The Struggle of the Patriots

The Battles over the CIA and Health Reform Have Started in Washington

The two most pressing issues for Americans – the use of torture during interrogations of terrorist suspects by the CIA and Obama’s healthcare reforms – have become tightly connected, thanks to the efforts of Washington politicians.

An attempt by the Republicans to torpedo change is forcing the White House to undertake reciprocal measures in respect to successes in combating terrorism, of which the Republican administration under George Bush was particularly proud.

If we believe the media, the majority of American citizens do not trust Obama when he talks about the advantages of his proposed health care reform. According to opinion polls, Obama’s approval rating fell from 61 to 51 percent, which is no doubt caused by continuous criticism from the Republicans.

The decision to counter strike was made in this very-stressful-for-the-White-House situation. On Tuesday the New York Times reported that the experts at the Department of Justice recommended that Attorney General Eric Holder review 10 cases about the violation of prisoners’ rights by inspectors at the CIA which were closed under Republican George Bush.

The investigation – and this is understood by everyone – will inevitably lead the Justice Department of the United States to investigate the knowledge of high-ranking patrons regarding the illegal methods used when interrogating terrorists. According to early mass-media reports, former Vice President Dick Cheney and ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice knew about the use of torture, and in many cases sanctioned the illegal methods of inquiry. According to the White House, all of the dirt from the stories of illegal interrogation conducted in Guantanamo will pour out onto the Republicans, making them more compliant in respect to Obama’s planned social projects.

And judging from the leaked information, there is plenty of dirt to go around. In 2004, the general inspector of the CIA stated that in the course of their investigations, the interrogators intimidated their suspects. In particular, they threatened Guantanamo prisoner Khalid Sheikh Muhhamed, who was suspected of playing a role in the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001, telling him that his youngest son who lived in Pakistan would be killed if anything else should happen in the United States.

Another member of al-Qaeda, Abd al-Rohim al-Nahir, who was accused of organizing a terrorist attack on the American destroyer the USS Cole, was told that “all of his female relatives would be raped before his eyes” unless he started talking about the above-mentioned incident.

The 109-page report described the cases of false shootings and imitation by shootings and application of torture by drill, extinguishing cigarettes on prisoners’ or water boarding. Moreover, it states that water boarding was used 266 times in regards to some prisoners.

In the report which, until now, had a heading of “strictly confidential,” described other forms of interrogation that had already caused a strong reaction among human rights organizations. The White House actually warned the Republican opposition: all this “dirty laundry” of the previous administration can be publicly released, and those who permitted using the illegal methods of interrogation will find themselves dealing with the consequences.

Barack Obama signed the order for a preliminary investigation by the Justice Department in respect to the illegal actions of the CIA personnel. According to him, “the assessment about whether or not someone broke the law will be decided independently by the Attorney General.” The investigation also has to clarify how the CIA destroyed 92 tapes containing the examinations of those suspected of terrorism last year, and 11 more proved to be almost completely defaced.

The main question Obama is proposing to his Republican counterparts is: Who will bear the consequences for the illegal actions of the CIA? Will it be the switchman, who in this case will be found among either the acting or retired leaders of the intelligence agency, or will it be the former heads of state who encouraged the illegal methods of inquiry?

The White House is convinced that the newly appointed head of the CIA, Leon Panetta, will not start to fence off his subordinates who are mixed up in this scandal. Moreover, the forthcoming investigation will give Panetta a good chance to conduct a mass cleanup in the department, where many colleagues earned their posts from the previous Republican administration.

In between, President Obama authorized the formation of an elite team of investigators to conduct questioning of those suspected violators. However, the fact that the newly created team, including representatives of different departments who will work under the cover of the FBI, suggests that the White House still distrusts the CIA. The National Security Council will supervise the work of the elite team.