President Barack Obama walks with CIA Director Leon Panetta after delivering remarks at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va. Monday, April 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Barack Obama speaks at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va., Monday, April 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Barack Obama puts his hand to his ear after saying he heard an "Amen section" in the audience of employees as he speaks at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va., Monday, April 20, 2009. Behind him is CIA Director Leon Panetta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va., Monday, April 20, 2009. At left is CIA Director Leon Panetta and right is Deputy Director Steve Kappes. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Barack Obama gestures to employees to sit down as he arrives to speak at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va., Monday, April 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Barack Obama speaks at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va., Monday, April 20, 2009. Left is CIA Director Leon Panetta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
President Obama is introduced by CIA Director Leon E. Panetta in Langley. He was greeted by raucous cheers in his first visit to the agency's headquarters.
By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
President Obama traveled to the headquarters of the CIA yesterday to vow continued support for the agency despite weeks of revelations about the physical abuse and mental manipulation of terrorist suspects in its secret prisons.
Obama, greeted by raucous cheers in his first visit to the spy agency, thanked employees for their sacrifices and gave no hint of wavering from his pledge to oppose prosecutions of CIA workers who used interrogation methods that the president's own advisers have called torture.
But Obama also reiterated a position that CIA officials have opposed:
that the now-banned practices were potential "mistakes" that violated the country's core principles and should never be repeated.
"What makes the United States special, and what makes you special, is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values and ideals even when it's hard -- not just when it's easy," Obama told about 1,000 CIA employees, who shook the normally staid CIA headquarters building with deafening ovations, shouts and more than a few screams.
"So, yes, you've got a harder job. And so do I," he said. "And that's okay, because that's why we can take such extraordinary pride in being Americans."
His mild words immediately drew criticism from civil liberties groups that have called for an independent prosecutor to investigate whether Bush administration officials who authorized the practices committed criminal acts of torture.
"In order to uphold our values, we need to enforce the law," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "Torture is a crime. Contrary to previous comments by President Obama . . . accountability is neither retribution nor laying blame. It is an integral part of any functioning democracy and of restoring America's values and its reputation."
Obama has been under increasing pressure to investigate the CIA's interrogation program in the wake of revelations about conditions in secret prisons where more than 100 suspected terrorists were held between 2002 and 2006. Last week, the White House ordered the release of long-classified Justice Department memos that showed how the agency sought to pressure detainees through extreme sleep deprivation, violence and waterboarding, which simulates drowning.
While the CIA has acknowledged the use of waterboarding and other harsh measures, the new memos revealed new details, including a plan to use insects to torment a detainee with a phobia. One memo, citing a report by the CIA's inspector general, said the agency had used the waterboard 183 times on a single detainee, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Hussein, better known as Abu Zubaida, was waterboarded 83 times, the memo stated.
The release of the memos has been sharply criticized by several former intelligence leaders, including former CIA director Michael V. Hayden, who said the revelations could undermine future U.S. intelligence operations. Obama, however, in his 10-minute speech to CIA employees, cited "exceptional circumstances" that led to his decision to make them public. Those circumstances included an ongoing legal case that some legal scholars thought would have ultimately forced the disclosure of the memos regardless of Obama's wishes, he said.
Obama heard similar complaints during a private meeting without about 50 CIA employees prior to his speech. One official present during the private session said that Obama was asked pointed questions about the release of the memos and that there was "give-and-take" between the president and his audience of employees selected from across CIA departments.
The president made no mention of possible investigations or criminal inquiries during his public speech, and he sought to assure CIA officers that the government will "protect your identities and your security as you vigorously pursue your mission."
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"Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn," he said.
Obama banned the used of harsh interrogation methods with an executive order on his second day in office.
He also appointed a panel of administration officials, including CIA Director Leon E. Panetta, to review past interrogation practices, but both Obama and Panetta have steadfastly opposed investigations or punishment for agency employees who were following government orders.
The Senate intelligence committee is conducting a parallel investigation. Yesterday, its chairman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), urged Obama to withhold judgment on the question of prosecutions until the committee completes its work.
Feinstein, in a letter to the White House, said a review of the first two CIA detainees had been completed and "will shortly be before the committee."
Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report
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RPT-Obama, CIA chief patch up interrogation-memo rift
20 Apr 2009 23:47:11 GMT
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
* Obama greeted with cheers at CIA as he pledges support
* Cheney urges release of data showing methods' success
* Democratic senator urges caution on no-prosecution vow (Refiles to add dropped word "before" in fourth paragraph)
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and his CIA chief buried differences on Monday over the release of classified documents on waterboarding, even as former Vice President Dick Cheney kept the debate alive.
Obama visited CIA headquarters and told agency employees that a fight against al Qaeda and other challenges, and foreign policy changes he is pursuing, make their expertise vital. He he pledged his full support.
"We live in dangerous times. I am going to need you more than ever," Obama said. He counseled the employees not to be discouraged by public discussion of "mistakes."
Shortly before Obama's visit, Cheney said he had asked the CIA to release documents showing the "success" of the widely condemned harsh-interrogation program launched by former President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The visit represented a swift bid by Obama to shore up CIA morale after he released last week classified Bush-era legal memos detailing the interrogation program.
"I know that the last few days have been difficult," he said. His arrival, however, was met by enthusiastic cheers from the audience of about 1,000 CIA staff.
CIA Director Leon Panetta told Obama he had the CIA's support and loyalty.
WATERBOARDING STATISTICS
The interrogation program included "waterboarding," a form of simulated drowning widely considered torture. It came to symbolize U.S. excesses in fighting terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.
One memo said waterboarding had been used a total of 266 times on two of the three al Qaeda suspects the CIA acknowledges were waterboarded.
Obama said the memos were released because they had become the subject of a burdensome court fight and their covert nature had already been compromised.
Panetta vowed to respect a ban on harsh interrogations that Obama issued in January. He had opposed releasing the memos, joining former CIA directors concerned that their release could expose agents to retribution.
Cheney said in a "Fox News" interview with Sean Hannity that he found it disturbing that Obama did not also release memos that Cheney said documented the effectiveness of the interrogations -- a point contested by some experts.
The CIA declined to comment on Cheney's remarks.
Republican Kit Bond, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the release of the memos was a signal to CIA employees that "our government is not going to stand behind you."
Obama pledged to employees Monday that he would be "vigorous" in protecting them.
Obama also drew anger from human rights groups, by saying last week he would not prosecute CIA interrogators who had relied on the Bush-era legal guidelines.
The Democratic head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, urged him to withhold judgment on prosecutions, pending a closed-door review by her committee of the interrogation program.
Obama also acknowledged that CIA senior leaders in recent conversations had demonstrated "anxiety and concern" over his limits on interrogation techniques. (Editing by Eric Walsh)
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