A former CIA agent who participated in interrogations of terror suspects said Tuesday that the controversial interrogation technique of "waterboarding" has saved lives, but he considers the method torture and now opposes its use.
The former agent, who said he participated in the Abu Zubayda interrogation but not his waterboarding, said the CIA decided to waterboard the al Qaeda operative only after he was "wholly uncooperative" for weeks and refused to answer questions.
All that changed -- and Zubayda reportedly had a divine revelation -- after 30 to 35 seconds of waterboarding, Kiriakou said he learned from the CIA agents who performed the technique.
So, his "torture" lasted all of 30-35 seconds? Is this what everyone has their panties all up in a bunch about?
The terror suspect, who is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, reportedly gave up information that indirectly led to the the 2003 raid in Pakistan yielding the arrest of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, an alleged planner of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Kiriakou said.
The CIA was unaware of Mohammed's stature before the Abu Zubayda interrogation, the former agent said.
So not only did he give us correct information, but that lead to the raid in which we got the guy who actually PLANNED 9/11 that we didn't know much about?
Then, we turned around and used the same technique on Mohammed and he gave us detailed information about others who were planning attacks.
Though the information wrenched from Abu Zubayda "stopped terrorist attacks and saved lives," Kiriakou said he opposes waterboarding.
So, this has directly saved the lives of Americans. This is exactly what people scream about when they ask why didn't the government "connect the dots" leading up to 9/11, then when we push their precious little American haters a little bit, they want us to back off?
The guy wasn't talking for WEEKS! How long do you suppose that we can have him captured before others realize he's missing and change their plans and locations entirely, making them that much harder to catch?
Everyone likes to think that the government is this "all seeing, all powerful" mysterious group that can get information at the drop of a hat. Well the government is made up of people who get information any way they can.
"One senior officer said to me that this is something you really have to think deeply about," the former agent said, adding he "struggled with it morally."
Kiriakou conceded his position might be hypocritical and said that the technique was useful -- even if he wanted to distance himself from it.
So the technique worked and you don't like it? Ok, name me another technique that works just as well that you can justify morally, and I'll be on board with you.
Until then, get the garden hose out. You can't complain we're "sinking to their levels" until we start flying airplanes into office buildings and beheading innocent civilians.
Travis
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