Ex-CIA: “We Waterboarded Zubaydah, Yeah, It Was Torture. But Necessary”
I would have waterboarded him until he died, personally.
I’ll tell you what’s been bugging me lately…it’s the fact that so many “ex-CIA” guys are talking. When I grew up during the Cold War, they were these mythical superheroes who kept our country safe in ways we would never ever hear of, and that was fine by me.
What ever happened to “The CIA doesn’t exist?”
But check it out, he said the guy broke in 35 seconds. Shee-hit, I say make it SOP for all jihadi pukes.
A leader of the CIA team that captured and interrogated the first major al Qaeda figure, Abu Zubaydah, says subjecting him to waterboarding was torture but necessary.
In the first public comment by any CIA officer involved in handling high-value al Qaeda targets, John Kiriakou, now retired, said the technique broke Zubaydah in less than 35 seconds.
“The next day, he told his interrogator that Allah had visited him in his cell during the night and told him to cooperate,” said Kiriakou in an interview to be broadcast tonight on ABC News’ “World News With Charles Gibson” and “Nightline.”
“From that day on, he answered every question,” Kiriakou said. “The threat information he provided disrupted a number of attacks, maybe dozens of attacks.”
Kiriakou says he did not know that the interrogation of Zubaydah was being secretly recorded by the CIA and had no idea the tapes had been destroyed.
Now retired, Kiriakou says he has come to believe that waterboarding is torture.
“We’re Americans, and we’re better than this. And we shouldn’t be doing this kinda thing,” he said.
But he says the urgency in the wake of 9/ll led to a desire to do everything possible to get actionable intelligence.
“What happens if we don’t waterboard a person, and we don’t get that nugget of information, and there’s an attack,” Kiriakou said. “I would have trouble forgiving myself.”
A CIA spokesperson declined to specifically address Kiriakou’s comments.
In a statement, the CIA reiterated its long-standing position that “the United States does not conduct or condone torture. The CIA’s terrorist interrogation effort has always been small, carefully run, lawful and highly productive.”
(ABC)
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I joined the quotes (see below). Kind of puts things into a much different perspective, huh? Decide, commit, and survive!
“We’re Americans, and we’re better than this. And what happens if we don’t waterboard a person, and we don’t get that nugget of information, and there’s an attack,” Kiriakou said. “I would have trouble forgiving myself.”
December 10th, 2007 at 3:29 pm@Kevin M
Before I read your post I was thinking the same thing, Im having trouble reconciling the obvious duplicity of his comments. According to this guy, its damned if you do damned if you dont.
How did this guy all of a sudden “come to believe that waterboarding is torture and we shouldnt be doing these kind of things” while acknowledging how effective it was???
Your talking about a technique that obviously works and does not harm the individual post a few moments of torment and no physical damage!!
What is this guys agenda? Clearing the soul? Political games, CYA because it was made public yet all the while saying it was very effective…
December 10th, 2007 at 3:43 pmBy the very nature of collectivist communist/socialist torture is only allowed and tolerated by our enemies. This view is of course naturally supported by our enemies and they take actions to re-enforce that dementia with direct actions of support.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:57 pmWhat a crock. A lot of the “company” boys have no military experience.
A lot do.
If the compassionate amongst us want to end CIA interrogation I don’t see that as a problem.
The solution is to send the pukes (enemy combatants) to Marine Corps boot camp, USAF Pararescue indoct, SEAL BUDS, Special Forces combat Diver School, or a host of other sanctioned torturous schools that the ass kicking warriors of our great nation have to endure in order to wear their respective uniforms.
35 seconds? Ask a Pararescue Officer what it’s like to intentionally drown and then be revived or fail the class and get dismissed from the program.
These so called monsters don’t have the guts to get tortured, the term is not applicable to them and the reason is simple.
The scumbags have no honor, therefore they have no reason to resist, and that equals no torture in the truest sense has been visited upon their bankrupt backwoods caveman minds.
Semper Fi
December 10th, 2007 at 4:15 pmThere’s a reason Army interrogation manuals prohibit torture, and it’s the same reason the Marine Corps interrogation manuals prohibit it: It doesn’t work. Did we get any information from this guy that couldn’t have been obtained through other means? Nope.
