I don’t know if you all saw the Jane Mayer piece about the so-called “Queen of torture,” but it is a must read:
The NBC News investigative reporter Matthew Cole has pieced together a remarkable story revealing that a single senior officer, who is still in a position of high authority over counterterrorism at the C.I.A.—a woman who he does not name—appears to have been a source of years’ worth of terrible judgment, with tragic consequences for the United States. Her story runs through the entire report. She dropped the ball when the C.I.A. was given information that might very well have prevented the 9/11 attacks; she gleefully participated in torture sessions afterward; she misinterpreted intelligence in such a way that it sent the C.I.A. on an absurd chase for Al Qaeda sleeper cells in Montana. And then she falsely told congressional overseers that the torture worked.
Had the Senate Intelligence Committee been permitted to use pseudonyms for the central characters in its report, as all previous congressional studies of intelligence failures, including the widely heralded Church Committee report in 1975, have done, it might not have taken a painstaking, and still somewhat cryptic, investigation after the fact in order for the American public to hold this senior official accountable. Many people who have worked with her over the years expressed shock to NBC that she has been entrusted with so much power. A former intelligence officer who worked directly with her is quoted by NBC, on background, as saying that she bears so much responsibility for so many intelligence failures that “she should be put on trial and put in jail for what she has done.”
Instead, however, she has been promoted to the rank of a general in the military, most recently working as the head of the C.I.A.’s global-jihad unit. In that perch, she oversees the targeting of terror suspects around the world. (She was also, in part, the model for the lead character in “Zero Dark Thirty.”)
Basically, it’s the old concept of “Fuck up, Move up” on a grand scale. A new report today suggest that may be the modus operandi at the CIA:
A panel investigating the Central Intelligence Agency’s search of a computer network used by staff members of the Senate Intelligence Committee who were looking into the C.I.A.’s use of torture will recommend against punishing anyone involved in the episode, according to current and former government officials.
The panel will make that recommendation after the five C.I.A. officials who were singled out by the agency’s inspector general this year for improperly ordering and carrying out the computer searches staunchly defended their actions, saying that they were lawful and in some cases done at the behest of John O. Brennan, the C.I.A. director.
While effectively rejecting the most significant conclusions of the inspector general’s report, the panel, appointed by Mr. Brennan and composed of three C.I.A. officers and two members from outside the agency, is still expected to criticize agency missteps that contributed to the fight with Congress.
Quite a dysfunctional organizational culture they have at the CIA. And it simply amazes me that Brennan continues to have a job.
Liberty60
I remember reading about other dictatorships, both left and right- Pinochet’s Chile, Stalin’s Soviet Union, Marcos’s Phillipines, etc;
And the thing that they all had in common was this phenomenon where loyalty and zealotry were prized, and effectiveness and accountability were quashed.
They were staggeringly incompetent, except when it came to brutality.
MattF
My guess is that the CIA is the home of the mother of all old boy (and old girl) networks. It’s a mutual indebtedness/admiration society. They inherited that bureaucratic structure from the Brits, and we’re all still paying for it. And, don’t forget, getting jihad wrong was a fundamental requirement for advancement during the Bush years.
BGinCHI
My faith in humanity just went down a notch. And it was already low.
Are these people sociopaths? Do they have a virus that makes them wrong-headed and destructive? Has an alien race found a way to disguise themselves as humans so that they could inflict as much damage as possible on us?
I’m running out of ideas.
max
(She was also, in part, the model for the lead character in “Zero Dark Thirty.”)
Well, the propaganda networks are still effective.
saying that they were lawful
On what statutory basis? They would (and have, repeatedly) charged multiple people with hacking based on accessing publicly-exposed private data. Any person hacking into Senate servers would be charged with a felony. And the CIA is certainly not allowed to spy on people in the US, so where do they get the authority?
Quite a dysfunctional organizational culture they have at the CIA.
I’m less bothered by the ineptitude than the sadism. I figure people in the intelligence game are going to make mistakes. But the sheer sadism involved argues that the lady is a sicko.
