Now Panetta Goes Off Message On Zero Dark Thirty

The current liberal catechism espoused by Dianne Feinsgtein in her role as head of the Senate Intelligence Committee is that enhanced interrogation played no role in piecing together the trail to Osama Bin Laden. This belief led to a recent dust-up with the acting director of the CIA, Michael Morell, who was asked by committee members to document his assertion, in a letter to CIA employees, that intelligence gleaned from enhanced interrogation contributed to finding Bin Laden.

Now Leon Panetta has wandered off the reservation. Maybe! Different news outlets are characterizing his remarks differently.

CBS News:

Panetta: Enhanced interrogation did not lead to bin Laden

Go, Team Blue! But here is the NY Daily News:

Leon Panetta says ‘enhanced interrogation’ tactics played a role in death of Osama bin Laden

Ooops! Go, Team Red!

In fact, Panetta said pretty much the same thing as Michael Morell of the CIA. From the CBS account:

"First of all, it's a movie," Panetta said on NBC's "Meet the Press". "Let's remember that."

Saying he "lived the real story," Panetta added that "in order to put the puzzle of intelligence together that led us to bin Laden, there was a lot of intelligence. There were a lot of pieces out there that were part of that puzzle."

Panetta went on to say that there was at least some truth to the notion that enhanced interrogation was part of the hunt for bin Laden.

"Yes, some of it came from some of the tactics that were used at that time, interrogation tactics that were used," he admitted. "But the fact is we put together most of that intelligence without having to resort to that."

NBC's Chuck Todd followed up: "And you think you could have gotten it without any?" Panetta replied: "I think we could have gotten bin Laden without that."

So as a matter of speculation, Panetta agrees that maybe enhanced interrogation was not necessary, but he continues to claim it contributed to putting the trail together.

Per CBS, Panetta has said before that enhanced interrogation played a minor role. And even though a similar claim got Michael Morell in trouble, Sen. Feinstein's original expostulation did not rule out the possibilty that enhanced interrogation made a minor contribution to finding Bin Laden:

Statements made by Mr. Rodriguez and other former senior government officials about the role of the CIA interrogation program in locating Usama bin Laden (UBL) are inconsistent with CIA records. We are disappointed that Mr. Rodriguez and others, who left government positions prior to the UBL operation and are not privy to all of the intelligence that led to the raid, continue to insist that the CIA’s so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” used many years ago were a central component of our success. This view is misguided and misinformed.

The roots of the UBL operation stretch back nearly a decade and involve hundreds, perhaps thousands, of intelligence professionals who worked non-stop to connect and analyze many fragments of information, eventually leading the United States to Usama Bin Laden’s location in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The suggestion that the operation was carried out based on information gained through the harsh treatment of CIA detainees is not only inaccurate, it trivializes the work of individuals across multiple U.S. agencies that led to UBL and the eventual operation.

One might read that as refuting the notion that enhanced interrogation was "central" to our sucess, and that the raid was "based on" that intelligence.

Well, even if Ms. Feinstein was leaving the door open to a minor role for enhanced interrogation back in April of 2012, she is in full Enhanced Denial mode now. Let's see if Leon Panetta is called to atonement by the committee.

 

Comments

[Jim Eagle]

Who's on first?

[Captain Hate]

F Chuck dutifully leading Panetta back to the narrative when it appeared he might be deviating from it.

[Jim Eagle]

Interesting piece of trivia from yesterday.

The last time someone shot 256 at Phoenix was 2001 by Mark Calcavecchia. That was the same year the Baltimore Ravens won their first superbowl.

Yesterday Phil Mickelson shot 256 to win the Phoenix Wast Management Open. And you know the rest of the story.

[Appalled]

I doubt the folks here are surprised by this, but Obamacare does not appear to be working as intended. In today's Deathless Dialog, we learn that Obamacare provides some pretty strong incentives NOT to insure your children.

http://deathlessdialog.blogspot.com/2013/02/obamacare-it-wasnt-for-children-after.html

[There's that word 'smart'. How stupid can I be?]

