Earlier today, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said to the country’s Parliament that he was “very sorry” for previous denials from British officials about U.S. “rendition flights” refueling on British bases. Today, the United States apologized for providing false information to Britain:
“We came up with fresh information that in short order we shared with the British government,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. “We regret that there was an error in providing initially that inaccurate information to a good friend and ally,” he told reporters. […]
CIA director Michael Hayden said in a statement there had been flawed records kept of the two flights in 2002.
“Our government had told the British that there had been no rendition flights involving their soil or airspace since 9/11. That information, supplied in good faith, turned out to be wrong,” said Hayden.
Hayden added that neither of the individuals on board the U.S. flights were part of the CIA’s “high-value terrorist interrogation program.”

Rendition flights are the modern day equivalent of WWII Nazi prison camps.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:49 amThe War Criminal Bush Administration LIED???? Do tell, I am so surprised by this news…..NOT.
We have met the enemy and it is the Republican Party of corrupt criminals and thieves.
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Buck Fush
February 21st, 2008 at 11:51 amHmmm,
McCormack & Hayden both trying to cover for Cheney?
You know, UK, when your PM became a lapdog for Bush, what did you really expect? The Truth?
Look, our new AG still has not condemned waterboarding…even after Hayden admitted we’ve done it at least 3 times.
Brits, BUSHIES CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
February 21st, 2008 at 11:51 am…and there’s the answer: Clinton Did It Too.
February 21st, 2008 at 11:58 amThat information, supplied in good faith, turned out to be wrong,†said Hayden.
Yeah, it was wrong because we were LYING.
Duh.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pmYes, we are sorry WE GOT CAUGHT LYING… not the fact that we 100% do torture people…. just sorry we got caught… (not that anything will be done about it)
February 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pmComment by good_golly — February 21, 2008 @ 11:55 am
Who had 11:55 am for the reich-wing Clinton reference?
February 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pmWell gg this thread isn’t about Bill Clinton is it? Try to stay on topic.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:01 pmWell gg this thread isn’t about Bill Clinton is it? Try to stay on topic.
Comment by Shayne — February 21, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
gg’s shame at her government’s behavior has caused a breakdown in her head.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pmI thought the term “good faith” had a 300-yard restraining order against the Bush Administration.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:04 pmWell gg this thread isn’t about Bill Clinton is it? Try to stay on topic.
Comment by Shayne — February 21, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Goon_golly is on topic, because its “topic” is “Bush/Cheney/Rove have never done anything wrong and if they did, Clinton did it first and worse.”
Being a Bush apologist is tough, unrewarding work and goon_golly isn’t very good at it, either.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:04 pmJust Flag The Trolls
February 21st, 2008 at 12:05 pmSo an attempt is going to be made from trolldom that Clinton’s apprehending form of rendition is equivalent to Bush’s torturing form of rendition?
When all ya got is a hammered leader, everything has to be nailed on Clinton.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:07 pmthis is some funny crap…….just an oooops, we forgot huh?!
February 21st, 2008 at 12:08 pmThey’re lying sacks of shit, lying sacks of shit, c’mon everybody now….
THEY’RE LYING SACKS OF SHIT….chorus!
February 21st, 2008 at 12:09 pmHayden added that neither of the individuals on board the U.S. flights were part of the CIA’s “high-value terrorist interrogation program.â€
Well gee, that’s a relief seeing as the CIA didn’t even know these planes were on their European magical mystery tour.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:11 pm“We came up with fresh information that in short order we shared with the British government,†said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
We came up with fresh information?
WE CAME UP WITH FRESH INFORMATION???
That’s a new one.
Bt at least they’re starting to recognize how stale their old lies have become.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:11 pmBill Clinton, Republican for President 2008!
-GSD
February 21st, 2008 at 12:14 pmIf, by “good faith” you mean “bad faith” … then it’s all good.
It’s going to be a rocky year for Bushco.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:14 pmHmmm. I used to call lying - well, Lying. The bush adminsration calls it “fresh information”. Now why didn’t I think of that?
February 21st, 2008 at 12:19 pmComment by StratRat — February 21, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
I like that angle.
I don’t normally lie — too much to keep track of — but I’ve learned something from the Bush administration: fresh information!
The best of both worlds! No need to keep track of those pesky lies, and the sheeple will excuse you in a heartbeat.
Cool.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:22 pmWhy the qualifier of “since 9/11″? How frequent were they before 9/11?
February 21st, 2008 at 12:28 pmRendition flights are the modern day equivalent of WWII Nazi prison camps.