Separately, I do remember the Montana incident and what a joke that was on its face, so it’s less than one person made a mistake and more that nobody up the chain bothered to laugh out loud at the report before various TLA agencies went running around Montana chasing ghost. That’s not one over-promoted incompetent that’s an entire upper management that can’t tell its ass from a hole in the ground.
And it simply amazes me that Brennan continues to have a job.
The NYT sez that Brennan is the prez’s good buddy.
As I said: Obama is great on a vast number of topic but on the whole national security state thing his behavior is mystifying.
max
[‘It’s just weird.’]
NotMax
Ah, “we were just following orders.”
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
I remember hearing before Bush II left office that he transferred a bunch of his appointees into civil service positions where they’re basically untouchable. Curious to know how many of them were in CIA and othe “national security” positions — I know there are a lot of them still infecting the Justice Department.
And I’m assuming the reason a lot of these assholes have jobs under Obama is blackmail, whether explicit or implicit (“Nice country you have here. Be a shame if something happened to it just because you fired me.”)
Keith G
From what I have just read, I am guessing this wonderful woman plays a role in deciding which humans get hunted by drones.
Great. No chance to problems there.
MattF
@max: The CIA’s basic survival tactic is to get as close as possible to the President. They’ve been working this tactic for a very long time and they’re extremely good at it.
Xantar
Let’s not pretend this problem is exclusive to the CIA. Followers of TV events may be familiar with the career of Jeff Zucker at NBC who made terrible decision after terrible decision culminating in the Jay Leno in prime time fiasco. And at every turn, he was promoted and even became the CEO of NBC at one point.
And now he’s the president of CNN Worldwide since 2012 where he doesn’t seem to have done much to help either their ratings or their reputation. About the only good thing I can say for him is that he publicly denounces Fox News as a fake news organization and the Republican party for being beholden to them.
Obviously, this woman at the CIA has done much more damage than Jeff Zucker could ever dream of, but it is a fact of life that failure is often rewarded and massive failure is massively rewarded.
smintheus
@max: There was an uproar from us damned dirty hippies the first time torture-loving Brennan’s name was floated in late 2008. Obama backed down at the time, but obviously didn’t learn much.
Keith G
@MattF: Brennan was an early adviser to the President. I think Brennan saw a winner and stepped in decisively to cement strong ties and dependencies.
It’s paid off since it certainly seems that Brennan has convinced Obama that a “happy” CIA is a key to Obama’s presidency ending well.
smintheus
The Queen of Torture’s name has been well publicized for several years. Are we just maintaining the CIA’s blackout here?
Pogonip
@smintheus: I wondered about that too. I found Alfreda Bikowsky’s name in 15 seconds.
Corner Stone
There is a certain unnamed individual who has full confidence in Mr. Brennan.
smintheus
@Pogonip: She has a wikipedia page. Probably on the twitter, too.
Corner Stone
Why is James Comey the head of the FBI?
Corner Stone
It’s really irritating to see a wide receiver catch an under thrown pass down field and then act like they are the baddest mofo who ever trod turf.
Buffalo Rude
Burn it to the ground.
Torch the fucker; salt the earth upon which it stood.
I got nothing else at the moment.
Baud
Not good.
Lavocat
Fire everyone involved at the same time you slap the cuffs on them for crimes against humanity, et al.
Then try them here or ship them off to The Hague.
HONOR YOUR FUCKING TREATIES, AMERICA!
Tommy
@Baud: Fuck and that is all I have to say. Fuck!
Keith G
@Baud: I wonder if they signed the funeral letter to de Blasio.
max
@MattF: The CIA’s basic survival tactic is to get as close as possible to the President. They’ve been working this tactic for a very long time and they’re extremely good at it.
Oh, yeah, but…
@smintheus: There was an uproar from us damned dirty hippies the first time torture-loving Brennan’s name was floated in late 2008. Obama backed down at the time, but obviously didn’t learn much.
Speaking as a damn dirty hippie myself, I’m with you on that, although at the time I was focuses on the entire Tim Geithner episode.
