A lot of things come to mind with this report. I wonder how far we should go while interrogating prisoners? Should we use harsh interrogation techniques at all? What is considered harsh? Do we really care what they do anyway? I ask the last question because I think most people in this society are apathetic when it comes to things that don’t directly affect them in their day to day lives. If society as a whole cared more about global issues and other people we wouldn’t be in such a screwed up position. Just spit balling here, what do you think? Go ahead, don’t be shy…

By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Under a subpoena threat, the CIA is expected to quickly begin turning over to Congress documents related to the destruction of videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of two terror suspects.

The agency could begin producing the material as early as Thursday, according to senior intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing investigations into the destruction of the tapes in 2005.

President Bush declined to address the controversy, saying at a White House news conference he was confident that administration and congressional investigations “will end up enabling us all to find out what exactly happened.” He repeated his assertion that his “first recollection” of being told about the tapes and their destruction was when CIA Director Michael Hayden briefed him on it earlier this month.

At the Justice Department, investigators were combing through CIA e-mails and other documents and planning to interview former agency officials. One official familiar with the investigation said the review so far indicates that Alberto Gonzales, who served as White House counsel and then attorney general, advised against destroying the videotapes as one of four senior Bush administration attorneys discussing how to handle them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. Gonzales’ attorney, George Terwilliger, declined comment.

Another of the administration attorneys, John Bellinger, then a lawyer at the National Security Council, has told colleagues that administration lawyers came to a consensus that the tapes should not be destroyed, said a senior official familiar with Bellinger’s account of the 2003 White House discussion. Bellinger could not be reached for comment. (more…)

Now tell me what you think. Do you really believe that George and company just had “BAD” intel? Or do you think it was part of the bigger plan to pull another bonehead move in the middle east and this time they responded to reports that negated their “findings” by backing down and not trying to force feed another bullshit war on us? I guess I was being just a little slanted on that question, but I can’t seem to hold my tongue when it comes to these idiots in Washington.

Like Iraq, US intel on Iran faulty

By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent

First Iraq, now Iran. The United States has operated under a cloud of faulty intelligence in both countries.

In a bombshell intelligence assessment, the United States has backed away from its once-ironclad assertion that Tehran is intent on building nuclear bombs.

Where there once was certainty, there now is doubt. “We do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons,” the new estimate said Monday.

Compare that with what then-National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told Congress in January. “Our assessment is that Tehran is determined to develop nuclear weapons.”

Just last month, President Bush, at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said, “We talked about Iran and the desire to work jointly to convince the Iranian regime to give up their nuclear weapons ambitions, for the sake of peace.”

More ominously, Bush told a news conference Oct. 17, “I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.”

Asked then if he definitely believed that Iran wanted to build a nuclear bomb, Bush said, “Yeah, I believe they want to have the capacity, the knowledge, in order to make a nuclear weapon.” (more…)