Waterboarding should be safe, legal, and rare. It's a smart bomb to the Central Nervous System. See 'diving reflex'.
==================

[Janet]

Wonderful blog post, Appalled.

How the same old duds keep writing for the papers & appearing on TV is beyond me....there is SO much talent out here.

[Threadkiller]

"As many know Linda Jordan was sanctioned $13,000 for challenging Obama's identity document fraud and his placement on the state of Washington's ballot. Linda reached out to many attorneys seeking advice on what she could do about the unjust fees levied against her. Only one was brave enough to step up to the plate and take on her case. His name is Richard B. Sanders from the Goodstein Law Group in Tacoma, Washington. Mr. Sanders was a justice on the Washington Supreme Court from 1995 to 2010.

BirtherReport.com contacted Mr. Sanders for a public statement on why he decided to take on Linda Jordan's plight. Mr. Sanders provided the following statement on February 3rd, 2013. And, he didn't hold back!

Statement from the Honorable Richard B. Sanders:

For the first time in 17 years, 15 of those sitting on the Washington Supreme Court, I have agreed to represent a private citizen. And I am pleased to lend Linda Jordan a helping hand.

In good faith Ms. Jordan commenced an action to question President Obama's name on the ballot. She did the best she could with limited resources and no legal training. The government's response was immediate and in some respects heavy handed. Having obtained a summary dismissal of her case, and then her appeal, the attorney general went further to demand the Secretary of State be reimbursed, claiming attorney fees amounting to almost $13,000. However what the attorney general did not tell the court is that the Secretary never actually paid this amount, nor was he billed this amount, nor probably anything close to it. The number is made up, pure fiction. The AG did not disclose the actual amount to the court probably because the objective is to get a punitive judgment for as much as he can without regard to actual expenditures which were much less.

My motion to modify and reduce the court clerk's award of almost $13,000 will attempt to direct the court's attention to the truth of the matter: that once again the government is hiding the ball to oppress a patriotic private citizen of modest means because she exercised her right to access the courts. This is not compensatory but punitive. It is not justice but oppression. Moreover $13,000 is truly an outlandish sum to obtain dismissal of an appeal the AG claimed was entirely lacking in merit. No wonder people mistrust the government, lawyers and the court system. It's time to fight.

Richard B. Sanders
Lawyer - end -

http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2013/02/ret-wa-supreme-court-judge-fights-obama-sanctions.html

[matt]

lotta indians wandering off the Obama reservation lately.....

[Captain Hate]

Reporting for Doody getting off to a *fine* start: http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2013/02/what-planet-does-john-kerry-live-on

[Jim Eagle]

What can go wrong?

Terror tourism gets a new theme park in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

[Manuel Transmission]

Judge Sanders came up and spent an evening at our Grange when we were first dove into the property rights fight. Very impressive guy. Spent a lot of time on Kelo and other outrages to the Constitution. Also instructed us on the many things that were even more restrictive (to the state) in our State Constitution.

[NK]

Well-- while CIA Director Panetta invited the Top Chef show to come by Langley and cook. Panetta is not a dedicated spook, but he did a passable job as pencil pusher and he didn't humiliate the country. Brennan.... uh... that will be quite a spectacle, but not in a good way.

[Captain Hate]

Andrea Tanteros is slattering Rove. Some of the best I've heard.

[NK]

Late Super Bowl observation-- if you have any doubt that the game of football is in big trouble (injuries, litigation, insurance coverage at the lower youth levels etc), the NFL "PSAs" about "America's game" etc, shows you how concerned the NFL poobahs are becoming.

[Thomas Collins]

NK, I think pro football will continue to thrive, and the rule changes that I think are coming up won't ruin the game. There will be some sort of megasettlement on the traumatic brain injury litigation (most likely with a trust run by an Irving Picard type). The game won't become flag football, but there will be stricter rules on tackling (for example, the type of hit Pollard made on Ridley will be outlawed).

I don't think stricter rules on the use of the head to the upper body and head area will ruin the game. Take the rules re QB pummeling. The QBs are now protected more than ever, but pass rushers still can level tough hits on the QB. Players will adjust to the type of traditional tackling that occurred before the helmet developed so that helmets could be used as tackling and blocking weapons.