No, what I can’t figure is the apparent near total reversal on the TLA agencies (CIA, NSA, FBI). He started out at least on the center-left and is going to end up out on the right (maybe way out on the right) somewhere. (The military policy I can figure, and most of the foreign policy as well.)
Either 1) What have they got on him or 2) what BS did they sell him or 3) what was he being dishonest about before 2009 or 4) what the hell is going on in his head?
max
[‘Mystery.’]
Booger
Anyone who has read “Legacy of Ashes” would find this not remarkable in the least.
Corner Stone
@max:
A little more context for the starting point?
Thanks
Corner Stone
@smintheus:
There was a similar “WTF?” when Obama nominated Comey to head the FBI. Comey was deeply involved in at least two of the worst Bush era admin decisions. So why did Obama nominate him to head the FBI?
Keith G
@max:
5) Political expediency
Think horses, not zebras.
Elizabelle
@Pogonip:
Alfreda Frances Bikowski, via wiki page.
Had never heard of her. Wow.
Shaun Appleby
Worth looking at the start of all this:
Whoa indeed; the rot set in from the very beginning.
Baud
@Shaun Appleby:
Goddamn, I’m sick of scenarios that only occur on the TV.
Baud
@Tommy: @Keith G:
From what I can tell, the NY Post is already fanning the flames linking this to Gardner. Most other outlets are still holding back on the motive.
John Cole +0
@smintheus: I have no idea what her name is.
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
@Tommy:
Latest I heard is that both officers are dead, as is the gunman. This is a dreadful thing. You don’t get justice for Eric Garner (or Michael Brown, or any of the other victims of police overreaction) by responding in kind. This is likely to set back the righteous cause by years, and will make any future demonstrations and protests far more dangerous for everyone. Not to mention what the fucking NRA will have to say.
Shaun Appleby
@John Cole +0: Well, Glenn Greenwald seems to think he does.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@SiubhanDuinne:
It may turn out to be unrelated to the protests, or at least “unrelated” in the way that Gabby Giffords’ shooting did not have any direct and specific connections to a particular political party. But, of course, the Post is going to run with it being a protester and it’s going to be hard to reverse thar meme once it’s out there.
JPL
@SiubhanDuinne: The suspect died of self inflicted wounds so maybe more information will be released quickly. I’m sure the Police union chief has blamed the mayor already.
I think it’s dumb to lay down in the middle of the intersection at Peachtree and Lenox Rd on any given day, never mind today, it doesn’t help your cause.
JPL
@efgoldman: Well in defense, it was a good dog with a gun and he wasn’t charged.
Liberty60
Here it is, the moment I knew was coming, and even spoke about.
Two cops shot dead in the line of duty, and I am hearing about how I should mourn, aand grieve and feel outrage. About how they are heroes who risked life and limb for the citizens, and were America’s Finest.
Maybe that is all true.
Or maybe- and equally likely- they were brutal and corrupt and incompetent, the sort we see on videos kicking and beating innocent helpless people, or shooting them and walking away free.I say “equally likely” because we know know that it isn’t just a select few bad apples; there are so many, spread so widely throughout every police department in America, that its safe to say that about half of all cops either act that way or cover up for those who do.
This feeling I have, of just not giving a damn, is what bothers me. I don’t want to feel this way, I want to give a damn, I want to believe that cops are generally honest and competent and use force in a measured and careful way.
But that requires faith, and trust. I just don’t have that any more.
And that’s what I really grieve for.
Corner Stone
@SiubhanDuinne:
Is there any credible reporting so far that links the EG issue to this shooting?
Corner Stone
@Liberty60:
This is an unspeakable horror, what you have posted here.
Are you for fucking real?
Baud
@Corner Stone:
Replace cops with black people and you have the type of thinking that got us into this mess.
Liberty60
@Corner Stone: That we have so many documented instances of brutal corrupt cops, that it causes a staunch Republican law and order type to distrust the entire force?
