Former US Vice-President Dick Cheney has urged the CIA to release memos which he says show harsh interrogation techniques such as water-boarding work.
His comments follow the publication of memos written by Bush administration lawyers which justified the techniques.
Mr Cheney said that the decision to publish the memos was a mistake.
And it was misleading, he said, because the documents did not include those demonstrating that harsh interrogation delivered intelligence "success".
"One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is that they put out the legal memos... but they didn't put out the memos that show the success of the effort," Mr Cheney told Fox News.
JUSTIN WEBB'S BLOG
Justin Webb
The real question - of course - is whether waterboarding is justified under any circumstances
Read Justin's thoughts in full
"There are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified. I formally ask that they be declassified now."
The American people should have a chance to weigh the intelligence obtained alongside the legal debate, he said.
Mr Cheney made his comments as US President Barack Obama visited the CIA headquarters just outside Washington.
In a move seen as an attempt to boost morale, Mr Obama told employees that the CIA remained key to protecting the country.
Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge that potentially we've made some mistakes
Barack Obama
Interrogation 'morass' for Obama
Q&A: Water-boarding
Staff had faced a "difficult" few days, he acknowledged, but they had his full support and were key to tackling threats from groups such as al-Qaeda.
Mr Obama said he had had no choice but to release the Bush administration's legal justification for interrogation techniques, which he considers to be torture - and has banned.
"Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge that potentially we've made some mistakes.
"That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be president of the United States and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA," he said.
The memos, detailing the range of techniques the CIA was allowed to use during the Bush administration, were released on 16 April.
Quoting one of the memos, The New York Times said water-boarding - or mock drowning - was used on two al-Qaeda terror suspects on up to 266 occasions.
Other methods mentioned in the memos include week-long sleep deprivation, forced nudity and the use of painful positions.
Mr Obama on Thursday said he would not prosecute under anti-torture laws CIA personnel who relied in good faith on Bush administration legal opinions issued after the 11 September attacks.
But he has been criticised by human rights organisations and UN officials, who say charges are necessary to prevent future abuses and to hold people accountable.
Nice Cheney, nice. Torture works...The memo release was a mistake, but at least the administration could have shown the memos that suggest it works? You are a dark and scary man...
Showing posts with label Cheney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheney. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Cheney in oil talks with Saudis
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has met Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah todiscuss ways of stabilising the oil market.
US officials said there was "a lot of commonality" in the talks in Riyadh on the way to move forward in the global energy market.
Oil prices have risen about 16% this year, but the oil producers' cartel, Opec, has declined to raise output.
On Thursday, Mr Cheney held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, urging greater Nato commitment.
Mr Cheney's Middle East tour also took him to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, five years after the US-led invasion.
He will also visit Israel, the West Bank and Turkey before returning to Washington.
Market volatility
In meetings that also included Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, US officials said there was a "very thorough" discussion of short, medium and long-term goals for the oil market.
"There was I think a lot of commonality in their assessment about the structural problems confronted by the global energy market now and some discussion of probably the way forward," a senior US official said.
King Abdullah had earlier welcomed Mr Cheney to his al-Jenadriya horse farm.
"Mr vice-president, we've been friends a long time," the king said.
Oil prices have risen in recent weeks to record highs above $100 as investors have purchased commodities as the value of the dollar has fallen.
Mr Cheney's national security adviser John Hannah said before the talks that they would build on the discussions begun by President George W Bush on his visit to Saudi Arabia in January, when he called on Opec to increase oil exports and warned high energy prices were hurting US consumers.
At the time, Mr Naimi insisted the kingdom would boost production only if the market justified it.
Mr Bush said he hoped King Abdullah would "listen very carefully" to US concerns, while White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president hoped to "see an increase in production".
Other issues on the agenda of the meetings in Saudi Arabia included concerns about the potential nuclear threat posed by Iran to the region, military and political progress in Iraq, as well as Syria and Lebanon, US officials said.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Cheney on Libby, inappropriate?
"Speaking as friends, we hope that our system will return a final result consistent with what we know of this fine man," is what Cheney said about the recent sentencing of "Scooter" Libby.
John Barrett, former Iran-Contra prosecutor said, "It's a disappointment whenever a person who occupies a high office and takes an oath doesn't respond to a demonstrated serious criminal event in a serious governmental way."
(To read some now on this, click here for the AP article)
John Barrett, former Iran-Contra prosecutor said, "It's a disappointment whenever a person who occupies a high office and takes an oath doesn't respond to a demonstrated serious criminal event in a serious governmental way."
"It's an adversary process and I understand the personal dimension, but the United States is the side of the case that President Bush and Vice President Cheney are on. Those are their jobs," Barrett now a law professor at St. John's University in New York City said.
(To read some now on this, click here for the AP article)
I think this bring up an interesting question: Were VP Cheney's comment inappropriate for someone in his position? Exactly where should the lines of personal feelings and political integrity be drawn?
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