Comment by Dr. Matt — February 21, 2008 @ 11:49 am
More like the trains where jews where transported like cattle to concentration camps… but yes, similarities with the acts of the nazis is pretty accurate.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:31 pmRE: Hayden added that neither of the individuals on board the U.S. flights were part of the CIA’s “high-value terrorist interrogation program.â€
Putting aside the illegality of kidnapping, if these folks were not high-value, what other authority does the CIA / NSA have to kidnap individuals and fly them around the world at US taxpayer expense to a torture friendly country?
February 21st, 2008 at 12:32 pmWhen MURDERER Bush the COXUCKER punk TRAITOR to the USA DROPS DEAD, I hope God “renditions” him to his new MASTER Satan.
Who will SMASH his FACE in EVERY SECOND for ETERNITY.
Along with TRAITOR Ronnie Reagan, already DEAD and BURNING!!
February 21st, 2008 at 12:32 pmpo @ 25, that was dead on. Good job.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:04 pmAnd Tony blair wonders why he is now unemployed.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:22 pmIt’s a sorry fact that governments the world over often break their own domestic laws and international laws, and to imagine otherwise would be naïve so the ‘Clinton did it too’ evidence presented here is something of a legitimate argument in light of an apparent liberal consensus of opinion that Bush’s illegal actions are unique.
However, in the context of this thread we learn that the kidnapped were of no great importance, yet still merited their kidnapping and what’s more secret transportation via the US’s closest ally who apparently couldn’t be trusted with the details or even the fact of the rendition, to a third country for the specific purpose of having them held and “interrogated†outside of ordinary US legal system.
Now I don’t happen to have Clarke’s book so I would ask GG to provide the rest of the information that Clarke provides in the hopes that the following questions might be answered:
Were Clinton, Clarke and Gore discussing snatching suspects from country ‘x’ with which the US had no extradition agreements and transporting them to the US for public trial, or were they discussing renditioning to a third party country? The distinction being the subversion of a legal technicality to bring a subject to a legal and public jurisdiction versus simply avoiding national and international laws and jurisdiction altogether.
And who was (or were) the target or targets of the Clinton rendition program? What kind of evidence was deemed sufficient to justify such actions? Did the Clinton administration actually execute such a program and did the ends justify the means? Does Clarke provide any examples?
I’ve been meaning to buy Clarke’s book and shall do so forthwith, but in the meantime as GG has initiated the issue based on a particular source to make an obvious point perhaps GG can illuminate us further with other relevant excerpts. After all GG’s implied contention is that Bush was simply exercising a program and authority initiated by Clinton based on Clarke’s writings so I would expect the rest of Clarke’s account on this subject to provide further evidence to strengthen GG’s case. Failure to do so of course might weaken the comparison, and GG might thus be susceptible to charges of selective disclosure, so it would be in GG’s best interest to provide the additional information sourced to Clarke that would strengthen the argument and change our minds, if that is indeed the intent—otherwise one might imagine that GG is more interested in tossing brickbats than presenting an informed and considered perspective from which we may all benefit.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:25 pmThese guys are out of control.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:25 pmThe lies are getting so transparent that they can ONLY be taken as complete bullshit whenever, and where ever they are spoken.
Hayden added that neither of the individuals on board the U.S. flights were part of the CIA’s “high-value terrorist interrogation program.â€
Exactly what “value” were these terrorists? Medium-high value?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:01 pmExactly what “value†were these terrorists? Medium-high value?
-Art
Super sized, super secret, super dooper tarorists.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:20 pmHayden added that neither of the individuals on board the U.S. flights were part of the CIA’s “high-value terrorist interrogation program.â€
Oh. So that makes it better? We renditioned “low-value” suspects, and used the Brits to do so?!?!?
Interesting admisison….
Cheers,
February 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pmIn admitting that they had, indeed, landed extraordinary rendition flights in GB,. they quickly added that none of them were high-value prisoners.
How long till we find out that they were, indeed, high value prisoners ?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:28 pmWe now know that NSA lies to suit it agenda.
New information hastily obtained turns out wrong. And information obtained by torture is reliable? Give the public more credit than just throwing up these hasty lies.
So Bush!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:43 pm#37 MapleStreet
In admitting that they had, indeed, landed extraordinary rendition flights in GB,. they quickly added that none of them were high-value prisoners.
How long till we find out that they were, indeed, high value prisoners ?
I find it more interesting that Hayden says they were “low-value” prisoners (see above comment and here).
Kind of takes the gloss of the “Ticking-Time-Bomb” justifications, eh? (Not to mention our claims that we only tortured the three “baddest of the bad”…)
Cheers,
February 21st, 2008 at 2:49 pmgood golly comment post at 11 55 am.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:50 pmrequest for further information supporting good golly’s argument posted 1.25 pm.
no response as of 2. 50 pm.
waiting….
Ooops.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:20 pm