Yes. That is an unspeakable horror. And sadly, it is for real.
srv
Change only comes through violence, but you can’t win a revolution without the police on your side.
Corner Stone
@Liberty60: The answer isn’t shooting police officers in their patrol car.
Sorry, but whatever faith you feel or have lost, that isn’t going to get us anywhere.
I’m as sick and disgusted as many on the over the line and inexcusable behavior of some law enforcement officials. And their fucking enablers behind the blue shield.
But murdering random officers is not the answer. And speculating that it’s possible these specific two were just as brutal and out of line as some certain others isn’t going to get there either.
burnspbesq
@Lavocat:
Including the ones we never ratified, like the Rome Statute?
cahuenga
@Elizabelle:
Good grief:
She’s a monster.
lamh
@Baud: I expect the opposition to the protest and anti-police brutality to conflate this and place blame on protests.
But what I will be paying attention to is the “allies” who also do the same. The “allies” who uses this to bow out “gracefully” cause they weren’t really fully committed to this movement.
We shall see.
ETA; Oh and ya’ll boy Ezra Klein and Vox already have a headline saying cops killed “possibly” from revenge for Eric Garner death, based solely on an instgram account that has NOT been positively linked to the alledged shooter.
henqiguai
@SiubhanDuinne (#36):
So, you’re saying this was vengeance for Garner (or Brown, et. al.)? In the meantime, if actually that was the case, and if you’re part of the oppressed minority being repressed (and brutalized) and you no longer see any alternatives, what would you suggest? Prayerful hope and patience? Seriously, because I do remember comparable admonishments being offered up to the black Civil Rights movement back in the 50s and 60s.
SiubhanDuinne
@Corner Stone:
When I wrote my comment, it was what I had heard, and (jeez, you’d think I’d know better at this point) took it as fact. I’m absolutely willing to walk it back if it proves to be untrue, and I do hope this shooting was not a “revenge killing” and had nothing to do with Garner or anyone else. Either way, it’s an awful thing.
SiubhanDuinne
@Corner Stone:
Fully concur with this comment, CS.
Southern Beale
Wow. Here I thought the Queen of Torture was Liz Cheney.
BTW, has Liz Cheney gone underground since losing her Wyoming primary bid? Haven’t seen her name in a while.
Southern Beale
BTW, it would be nice to think that this Queen of Torture thing is an isolated case, but if you’ve read “The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War,” it seems terrible judgment with tragic consequences, dropped balls, misinterpreted intelligence, and false congressional reports is pretty much the history of America’s clandestine services.
We should shutter them all — CIA, NSA, etc. They don’t help us, unless of course you’re a military contractor.
Oh, wait. Never mind. I get it now.
Carrie
I just can’t anymore, can’t do it.
Love most of you (specially Fuckhead and JC) but gonna
take up macrame, finger painting…whatever and just disconnect.
All this shit is getting to me.
Adieu my lovelies.
Pogonip
@John Cole +0: Alfreda Bikowsky.
Corner Stone
This is actually a really entertaining PHI-WAS NFL game.
Corner Stone
I don’t think that was an INT.
Ok, guess it was after all. IMO it wasn’t an INT. That ball moved after it hit the turf.
Les Nessman
@Corner Stone: HaHa!
Inertia
Les Nessman
@Les Nessman: Yay, Skins!
Corner Stone
Not sure why exactly WAS would want to win this game…
Tommy
I got this email from a a friend. Client.
Things happen for a reason. I believe that. What that reason is… is the tough part figuring out. Two years ago, I was on Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal. As a big fan of the show, I was honored to be asked to talk about small business. I got calls from long lost friends, college buddies, and one from a gentleman named Frank, who happened to hear the show from his hometown of Toledo. Frank must have like what he heard on the radio show because he contacted me and wanted to buy $100.00 worth of merchandise to help my small business. Whatta guy!
