House May Probe CIA al-Qaida Hit Program

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 06:17:21 PM EST
Tags: CIA hit program (all tags)

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It turns out the classified CIA program that Leon Pannetta disclosed last week which had been ordered kept from Congress by Dick Cheney had to do with hit squads on al-Qaida.

Today's news is the House is laying groundwork for hearings.

The House Intelligence Committee has asked the CIA to provide documents about the now-canceled program to kill al-Qaida leaders, congressional officials said Tuesday. The agency spent at least $1 million on the eight-year program before it was terminated last month, one congressional official said. Intelligence officials say the operation never progressed beyond a planning stage.

The C.I.A. says it will cooperate with the House. [More...]

The House Intelligence Committee will try to establish how much was spent on the effort, whether any training was conducted, and whether there was any officials traveled in associated with the program, a committee official said. Those factors would determine whether the program had progressed enough to warrant congressional notification, the official said.

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House May Probe CIA al-Qaida Hit Program | 11 comments (11 topical)

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The news here (2.00 / 1) (#2)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 08:09:12 AM EST

is that Obama's head of the CIA has stopped a program aimed at killing and capturing al Qaeda operatives. It will be interesting to see that explained on the five o'clock news to the American public.

You mean (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by lilburro on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 08:22:53 AM EST

"Al-Qaeda operatives" like the ones in Guantanamo?

The obvious goal of our military is to find, capture and/or kill Al Qaeda operatives on the battlefield. Why we need the CIA to go around secretly murdering people of unknown identity, I don't know.

I don't see how this will be particularly hard to explain.

[ Parent ]

: Did you forget? (none / 0) (#6)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 05:35:26 PM EST

The problem is that the enemy involved will probably not be on the battlefield since this is an unconventional war.
And your straw horsey assumes that the ones killed/captured won't be identified as al Qaeda operatives. That is be you assume that over time we haven't gotten much better at the task of identification.
As for Gitmo, a sizable number of those released have returned to attack us. I would argue that perhaps our screening has been too loose in the wrong direction.

[ Parent ]

Maybe this tips the balance (none / 0) (#1)
by MKS on Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 06:24:27 PM EST

toward a full scale investigation on torture as well....

Reality of the situation (none / 0) (#4)
by Dark Avenger on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 09:11:41 AM EST

is that Obama's head of the CIA has stopped a program aimed at killing and capturing al Qaeda operatives.

Did you not read this part?:

The agency spent at least $1 million on the eight-year program before it was terminated last month, one congressional official said. Intelligence officials say the operation never progressed beyond a planning stage.

"never progressed beyond a planning stage" meaning that they never even gave anyone in AQ a wedgie, let alone killed any of them, but hey, lets' revive the program and throw some money at it, perhaps we can do better than the previous Administration and at least find an AQ member to say something cutting and dishearting to them, like PPJ's comments after they've been translated into Arabic. ;-)

Well, one thing is for sure (none / 0) (#5)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 05:26:49 PM EST

if they don't try and do it nothing will be accomplished.

Perhaps Obama's CIA main dude can explain why we shouldn't try.... or more frightening, why we didn't try.

[ Parent ]

They had 8 years and spend 1 million (none / 0) (#7)
by Dark Avenger on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 05:41:55 PM EST

and got zip.

Heh, I'll bet you'll say something snarky about Obama not wanting what's in America's best interest next.

Perhaps Obama's CIA main dude can explain why we shouldn't try...

Again, it isn't that we shouldn't try, it's a program that was meant to try, but accomplished nothing that should be investigated from time it was greenlighted.

or more frightening, why we didn't try.

You mean all those reports about AQ leaders in various positions getting killed were fake back a few years ago, because we didn't try?

Still, I agree, if the previous Administration didn't try, the reasons should be examined fully, so that this kind of unproductive cr*p doesn't happen again because someone in the Executive branch had a bright idea.

[ Parent ]

heh (none / 0) (#8)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 07:14:21 PM EST

Reading problems?

one congressional official said. Intelligence officials say the operation never progressed beyond a planning stage.

If all we did was plan then why is the Left in a huff over it? Because we spent a million dollars? Gosh, that won't take your Messiah and wife to NYC for dinner.

So, what is your point besides playing the reframe trick? The killing of those had nothing to with this plan.

Again. This just another political move by an AG that has several things in his past of a questionable nature.

And yes, Chicago politics say that the big boss let's the underlings do the dirty work.

[ Parent ]

heh is how PPJ begins (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by Dark Avenger on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 07:45:27 PM EST

when he's run out of sensible things to say.

Not that that's a bad thing, I'm not one of those judgemental types.

Gosh, that won't take your Messiah and wife to NYC for dinner.

I don't have a Messiah, but thanks for starting off your comment in a demeaning and snitty way, it helps folks tell who is the fair-minded commentator and who is confusing irrelevant putdowns for dialog.

I like the little attempted snark about "Messiah and wife", as you finally realize how your initial response didn't make sense and your futile attempt to draw attention away from it is quite risible.

Well-played, sir, well-played!

If all we did was plan then why is the Left in a huff over it? Because we spent a million dollars?

I dunno PPJ, common sense tells me that others besides "teh Left" are angry at wasted government spending no matter the Administration at the time.

You know, the 'real Americans' your political gal-pal Sarah the Runaway Governor used to talk about. You do remember things before last November,
or is that part of the reason you seem so confused here at times?

Your postings actually demonstrate that today you are either not in a generous mood or that you're sober. I like to give credit where credit is due.

PPJ, you're going to tell that if Obamie, the PPJ Anti-Messiah, spent 5 dollars more for any federal item than budgeted, you wouldn't be moaning and groaning about it, hinting darkly that there was a Kenyan connection involved?

Pfui.

I'm not going to bother to answer the rest of your miserable screed, if you want to tout this as another victory, go ahead, put on your party hat, toot a noisemaker like it's 11:59 PM on New Years Eve, and thanks for the laughs again, as I said before, you manage to come thru in the clinch when everyone would think it couldn't be done.

In the name of Obamie, the PPJ Anti-Messiah,

TTFN

[ Parent ]

I would never declare victory (none / 0) (#10)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 08:40:05 PM EST

over doing something that takes so little effort.

Besides you always surrender using 300 or so words that have nothing to do with the subject.

ROFL

[ Parent ]

: True, you would declare victory in the past (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by Dark Avenger on Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 09:09:37 PM EST

when you've put no intellectual effort in the past, I'm glad to make the correction on your behalf.
Besides you always surrender using 300 or so words that have nothing to do with the subject.
I'm sorry, when did I hire you to be my personal abacus?

ROFL
Thanks for mentioning that's what a lot of folks do after they read your comments, people, that's explains why JM lets you post here.
Oh, and I used 109 words for this reply, I hate to see you go to all that trouble over little ol' me, so I'll include a word count from now on to help you out.
TTFN

[ Parent ]