CIA Torture Advocate John Rizzo Says Obama Must Deal With Interrogation Program ‘Immediately’
CIA Torture Advocate John Rizzo Says Obama Must Deal With Interrogation Program ‘Immediately’
At the American Bar Association’s conference on national security yesterday, CIA senior deputy general counsel John Rizzo recommended that President-elect Barack Obama “address immediately detainee issues at Guantanamo Bay and in the CIA’s interrogation program.” Rizzo said that the agency’s interrogation and detainee program needs “urgent” attention:
The CIA detention and interrogation program, he said, is just as urgent. “That’s going to have to be dealt with immediately,” Rizzo said. “We do not have the luxury to wait and muddle through.” He knows how tough the issue is–his involvement in helping the CIA construct the program earned him opposition in Congress that killed his nomination to be the CIA’s general counsel.
The Wall Street Journal’s Siobhan Gorman did not report whether Rizzo said anything specific about how the program needs to be “dealt” with. This information would be important since, as Gorman notes, Rizzo controversially helped construct the program that pushed the boundaries of torture.
In 2002, while serving as an acting general counsel, Rizzo approved of a memo drafted by then-Assistant Attorney General Jay Bybee that stretched the definition of torture in order to make it permissible for use in the course of an interrogation. Asked at a June 2007 confirmation hearing if he “should have objected at the time” to Bybee’s definition of torture, Rizzo replied, “I can’t say I should have objected at the time.” Watch it:
Rizzo’s nomination was withdrawn by the White House in Sept. 2007 after key senators and human rights and advocacy groups protested his stubborn “>refusal to renounce his role in crafting the Bush administration’s torture policies.
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Cleaning up the Rethuglican disaster, one mess-at-a-time.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:19 pmWhat’s wrong with sticking to the Geneva Conventions?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:22 pm1 – 2 – 3 – easy.
step 1. stop torturing
step 2. close all illegal prisons including gitmo
step 3. prosecute those responsible of torturing to the fullest extent of the law.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:22 pmI was just following orders!
I made the mess, its up to you to clean it up!!
Whatever happened to the rhetoric about personal responsibility?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pmWell, since Obama is presently our President Elect, not our President, there is nothing he can immediately do about it. But, I am sure that torture is going to be up at the top of his “To Do” list.
My question is “who in the hell do these neoCONS think they are telling Obama what he should do as President?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pmYou know, the more I think about it, the more I truly believe that the Republicans didn’t even try to steal this election. I believe that the possibility of Sarah Palin as President of the United States scared them as much as it scared us. I also think that they do not want to have to clean up the mess they created.
I’m thinking the only place where there was real election fraud was in Alaska. I’m hoping that Obama is sending lawyers up there to investigate. The numbers just don’t add up there.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pmWhy isn’t this dingleberry saying this to George W. Bush?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:25 pmKeepin’ torture alive: the Bush fascist connection to the medieval inquisition. Heck of a waterboardin’ Mr. Rizzo.
P. S., several of the allegedly Bush 2004 “red” states that Obama won in 2008 were just rigged red. Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico, New Hampshire and Colorado and Ohio were Diebolded by Republican criminals in 2004. Actually, some seven million Kerry votes were flipped electronically into Bush votes on election night 2004. Heck of an electronic election theft, Mr. Blackwell.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:25 pmHey Rizzo! If something needs urgent attention, why don’t you go to the guy who is still in charge and can do something about it?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pmI don’t care if he is the one who f***** it up. Get HIM to clean it up.
Here let’s make it real easy for PRESIDENT OBAMA -
First stop all torture, that was easy.
Second start WAR CRIMES TRIALS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, also easy, but not going to happen.
Third Hang Bush, Cheney, Gonzo, Wolfie, and the rest for those WAR CRIMES.
Neo Cons ;-( Rest of world :-)
November 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pmYes right away !!!
November 7th, 2008 at 2:32 pmInvestigate those involved and hand them over to the world court as the criminals they are ! America doesn’t torture ……remember !
WTF? Bush, as we have been reminded, is STILL the commander in chief. If there is something that needs IMMEDIATE attention, take it to the man in charge (o.k., the puppet in front of the man in charge). Obama cannot make any sort of presidential decision at this time because he is not the president. And, assuming this is to FIX a problem (i.e. — stop torturing), why is it NOW that you are bringing this up? What took so long?
Another man of this administration who needs to be thoroughly investigated, and, if guilty of war crimes, punished accordingly.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pmThat applies to those being tortured by 3rd parties and in aordinary other countries through extra ordinary rendition !
November 7th, 2008 at 2:35 pmBeing the neocon that he is, he’s obviously performing a preemptive strike in preparation for the giant blame game that is about to unfold.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:36 pmI should have read other posts first. Sonds kind of echoey in here. How can this be so hard for rational people to understand? I really don’t get it.
BB — let’s all keep hoping and TALKING about the NEEDED war crimes trials. There IS a chance that they will occur as part of a real cleaning up. I agree, it is a very slim, outside chance, but i think it IS possible.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pmI think Rizzo’s motive is to try to get Obama on board for approving the torturing……takes balls now.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:39 pmDo not allow the light of hope that was the US to be extinguished .
November 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pmJustice for all people !
Yep. The neocons got their “the party’s over” cards on the evening of Nov 4. Now they are all scrambling to see who will end up having to pay the check for the 8 year blow out orgy they participated in.
Calligula is in awae of the neocons. Sheer self-indulgent awe.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pmFred Says:
I think Rizzo’s motive is to try to get Obama on board for approving the torturing……takes balls now.
I can see that. I’ll bet there’s a LOT of behind the scenes manuvers intended to “get him on board”. I hope — and I have confidence — that he has far more integrity than that, and these criminals will find themselves dissapointed.
