Condi's excellent adventure

Scroll down for further thoughts..

Condi Rice continues her visit to Europe, a damage repair trip most likely forced by the CIA via the Dana Priest article. Someone in the CIA leaking about rendition and the prisons during a war--what more proof do we need that elements of the CIA care more about status, pensions, pissing contests and politics than the country?

Despite Rice's efforts to defuse the issue, critics suspect the CIA of running secret prisons in eastern Europe and covertly transporting detainees in its war against terrorism. Rights groups say incommunicado detention often leads to torture.

These countries are well aware of the rendition program, set up by Micheal Schuerer in the mid 90s. Perhaps they were not aware of all the secret detainment facilties, but the countries participating sure as heck are. Therefore, Rice's trip has all the earmarks of political posturing.

The real question should be why the CIA ratted out their own operation to Dana Priest. Perhaps she can find someone over at Langley to explain this.

The fact they gave up these secret facilities, holding people like Khalid Sheihk Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshihb, can only mean there are rogue individuals who consider Bush or losing their pension or pride a greater threat than al Qaida. Is there no limit to the pissing contest, boys and girls?

Let's not forget about Khalid Sheihk Mohammed, since it sometimes appears the MSM and even the government has conveniently done so. He is the mastermind of 9/11. To place it into football terms, Mohammed was the quarterback and Bin Laden the coach. Bringing him to America was very risky, not only for a flight risk or as a magnet for suicide or rescue attacks, but trying him in court might run the risk of a jury letting him go, just like they did with Sami al Arian. We are at war.

Don't forget Ramzi Binalshibh, one of the 9/11 hijackers who didn't get the required paperwork to make his suicide flight. These guys are the worst kind of bad.

It's no wonder people are not as upset with the story as Ms Priest and the CIA leakers might have hoped. Apparently some common folks understand this concept.

Anyway, I sure hope Dr Rice is enjoying the siteseeing. Europe is beautiful.

UPDATE 12/8

This article in the NY Sun suggests that the CIA has been sloppy in protecting the clandestine nature of the rendition program, which led to the discovery of the secret prison network. Captain Ed also has comments here.

Don't know about sloppy, but there's no question the rendition story has been out there awhile. Recently, the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper ran a story detailing how one of the charter companies was based right here in left Tennessee, in a Memphis suburb. Surely the CIA understands the awesome power of the internets.

But anyone who suggests that open source data alone led to the unearthing of the secret prison network should re-read the Priest article. She quotes several sources "familiar with the program", including intelligence officials. The very last paragraph provides a motive for leaking:

Meanwhile, the debate over the wisdom of the program continues among CIA officers, some of whom also argue that the secrecy surrounding the program is not sustainable.

"It's just a horrible burden," said the intelligence official.

If the Sun's premise is correct, investigative journalists would have eventually broken the prison story without the help of intelligence insiders. Considering the CIA absolutely understands the power of the internets, and that half the story was already out there, one might conclude their reasons for leaking to Priest might have been to extract some value before the journalists hogged it to themselves.

Their leaking was a chance for the agency to salvage some cover--in other words, "we're hopelessly burdened with this program thanks to Bush, and the burden is just too great". That turns them into victims before the press can turn them into villians. Tell me again there is no bureaucratic war.

By the way, in reading the Priest article again I notice mention of such notorious AQ kingpins like Abu Zubaida and Ramzi Binalshibh, both of whom are thought to be held at the secret gulags. But a much more important figure seems to be conspicuous in his absence. A figure who should be front and center in any story involving covert prisons during the GWoT. The man who did this..

We can understand why the government might desire limited publicity about this man, as they were trying to protect the secret prison network. What I question is why the MSM continues to downplay his importance. My impression is because it might give the administration too much credit in the GWoT. After all, Osama "bin Forgotten" is still out there, right?