'Domestic politics and intelligence dilemmas'

Now, however, Attorney General Eric Holder has reversed that course, appointing a special counsel to investigate possible abuses by the CIA, especially in regard to use of torture, euphemistically described as “enhanced interrogation techniques.” The CIA will no longer handle such interrogations. This is a major political victory for the anti-war left of the Democratic Party.

According to news reports, CIA Director Leon Panetta is extremely disturbed by this victory of ideology over policy pragmatism, and close to resigning. The controversial practice of using painful waterboarding to secure information from suspected terrorists has become a central symbol of alleged CIA abuse.

The catalyst for Holder's action is the release of information from a 2004 report by CIA Inspector General John Helgerson. The report details harsh interrogation techniques, including threatening prisoners and their families, and various specific actions designed to inspire fear and intimidation.

However, the Inspector General also describes in detail a disciplined process by which procedures were defined very specifically and monitored continuously. The CIA consulted closely with the Justice Department and the Pentagon; the report states explicitly that the agency operated within the law. Nonetheless, with the foresight which typifies effective intelligence pros, some of those involved in the interrogations expressed concern they might later be prosecuted for political reasons. The report is persuasive that interrogations were instrumental in preventing additional terrorist attacks. As one particularly important example, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who oversaw the 9/11 terrorist strikes in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, provided very extensive useful information after being waterboarded. Other examples of useful interrogation include bringing down the network that carried out 2002 terrorist attacks in Bali.

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