http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/bush-interrogated-terrorists-get-information-obama-kills-them-dronesBush Interrogated Terrorists to Get Information; Obama Kills Them With Drones
December 9, 2014 - 6:29 AM
By Susan Jones
(CNSNews.com) - What's the difference between harsh CIA interrogation techniques and drones that kill civilians, a reporter asked White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Monday. The reporter noted that the lethal use of drones has "actually increased under this administration."
Earnest did not explain the difference, except to say that the U.S. works in "close consultation and cooperation with local governments and making sure that it's local forces that are taking the fight on the ground to these extremist elements."
Earnest also said the U.S. military and intelligence community takes "enormous precautions" when targeting terrorists to eliminate or minimize the impact on civilian populations.
According to Human Rights Watch, "Targeted killings have been a hallmark of this administration's counterterrorism strategy. Obama sharply increased the use of armed drones (begun under George W Bush), which have conducted lethal strikes against alleged terrorists in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The strikes have killed hundreds of people, including civilians, and some have clearly violated international law."
Human Rights Watch complained that the Obama administration "has long refused to disclose basic information about the program, from its full legal basis to how it identifies targets."
However, in the name of "transparency," the Obama administration "strongly supports" the planned release on Tuesday of a report detailing secret CIA interrogations of terror suspects conducted by the Republican George W. Bush administration.
Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee are releasing the report, despite warnings that the inflammatory information may put Americans and some of the nation's allies in jeopardy.
On Monday, the White House spokesman agreed that "the release of the report could lead to a greater risk that is posed to U.S. facilities and individuals all around the world." But not to worry, Earnest added: "The administration has taken the prudent steps to ensure that the proper security precautions are in place at U.S. facilities around the globe."
Earnest said the Obama administration "strongly supports the release of this declassified summary of the report." He noted that President Obama, in one of his first actions as president, signed executive orders to put an end to the tactics that are described in the report.
"And the president believes that, on principle, it's important to release that report, so that people around the world and people here at home understand exactly what transpired. There are obviously going to be some limits about what can be said, given the classified nature of the program. But because of the scrupulous work of the (Senate intelligence) committee and the administration and the intelligence community in particular, we've declassified as much of that report as we can.
"And we want to be sure that we can release that report, be transparent about it, and be clear about what American values are and be clear about the fact that the administration believes, and that in a way that's consistent with American values, that something like this should never happen again."
According to Earnest, Secretary of State John Kerry "strongly supports the release" of the report "for the same values-based reasons that the president does, which is we should be as transparent as we possibly can about what transpired and to allow the American people and people around the world to examine what occurred and to be just as clear and transparent about what American values are."
Earnest repeated that the administration has "taken the necessary precautions" given the potential for the report's release to put Americans and U.S. facilities in jeopardy. "But we also want to make sure that this very important information is communicated because of the need to be clear about our values and clear and to be clear about the fact that what transpired should not occur again."
Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee -- chaired by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) -- are releasing the report for political reasons before Republicans take over the committee and block its release.