They spent 8 years spinning webs of fear over America. Ironic that now, with one election, all the top dogs and corporates are wetting themselves, because if Obama stands up for justice — heads will be rolling. I say, sharpen the knives, boys…..
November 7th, 2008 at 2:46 pmIt makes me phucking SICK to see how many illegal and catastrophic issues these c*cksuckers are kicking down the road to lay at the feet of President Obama to solve!
It was illegal when it started, it’s still going on, but it’s up to Obama to clean up these messes?
Several months ago candidate Obama alluded to future investigations. Biden was not so parced with his words. I hope that both of them, with the backing of both houses of congress, investigate the hell out this current administration, and bring the immoral, lawless crooks to justice!
PEACE
November 7th, 2008 at 2:48 pmIs it just me or does that picture look creepily like Strother “Failure to Communicate” Martin from Cool Hand Luke?
November 7th, 2008 at 2:52 pmThis might be a good task to ask Senator McCain for his help.
… and maybe Jonathan Turley.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:59 pmAnonymouse Says:
This might be a good task to ask Senator McCain for his help.
… and maybe Jonathan Turley.
Turley, I fully agree with. In fact, I could see him as a SCOTUS nominee or a high job in the Justice Department. He is somewhat of a Libertarian but a great legal mind.
As for McCain, he sold his soul on this issue a long time ago, as he postured for the POTUS election. He has NO credibility left and should just now go away!
November 7th, 2008 at 3:03 pmFan of Man; prosecuting BushCo. to the full extent of the law will be a date with the hangman, Torture is a war crime-crimes against humanity.
For the record, I’m in favor of hanging the BushCo. war criminals. If it was good enough at Nuremberg and Tokyo, it’s good enough for D.C.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:03 pmUnka Ho,
I normally am against capital punishment, but I just might make an exception in this case.
Heh Heh
November 7th, 2008 at 3:06 pmNo Justice / No Peace .
November 7th, 2008 at 3:06 pmRizzo, maybe you better worry about what you’re going to do after Obama takes office instead of worrying about what he’s going to do. It looks like you are going to be in trouble.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:08 pmUncle Ho Says:
Fan of Man; prosecuting BushCo. to the full extent of the law will be a date with the hangman…
:o)
November 7th, 2008 at 3:18 pmDont let them rush you into decisions before being sworn in.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:19 pmCageyCretin Says:
“I’ll bet there’s a LOT of behind the scenes manuvers intended to “get him on board”.”
What do you think this “well organized transition plan” is all about. I hope Obama just keeps nodding and smiling at these fascists as they try to convince him that they HAD to do all the things they did because we now live in a “post 9/11 world”. As a matter of fact maybe he should be wearing a wire throughout his “transition meetings” with Bushco. You just know that he is being sat down and pushed extremely hard to agree with them that nothing will be done once he’s sworn in. Does anyone truly believe that GWB is studiously working to make Obama’s transition to the WH as smooth as possible?
November 7th, 2008 at 3:20 pmWell Mr. Rizzo I’m sure that when Obama gets into the
November 7th, 2008 at 3:22 pmwhitehouse this is high on his to-do list and a pretty
easy thing to fix. He needs to show the world that this
is unacceptable and unjust. It would IMO take a lot of
wind out of the terrorists sails.
You guys have already said it all.
Unka Ho – I’m with you: hang the evil barstids.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:23 pmTo me this is the one and only overriding issue with regards to the U.S. standing abroad. See http://www.torturingdemocracy.org.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:31 pmThe linked article has this interesting info:
The CIA detention and interrogation program, he said, is just as urgent. “That’s going to have to be dealt with immediately,” Rizzo said. “We do not have the luxury to wait and muddle through.” He knows how tough the issue is–his involvement in helping the CIA construct the program earned him opposition in Congress that killed his nomination to be the CIA’s general counsel.
But issues of domestic surveillance, he said, were settled when Congress passed an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act last summer. “I wouldn’t screw around with that too much at the outset,” he said. “I wouldn’t reopen that.”
Not so fast, said James A. Baker, who headed the Justice Department’s intelligence oversight office. He ticked off about 10 potentially conflicting laws governing intelligence collection inside and outside the United States and declared the current collection of surveillance laws to be “just a mess.”
November 7th, 2008 at 4:01 pmbagdude; linkee no workee.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:07 pm.
R E M E M B E R:
It is the People’s responsibility to hold our elected Officials’ feet to the fire. Will the People demand a return to the Rule of Law, or will the People follow the Will of Men?
Obama should demand the return to the Rule of Law by not only denouncing TORTURE POLICIES established by the current President, Obama, once President, should call upon his Attorney General to investigate members of the Bush Administration for instituting this policy. THAT would be the first step back to the path of the Rule of Law.
If Obama should choose to NOT pursue such matters, know that in doing so, even if Obama does not continue the policy of TORTURE, is NOT because he’s returned to the Rule of Law, but because he’s exercising the newly established Rule of Men!
.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:35 pmUncle Ho,
the LINKY…
http://torturingdemocracy.org/
bagdude just inserted one to many ……. <- of those.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:38 pmMax; thanx.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:20 pmCan I assume that Rizzo’s definition of “dealing with torture” is diametrically opposed to mine ?
BTW – wasn’t Rizzo the name of the rat on the Muppet Show ?
November 7th, 2008 at 9:45 pmUncle Ho Says:
bagdude; linkee no workee
Try .org, my bad
November 7th, 2008 at 10:33 pmObama will be busier than a one-legged man in an @ss-kicking contest thanks to lame-duck Dumbya’s DO-NOTHING attitude about, oh, EVERYTHING?!
http://change.gov/
November 8th, 2008 at 10:20 am