American Intelligence Agencies: CIA Out of Control

The report over special CIA prisons abroad pretty much confirms all the sinister assumptions that one could have. Not only were “robust” interrogation methods (the trivializing term by which these practices have long been known) employed at these sites; torture was regularly practiced. When Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who recently defended and expressed full confidence in the American intelligence agencies, speaks of shock at a brutality “that stands in stark contrast to our values as a nation,” it carries weight.

Furthermore, it becomes increasingly clear that the “insights” gained through these methods were in no way so important for the fight against terrorism, as people like former Vice President Dick Cheney have asserted — something psychologists have long known and said about the veracity of “confessions” obtained under torture.

As with the NSA affair, this case demonstrates that the American intelligence services are out of control because constitutional controls over them have largely been removed. How else could it be when secret courts keep watch over secret agencies?