DoD reports have constantly cited things like Abu Ghraib as primary reasons terrorists join up for the Jihadist cause. Doing things like this only add to the problem. Name one instance, any of you, where torture has led to the prevention of a terror attack. You won’t find any, because scripts from 24 are not real life. That shit doesn’t happen in the real world.
Torture didn’t work on John McCain did it? So if waterboarding is so effective, why didn’t McCain crack?
All arguments in favor of torture rest on that manufactured phony idea that some season of 24 will come true and we therefore must torture people. Ridiculous.
Who are the bad guys? The terrorists, jihadist, freedom-haters, suicide bombers, talibani, islamo-fascists.
Who are the good guys? Us, America, the Republic, freedom-lovers, Soldiers, Marines, Americans.
Good guys don’t torture.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:09 pm@Jack
Actually I believe part of that article describes just how effective waterboarding is. And I don’t remember John McCain ever saying he had been waterboarded, just that he thought it was torture. It was more likely that he had toothpicks shoved under his fingernails, and if you ask me that sounds worse.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:24 pm@Jack:
McCain gave up bogus but easily verifiable info. The NVA were more interested in breaking his will than getting useful information. In the end, he signed a ‘confession’ of his war crimes.
There is no shame in this. Eventually, EVERYONE BREAKS OR DIES.
The hard part is usually getting the subject to talk at all. Once they start blabbing, even if it’s all bullshit at first, half the work is over. You verify what you can and punish them for their lies. Soon, they won’t even think of lying.
There’s torture, and there’s persuasion. By your standards, every jock whoever gave a swirly is a war criminal. Waterboarding is not torture. People voluntarily subit to it in training all the time. I doubt they’d let anyone brand them or break their shoulders. Outside of San Fran, of course…
December 10th, 2007 at 7:48 pm35 seconds of some lowlife pussy thinking he’s going to drown doesn’t mean shit compared to ONE American life. His chance of actually dieing was ZERO because of trained interrogators and medical personnel standing by.
Mr. Kiriakou’s credabilty is ZERO. The info from this one scumbag stopped a number if not dozens of attacks? But we shouldn’t do it? WTF???????
Sir, do you understand that by attacks, you mean the MURDERS OF A NUMBER IF NOT DOZENS - HUNDREDS - THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN CIVILIANS? ‘Attacks’ are not just some etheral concept, idiot. Dead Americans, that what it means.
If you can’t cut it anymore - retirment is where you belong. Let real men protect our country while you gum your steamed prunes.
Good guys don’t treat terrorist scum like gold and stand idlely by while their fellow Americans are murdered.
Jack said-
Name one instance, any of you, where torture has led to the prevention of a terror attack.
I say-
“From that day on, he answered every question,” Kiriakou said. “The threat information he provided disrupted a number of attacks, maybe dozens of attacks.”
I say again - attacks equals murdered Americans. If you had read the article posted, Kiriakou says it works. He has direct knowledge of waterboarding’s success. You do not. Your arguement that it is ineffective is specious and vacant.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:52 pmInstead of investigating, congress should be awarding Medals of Honor to the agents involved! That would be the right thing to do. Why would the Dems do that and ruin their perfect treasonous record!
December 10th, 2007 at 9:38 pmWhat you guys are missing is the fact that the top congressional leaders like Peloski were briefed, some as many as 30 times on waterboarding and all other techniques being used in 2002/2003, and they all approved/wondered if we were being agressive enough. You should link to the Wash Post article from yesterday. So, the big “scandal” in the MSM about waterboarding during the AG hearings a month or so ago was all phoney. The CIA stopped “waterboarding” several years ago, only used it on 3 people. Once again, the dems and MSM are in dishonest conspiracy to discredit our country and create scandal where none exists.
December 10th, 2007 at 10:02 pm“We’re Americans, and we’re better than this. And we shouldn’t be doing this kinda thing,” he said.
But he says the urgency in the wake of 9/ll led to a desire to do everything possible to get actionable intelligence.
“What happens if we don’t waterboard a person, and we don’t get that nugget of information, and there’s an attack,” Kiriakou said. “I would have trouble forgiving myself.”