I told Frank, I had a better idea. Let’s leverage his $100.00 and I will make it worth at least 3 times that amount, so that we can buy gifts for my daughter Arleigh’s kindergarten class. I let Frank know that these kids came from one of the poorest districts in the state. I also let him know that I would dress up as Santa to hand out our goodies. That first Christmas giveaway-2012 was an incredible success. I don’t know who enjoyed it more- The kids or your humble narrator. Last year, our angel Frank, upped his ante. We at The North Pole raised the bar too, adding my wife Debbie, exuberant elf, Ms. Magic to the event. True to form, our friend Frank came through again for the 3rd year in a row. As you can see, the kids had a great time and loved their gifts.
I have to tell you something…There is nothing like being Santa. You are an almighty force to these kids. I felt like I could walk on water and my feet didn’t touch the ground either. Bucket lists are popular now. Dressing up as Santa should be on everyone’s bucket list. I will put this out there too. If anyone wants to borrow my Santa outfit to brighten the lives of others, as long as it is available, you can borrow it for no charge.
One recommendation: Try and and adjust the beard/mustache a little better than me so that you don’t look like The Werewolf meets Santa.
Thanks to Kai Ryssdal, the gang at Marketplace, Debbie, Arleigh, and Frank for putting smiles on a lot of faces.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Corner Stone
@Tommy: It’s certainly an interesting email, Tommy.
Thanks for sharing.
mclaren
Behold your new president in 2024: Alfreda Bikowsky.
Her platform?
“You know what I do when I get angry. Don’t make me angry. Vote for me.”
Tree With Water
“And then she falsely told congressional overseers that the torture worked”.
Which is to say, she perjured herself before congress (baseball pitcher Roger Clemens perjured himself before congress, too, and was hauled into court for his trouble).
The director of the CIA, too, recently egregiously perjured himself before a congressional committee, and only copped to his bald faced lie after Senator Merkely publicly called him on it. He wasn’t indicted, either. That’s two perjuries (of which The people are aware), both of which were ignored. In addition, there are the numerous felonious break-ins of senate intelligence committee computers which the agency has brazenly acknowledged as its handiwork- the ones they were caught red handed as having committed, that is. The agency has yet to admit of others.. It’s almost unbelievable. One of the three branches of our government, with malice aforethought, was subverted in the course of pursuing its Constitutional duties– and it’s as if it never happened. No one in the democratic party gives a rat’s ass about any of it. If they cared, they’d do something about it.
Apparently the CIA is too big to fail, too. I wonder why?
Cervantes
@Southern Beale:
She’s selling hats.
The Pale Scot
There was little chance that Alfreda wouldn’t be a neo-con, was there?
The Pale Scot
Sorry, http://cryptocomb.org/?s=Alfreda
kc
@Liberty60:
It’s all about you.
Les Nessman
Not sure why exactly S.F. would want to win this game…
mainmata
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): It’s called “burrowing in” and most anyone with a Plum Book position (political appointee) can do this at the end of an Administration. So agencies can end up with real a**holes in Civil service positions sometimes high up. Very old practice.
Corner Stone
@Les Nessman: They are 7-7. Not going to dramatically effect their draft position either way. If WAS wins out they get to drop into the mid teens in the draft.
Yay!
To be clear, I could not care less about PHI. So, meh.
Les Nessman
That’s pride fucking with you. Fuck pride. Pride only hurts. It never helps. You fight through that shit.-M. Wallace
Makes for good football games though.
Batocchio
Some of this has been known for years, but I’m glad it’s getting more attention now. Many of the most ardent torture apologists and enthusiasts are far from disinterested parties — they’ve been facing legal jeopardy. (It should be noted every time Michael Hayden makes an appearance.)
Ruckus
@BGinCHI:
Yes, yes they do. It’s called conservatism. It’s a raging disease with a very low cure rate because the cure is a dose of common sense. And as that is misnamed (if it was all that common more people would have some) most with the disease seem to be unaffected by any dosage.
Corner Stone
@Les Nessman:
Say my name, say my name
When no one is around you,
Say baby I love you
If you ain’t runnin’ game
Say my name, say my name
You actin’ kinda shady,
Ain’t callin’ me baby
Why the sudden change?