By Leigh Bravo ——Bio and Archives--December 11, 2014
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"There are some indications that the release of the report could lead to a greater risk that is posed to U.S. facilities and individuals all around the world, so the administration has taken the prudent steps to ensure that the proper security precautions are in place at U.S. facilities around the world. The president believes that, on principle, it's important to release that report, so that people around the world and people here at home understand exactly what transpired....The administration supported the release of the report, in the so-called "interest of public transparency", even though a majority of the report was declassified and therefore not released as stated by Earnest,
".....because of the scrupulous work of the committee and the administration and the intelligence community, in particular, we've declassified as much of that report as we can. And we want to be sure that we can release that report, be transparent about it, and be clear about what American values are, and be clear about the fact that the administration believes, in a way that's consistent with American values, that something like this should never happen again."Senator Saxby Chambliss, the ranking Republican on the Intelligence committee said,
"a number of significant errors, omissions, assumptions, and ambiguities--as well as a lot of cherry-picking--were found that call the conclusions into question."Dick Cheney, former Vice President during the Bush Administration, said,
"The report is full of crap......those interrogations achieved actionable intelligence."Interestingly enough, the report was released without the input or interviews from anyone in the CIA. When asked whether the President and the CIA agreed on whether the interrogation techniques were helpful in capturing Osama Bin Laden, Earnest replied,
"Well, I think it is apparent from at least some of the anonymous sources that you and others have at the CIA that there are people who have a variety of opinions on this. But with all due respect to those, I think that the views of the Commander-in-Chief are the ones that are most important."Did Feinstein release the report, against the better judgement of many on the Hill, in retaliation for the actions of the CIA, who were caught spying on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee in March of 2014? Diane Feinstein quickly responded to their actions with an angry attack, demanding an apology and threatening legal action. However, months earlier she refused to react to the illegal spying on Americans, claiming the intelligence community was made of up professionals whose activities were "strictly vetted." In an interview with NBC News, Edward Snowden, who leaked vital security information, accused Feinstein of hypocrisy,
"It's clear the CIA was trying to play 'keep away' with documents relevant to an investigation by their overseers in Congress, and that's a serious constitutional concern." "But it's equally if not more concerning that we're seeing another 'Merkel Effect,' where an elected official does not care at all that the rights of millions of ordinary citizens are violated by our spies, but suddenly it's a scandal when a politician finds out the same thing happens to them."Even Secretary of State, John Kerry strongly requested the report not be released at this time due to a potential dangerous backlash to American citizens abroad, and concerns for reactions from U.S. allies. Feinstein decided to release the report regardless of the repercussions because of the upcoming change of leadership, when the Republicans re-take control of the Senate in January. Was the release of this report more important than the lives of Americans overseas? Was it so important to look back and judge the actions of the intelligence community when we all were suffering the recent loss of 3000 innocent people in a terrifying attack? Is politics, once again, trumping the needs of the American people? Is it necessary to air our dirty laundry to the world and once again apologize for protecting our own citizens and interests?
The president believes that the use of those tactics was unwarranted, that they were inconsistent with our values and did not make us safer."However, on May 2, 2011, due to intelligence operations, President Obama was able to stand up in front of the American people and claim that Osama bin Laden, leader of al Qaeda had been killed by the United States.
"Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort. We've disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot."We have now had 13 years without another terrorist attack on United States soil. Do you think the end justified the means?
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Leigh Bravo works in the Hospitality and Marketing Industry. Leigh considers herself a concerned citizen interested in reaching those people who may not be aware of the entire truth. Leigh is happily married and a mother of three looking towards a better future for her kids. Leigh also writes for thetrumpet.me