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,

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!

How long till we find out that they were, indeed, high value prisoners ?

Oh. So that makes it better? We renditioned “low-value” suspects, and used the Brits to do so?!?!?

Interesting admisison….

Cheers,

Super sized, super secret, super dooper tarorists.

Exactly what “value” were these terrorists? Medium-high value?

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.

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?

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.

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.

It’s going to be a rocky year for Bushco.

-GSD

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.