Generals Krulak and Hoar, still fighting for your freedom, but now on the Philly Inquirer op-ed page:
A lone Nigerian caught with a bomb in his underwear is no match for FBI interrogators and skilled federal prosecutors – without resorting to torture, which violates our laws and subverts our values. Some assert that once suspects like Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab get “lawyered up,” it will be impossible to get information from them about plots in progress. But FBI interrogators routinely crack tough suspects, even those with high-priced lawyers.
The assertion that suspects with lawyers never talk is simply wrong. Lawyers routinely encourage their clients to cooperate, especially in cases where suspects have been caught red-handed. And terrorists have proven eager to brag about their grand plans and al-Qaeda connections. Questioning in such cases has led to vital intelligence in the past – about sleeper cells in the United States, training camps in Afghanistan, and high-level terrorism suspects such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
It actually gets even better from there, but I’ll just stick to that excerpt. True defeatism lies in believing American values have to be jettisoned to protect the U.S. against terrorism. True victory lies in not being terrorized as much as it lies in not being blown up, because more people will be afraid of terrorism than will be killed by terrorism, and push the U.S. unwittingly into counterproductive irrationality. (See for instance.) No more bitchassness.



3 Comments
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C’mon now Dude, and after I was nice to you today.
“True defeatism lies in believing American values have to be jettisoned to protect the U.S. against terrorism.”
All of the techniques they discuss would be available if he were undergoing interrogation without his lawyer, with the added ability to play jedi mind fuck with him. And what part of using Congressionally approved tribunals and interrogation techniques jettisons our values?
We should have given him right over to the CIA and MI interrogators ro see what they could get from him as far as actionable intel, then we can turn him over to a lawyer once we have gotten what we can about the buddies he was trained and blessed for martyrdom with.
Cordially,
Uncle J
I strongly suggest you talk to some FBI counterterrorism agents, because what you write re techniques is just not correct. Perhaps we’re simply going to have to agree to disagree about torture because neither of us will convince the other. But thanks for the nice words re my NCTC piece.
We can always disagree, that’s the easy part. I am not advocating enhanced techniques necessarily,especially since they are not an option. I am talking the CIA based on Army Field Manual style. I don’t believe the FBI can use them all, and I think we ought to go there first and then once we get past the first week, the FBI and lawyers can play their games. I understand that they can be effective, I just believe the first step should not include lawyers in any way.
Cordially,
Uncle J