We Looked In the DIY Section, But Bob Vila Didn't Have A Handbook On It ...

Somewhat ironic, or, apropos, that this article hits today, on the eve of the SOTU.

For, it highlights one of the Bush Grindhouse's legacy accomplishments - turning the United States of America into a nation that tortures prisoners.

Spencer Ackerman, former stalwart of TPMmuckracker, writing now for The Washington Independent, has penned a beauty, detailing the sorry, sad road the Central Intelligence Agency (oxymoron?) - at the direction and order of The Commander Guy - has taken us down;

CIA Largely in the Dark on Interrogation Tactics; Bush Tasked Agency To Build a Robust System, Despite Its Limited History;

But 9/11 changed all that. Despite having nearly no off-the-shelf experience, the CIA was tasked by President Bush to come up with a robust interrogation program for the most important al-Qaeda captives. So the agency turned to its partners for assistance in designing its interrogation regimen: Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia—all countries cited by the State Department for using torture—among others. Additionally, as Mark Benjamin has reported for Salon, two psychologists named Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell, who worked as contractors for CIA, helped the agency "reverse-engineer" the military and CIA training on resisting torture for use on detainees. Suddenly, waterboarding, an illegal practice of simulating or in some cases inducing drowning, became an American-administered practice.

So much for the "CEO" presidency... Be it launching unneeded wars, to reacting to natural disasters (versus the ones they created), to running the Injustice Department, to protecting its' own intelligence agents, It's been DIY all the way, and bad DIY at that ...

Read Spencer Ackerman's "CIA Largely in the Dark on Interrogation Tactics; Bush Tasked Agency To Build a Robust System, Despite Its Limited History" ... It's a good one!


Bonus CIA Riffs

Bob Vila Home Improvement

Top Ten Cloves: Problems Created With President Bush Admitting To CIA Black Site Prisons

Leak of CIA Covert Prison System May Affect IPO, Franchising Rights; Early Heavy Investment Cools In Wake of Story; North Korea May Trade Nuke Program For Multiple Prisons

Top Ten Cloves: Ways White House Aides Got President Bush To Claim "We Do Not Torture"

Top Ten Cloves: Ways CIA Will Cut Back On Using Contractors

Top Ten Cloves: Things About The New CIA Personality Test

You Got Away With It Once, Cheney, But We're Watching You ... The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll

Perhaps, it was the festive momentum of our recent Cheneypalooza, but, more likely, our Garlic Poll Voters know - despite The Commutation Guy's heinous actions yesterday - that Vice President Dick Cheney committed treason in the outing of covert CIA Agent Valerie Plame.

So, it may be that the CIA was less in the market for redemption, but rather letting Darth Vader know that they can pull off his mask at the drop of a illegal wiretap.

And Cheney has to think, with all the spooks and black bag ops - the ones off-the-books, operating without any official backing or cover - that the hardcore alliance doesn't take kindly to a bloated, over-reaching, wannabe-warrior exposing one of their own.

The Bush Grindhouse can bury and burn all the records and emails it wants.

These guys know payback and the Vice President will have to live out the rest of his days, never knowing when it will come, or from what direction.

In a warped way, we're sure the Vice President will appreciate and respect the secrecy of such action

The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll June 25 - July 2 2007

The CIA releasing its' "family jewels" probably has to do with ...

1. Not-so-subtle warning to Dick Cheney, to not expose any more covert agents Tally 36%

2. Needing to clean out files and storerooms, to make way for new, clandestine, black bag ops Tally 33%

3. CIA Director Col. Michael Hayden bucking for his own Medal of Freedom award Tally 22%

4. Hoping someone makes a movie about them, so they can collect royalties Tally 9%

This week’s Poll - Instead of giving Scooter Libby clemency, President Bush should have ...

Scroll up to the top right corner to place your vote

Top Ten Cloves: Suprising Revelations, So Far, In Released, Declassified CIA Files

News Item: CIA Releases Files On Past Misdeeds

10. Rather shocking, they gave all of Jane Fonda's films - and mail - excellent reviews

9. In 1977, kept using Red Dye #2, even after it was banned

8. Initially drew up a plan to blame Kent State shooting on cousin of Lee Harvey Oswald

7. Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was CIA program - Just wanted to get Patty Hearst to have her Dad's newspapers give CIA better coverage

6. Had plans ready to blame George Wallace shooting of cousin of cousin in Kent State shooting

5. D.B. Cooper was actually deep, undercover CIA agent

4. Had team of agents monitoring debut of PBS's Masterpiece Theater for possible coded messages

3. Bugging exercise in 1977 went terribly wrong, causing New York City Blackout

2. Agency was behind pulling the plug on the Heidi Game, so they could wiretap Communists who didn't complain about missing the exciting finish

1. Heimlich maneuver developed out of discarded CIA torture practice














Bonus Links

CIA Paid for Thank-You Notes to Nixon Backers, Documents Show

Top Ten Cloves: Things About The New CIA Personality Test

Paid News Scandal Widens; CIA Said To Run Network Of "Blue Hole" Newspapers; Detainees Forced To Work As Copy Editors Or Write Stories In Isolation; Old Typewriters With No Wite-Out Used