Football will always go through periods where safety issues appear to threaten the sport, because let's face it, it's a super-high collision sport.

[Captain Hate]

I'm with NK; I think the sport's in bigger trouble than ever before.

[Don't tell my folks I work in the Oil Patch; they think I'm a piano player in a whorehouse.]

TK, if you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you want to get fucked go to a courthouse.
=============

[MarkO]

Pro football? Well, once that first large judgment hits a school district, high school football is over. Where will the colleges and pros get their players?

[Beasts of England]

JiB@9:44 - Obviously it's all rigged. I stopped believing in coincidences long ago! lol

[Beasts of England]

MarkO@12:28 - Auburn buys them from Trooper Taylor, same as always...

[NK]

Football future-- the NFL will do a deal on ITS liability-- sure. The problem I see is youth football and HS Football dying off b/c of insurance and liability issues. Once the Nanny State does in Youth and HS Football, where does major college and NFL Football get its talent?

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

I am with TC. T Roosevelt threatened to get football banned in the early 20th century, when my grandfather was contending with the flying wedge and other mass formations without a helmet (I have a pic with him in full football gear with his trusty nose guard).

Tackling by leading with the crown of the helmet should be more heavily penalized on the field and with stiff fines and suspensions after the fact.

[Beasts of England]

Of course they could have taken OBL without torture, but it would have taken much, much longer. Torture provided a clue which allowed a really, really awesome piece of technology to be deployed (shhh!) which then made possible his near-certain identification.

This comment will self-destruct in ten seconds...

[NK]

MarkO-- sorry I didn't see your 12;28, that's exactly what I see happening.

[Beasts of England]

I don't mind giving up pretty much all of my Consitutional rights, but if they fuck with college football, it's on. I'm serious.

BoE aka Crimson Tide Bitter Clinger

[Beasts of England]

Crap, it didn't self-destruct.

That's alright, no one's paying attention.

Really? I have my own thread?

'I'? You mean 'we'? Time to take our meds...

Ok.

[henry]

Ah, the plural in your name is finally explained. Are all of you Tide backers?

[Captain Hate]

This is what happens when Crazy Uncle goes full retard: https://twitter.com/RonPaul/status/298477312876355585

[Beasts of England]

Yes! lol

[Silly asses.]

Well, for sure, he who lives without a sword dies by the sword.
===============

[lyle]

As if I needed more evidence that Uncle Ron is an asshole.

[narciso]

They keep having to revise their remarks, Soufan is so insistent, as is Carle, the one who I told you missed the whole point of the exercise. Bergen had been assured by the likes of the former and Dannenberg, that EIT, hadn't worked, but then Isikoff and even Bowden, has
admitted that Quahtani and Ould Slahi did provide information,

[narciso]

Yet, he misses the main point of the exercise;

http://newamerica.net/publications/articles/2013/should_we_still_fear_al_qaeda_78699

[anonamom]

114.7 million people watched that game last night. I don't think the NFL is too terribly worried about folding its tents.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/02/04/Super-Bowl-Crushes-Oscars

[Gus]

The NFL is screwed. They are playing ball with Congress. Congress allows MLB and NFL a antitrust exemption, thereby allowing Congress to REGULATE NFL and MLB. Anyone see Congress getting involved with pro-westling, or snowmobile crashing??? The owners and their Chief Pimp Goodell, will dance along with Congress, and when the schools and Universities are sued into submission, football will cease to be what is currently is. There is nothing new here, it's Government becoming involved that has changed.

[narciso]

Well the only saving grace, is that Goodell didn't follow Pop into politics;

http://twitchy.com/2013/02/04/medal-of-honor-recipient-dakota-meyer-to-ron-paul-have-you-lost-your-mind/

[Captain Hate]

Geez, we had Rove, Uncle Crazy and this predator making fools of themselves today: http://twitchy.com/2013/02/04/bill-clinton-talks-viagra-at-ed-kochs-funeral-former-mayors-attend-photos/

That's a week's worth of stoopid in one day.