Fran Townsend

[noise]

I don't understand her loyalty to Bush after 9/11. I would think she would have been sickened by Bush's indifference in the lead up to 9/11.

One tool we have effectively applied to uncover the plots of our enemies is the CIA program outlined by President Bush in September 2006. That program to detain and interrogate al-Qaeda operatives has produced vital intelligence used to locate terrorists, disrupt plots and save lives.

It is crucial to remember that al-Qaeda terrorists kill and torture the innocent without remorse. So our interrogation program is tough — as it should be — but does not include torture, and the Department of Justice has determined that it fully complies with U.S. law and our international obligations.

The program is effective and is exceptionally narrow in scope. Of the fewer than 100 terrorists who have gone through the program, fewer than a third required any special methods of questioning.

Townsend op-ed defending the torture program 10/10/07

She really believed this nonsense?

[noise]

1. There was nothing legal about the torture program

There is a correlation between the two Helgerson reports. The same high level officials called out by Helgerson in the 9/11 review were advocates of the torture program. Many journalists don't like to address this because they refuse to question 9/11. The correlation is very important because it calls into the question the notion that the CIA acted in good faith (before or after 9/11). For sure, Helgerson doesn't question the notion of good faith but then again neither did FBI IG Glenn Fine in the FBI 9/11 review. To date, the 9/11 internal review report is still classified. The executive summary was released in August '07 due to an amendment in the Improving Americas Security Act of 2007.

[spooked911]

2. she's a criminal like the rest of them

and covering her ass