Part 1

It's hard to even know what does or does not constitute an @ss@ssination. Earlier I quoted this from Merriam-Webster( I know: it's just a dictionary definition, intelligence agencies around the world will have their own):

assassinate:
1 : to injure or destr0y unexpectedly and tre@cherously 2 : to mur_der (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret att@ck often for political reasons
2 : to mur_der (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret att@ck often for political reasons

On 1, the person taken out isn't ALWAYS a prominant person, and given that and on the rest of it, the kil_ling of John De Menedez here in London. could be called an @ss@ssination. He was believed to fit the description of a known and active terr0rist. As it turned out and as most of you know, he wasn't a terr0rist, active or otherwise. They made a mistake ...when they sh0t him 7 times in the face at close range (inches) and in a packed subway car. They didn't opt for subduing him because, they said, they were worried he had a be_lt on and would det0nate it even as they pinned him down.

(Ok but this doesn't explain being sh0t 7 times at range that close; the first bu_llet would have done the job. More likely, the gov't seized an opportunity to show us that, as they claim, they really are tough on terr0r. (No they aren't but never mind.)

[outnow]

They were right on the verge of killin' OBL when Leon pulled the plug. Not!

But they were able to send in Cruise missiles under Bill Clinton and even fly the predator. They were doing "extraordinaries" (renditions) under Bill Clinton and torturing under Bush. This goes all the way back to Truman.

Why are American so naive? Only in America do we believe in Santa Claus or whatever. Get real, clandestine operations are not picnics at the park. They have "plausible deniability" and we have denial - a perfect patnership for perpetuating the exact same thing.

I am surprised when people say, "You mean our president lied to us?" Then they go around with tears - this referring to Nixon lies in 1974.. Yes, Virginia, they do lie, torture, and kill. That's as American as Mom and Apple Pie. Just like in the movies with 007 and his license to kill.

[AsianAfricanAMERICAN]

I don't think I have read too many post of people being naive and I've been here for a couple of hours.

[outnow]

Not here for sure. It's out there that counts and many would prefer not to look at what's done in our name.

[monicaangela]

In the hands of a person who would in the opinion of most be qualified to handle such a procedure and would do it under the legal option provided by the legislative branch, this might make a bit of sense, but when one man out of 350 million decides he is the one to handle something of this sort without oversight, that to anyone naive or not a bit far fetched.

[outnow]

Come on now, you trust the Decider, don't you? His decision-making was so good. His judgment impeccable, his integrity beyong reproach. lol

[iamrightagain]

Baloney!....in my humble opinion, the hit squads have been working all along. Amazing we just happen to catch them before they did something evil....just in the nick of time?

[Heavy]

Thanks moddds. Scrubbb my post that was utterly factual while you let republicans make it up as they go along. Your site suxxxxxxxxxxx

[MataHari007]

I've been trying to tell you that for months.

[monicaangela]

Good Morning Heavy, take it all with a grain of salt, revise your comment and post it again, I'd love to read it.

[Heavy]

I did revise it. They don't care. Good morning M

[D-V-H]

We should take a day and just post utter drivel to overload their m0ds.
Simply nonsensical cr@p.

[Heavy]

The tr0//s have that covered =)
Only the m0ds don't seem to read their posts.

[willt7311]

Welcome to the lib version of "free" speech.

It is free because you don't have to pay.

[egapmar]

Don't whine about it. You have the choice to leave if you don't agree with the way the site is run

[BigFootJesus]

Have someone slowly explain the concept of free speech to you. It doesn't apply to privately owned websites dimbulb.

[PATina]

I know. I had a simple question... but it got scrubbed 3 times now.

Maybe I can piggy back on your post... here's a try.

What's the difference between as-sass-in-ations and k.ill.ing someone if you've targeted them because they are a t.error.ist ???

[rich misty]

Pointing fingers and posting off-topic is not a defense for these Republican criminal activities.

[slinkymom]

But, it's all they have!

[Heavy]

Thanks mods. Scrubb my post that was utterly factual while you let republicans make it up as they go along. Your site suxxxxx

[emBARRYsing]

I wouldn't brief Democrats on national security until the bu ll ets were already flying and only after every lawmaker had been relieved of their cellphones and blackberries.

Otherwise the story is page one of the NYTimes.

[D-V-H]

Must be nice to trust your government. I guess you can give up those gunnns now

[ConservativeHippie]

Why would anyone, with a clue, trust our gov't?

[AnotherFineMess]

Yeah... those Democrats.. you know the LIBERAL ones that won BOTH WORLD WARS???

What do THEY know?

[emBARRYsing]

The ones who advocated unilateral disarmament during the Cold W a r and still insist that Gorbachev should get the credit today.

[egapmar]

Kinda like when ChainE commited treason and outed a CIA agent?

[Grunty1]

At least your name is accurate. You truly are.

[gladys46]

And the outting of agent Plame was whose doing ... ah, Libby, ah, che ney ! My, my, my what repubs did to justify an illegal war !

[DustinTime]

Standard Washpo damage-control disinfo. Patently absurd.

Yeah, 8 years in and it was only just about to go "active"... right. Whew! What a close call! Remarkable.

So nothing else to see here, folks. Back to Michael Jackson.

Yeah, sorry--nice try, but Seymour Hersh already called that bluff.

Meanwhile, ever wonder why 8 years later, the only people we have officially linked to the greatest crime in American history are either a) instantly killed in the act with no trace of their bodies/DNA, b) mysteriously hidden in some cave yet leading a worldwide media empire rivaling Ryan Seacrest's or c) were extensively tortured into confessing their involvement--along with confessing to crimes subsequently determined by investigators that they couldn't have been involved with?

Ever think about?

Heck, I'm still wondering when they're going to find one of these--Rummy insisted there were "many" of them, after all:

http://www.videosift.com/video/Bin-Ladens-Cave-according-to-Rumsfeld

[BronxBorn]

The righties don't want to investigate a clear violation of the law, but they had no problem spending millions to investigate TravelGate.
Go figure.

[hortonhearsdawho]

the original gate didn't go so well...

[Yurdelite]

That is typical republican.t behavior. Notice how they all wanted Bill Clinton to resign, how they led the impeachment despite the country saying no just censure him and now those same lying, GW Bush sycophants want to keep their jobs. Republican.ts should sit down and STHU. After 7 years of war and no Bin Laden they have no lock on anything having to do with national security or the economy.