So are you for it or against it? cant have it both ways
December 10th, 2007 at 11:37 pmJack,
The vietnamese tortured people to death. we make our prisoners extremely uncomfortable for short periods of time and otherwise feed them three meals a day and give them tremendous liberties otherwise. In comparison to others we still have the high road.
to say jihadis are fighting because of our recent actions defy’s the reality. Every muslim who gets caught in the act of committing or attempting to commit acts of terrorrism, blames america or israel for their cause when in fact it is the quran that is the ultimate source of their rage.
The “infidel, Kafir, people of the book, those who incur God’s wrath” are conveniently replaced in contemporary society by ” atheist, polytheist, christian, zionist etc” We could have a history of peace , and never fighting muslims, and yet we would be condemned for everything else such as , alcohol,eating pork, women not covering up, pornography, homosexuality etc just as muslims and minorities in islamic countries are today being persecuted for such offenses. Islam is a totalitarian ideology that acknowledges no right of dissent amongst the governed.
Muslims will tell you it is our sins(torture war , lust for oil ) that are to blame, but it is an excuse to cover up the known quranic injunctions telling followers to “slay the unbeliever whereever you find them… “(9:5) and if they dont have those excuses to kill you then they use the others(Hijab offenses, alcohol, pork, homosexuality, insulting muhammed etc)
Calling this torture is meant to hold up the US to international treaties while never bothering to hold islamic countries up to the same treaties they are signatories to, for which they abuse far worse than we have. If we are tio win this war that has gone on for centuries then we may have to use certain techniques that cause temporary pain and suffering, not because we want to but because we have to. The people who think ill of us for it, are obviously willing to be dhimmi’s. I am not!
December 10th, 2007 at 11:55 pmI saw that interview tonight with Mr. Kiriakou.
In it he said “the technique broke Zubaydah in less than 35 seconds.”
and
“From that day on, he answered every question,” Kiriakou said. “The threat information he provided disrupted a number of attacks, maybe dozens of attacks.”
Later in the interview I saw him say I’m not sure if we should use torture as it may lead to bad information from the prisoner….
Well gee, I think that Mr. Kiriakou might be confused. He did say the waterboarding led to, and I quote “The threat information he provided disrupted a number of attacks, maybe dozens of attacks.”
What was that again? a number, maybe a dozen disruptions of terrorist attacks.
Gee it looks like some good info was obtained from the prisoner.
Hmm. Waterboarding is ok with me. The sick fuck is still alive right, so shut the fuck up lefties. Personally I hope it makes him wet his bed for the rest of his natural life, but one can only hope.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:37 amGiven the true nature of our enemy, I beleive waterboarding and other techniques should be used when neccessary. They do not die from it and they do not use it on all detainees. To me much of this should be handled internally and not in public where many people do not get the whole picture of why it is being done. They picture a nice innocent person instead of looking at who the individual is, how they are connected to terrorism, and what intel they could provide. The term classified information needs to come back into vogue again. The CIA and FBI need to have latitude to do their jobs. They cannot sit down to tea and get what they want. Many times they also cannot wait until someone’s will is broken enough to get the information they need to prevent the deaths of many.
Jonny Mordant just recently made a new video and it shows what true horror is and people seem to avoid and forget about it.
Apocalypse Iran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7c5LNaK8A&feature=PlayList&p=883D4495C9D9B2C9&index=70
It is exactly what the left and people like Pelosi, Reid, et al. should have to watch over and over again until they get it. This is not a game of politics. We are in a war with an enemy that does not acknowledge and respect empathy or compassion. They only respect strength and that is the only way to defeat them. Playing politics will get us nowhere with them.
When the Jews were forced into ovens and shower stalls to be gassed would it have helped them if we just tried to negotiate nicely with the Natzis?! Try to understand why the Natzis felt the way they did? Make sure we did everything nice. Hell no. The only way to deal with enemies like that is with force. The same goes for the terrorists and their supporters now. There is no way around it. Anyone that thinks you can play patty-cake with their islamic ideology is nuts. I always think of Iggy’s saying ~ It is what it is.
PJ ~ I agree with everything you said. Our own go through waterboarding and worse in training.
December 11th, 2007 at 4:31 pm