Former CIA, NSA Boss Says Senator Feinstein Is Too Emotional To Judge CIA Torture Fairly

from the shameful dept

We've written about former NSA and CIA boss Michael Hayden plenty of times around here, and the guy is practically a caricature of what you'd expect him to be. He defends the intelligence community at all costs, and is quick with baseless insults to anyone who disagrees with him, and also (laughably) seems ill-prepared to be a fortune teller. We've also written about California Senator, and head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein, many times as well -- often watching her make similarly ridiculous claims in defense of the intelligence committee. However, as we've seen over the last few months, the one place where she seems to draw the line is with the CIA and its torture program. Feinstein, normally a staunch defender of the intelligence community, has been battling the CIA over the release of the $40 million, 6,300 page report that shows that the CIA's torture program (which she still refuses to call "torture") went way beyond what was authorized, produced no useful intelligence and resulted in the CIA lying to Congress about the program.

Since the two are normally in lock-step on various issues, it's interesting to see what happens when they differ. On Fox News over the weekend, Chris Wallace asked Hayden about the report, and Hayden pretty explicitly tossed out the ridiculous misogynistic argument that Feinstein was, effectively, too emotional to judge whether the report should be released. While he didn't make that claim exactly, he came about as close as possible to saying it without saying it:

WALLACE: But the report says that more prisoners were abused than we had previously known and that the enhanced interrogation produced little intelligence of significance.

HAYDEN: Yes. I read an article by David Ignatius earlier this week. And he said --

WALLACE: He's a columnist for The Washington Post.

HAYDEN: Right. He said that Senator Feinstein wanted a report so scathing that it would ensure that an un-American brutal program of detention interrogation would never again be considered or permitted.

Now, that sentence, that motivation for the report, Chris, may show deep emotional feeling on part of the senator. But I don't think it leads you to an objective report.

WALLACE: I mean, forgive me, because you and I both know Senator Feinstein. I have the highest regard for her. You're saying you think she was emotional in these conclusions?

HAYDEN: What I'm saying is -- first of all, Chris, you're asking me about a report. I have no idea of its content. No one responsible for that report has spoken a word of this to me, to George Tenet, to Porter Goss, to anyone else that is involved in these events. But it's very hard for me to make a judgment.

Of course, as Amy Davidson at the New Yorker notes, while the Ignatius report does suggest this as potential motivation for Feinstein, it's actually taking a Feinstein quote completely out of context. Rather than it being the motivating factor in creating the report, it was actually Feinstein's response to reading the completed report and arguing that its key findings should be made public. That is, rather than being emotionally motivated to create the report (as Hayden falsely claims), Feinstein realized that the report was so damning that it needed to be made public to stop future CIA torture and abuse.

And, really, can anyone explain what's wrong with suggesting that preventing an "un-American, brutal" torture program from happening again would be a beneficial result? Is Hayden honestly arguing that the US should continue with un-American torture efforts?

Either way, the choice of words by Hayden is deliberate and obnoxious. He's suggesting that a female Senator might be too emotionally driven and fragile to understand the "realities" of war, where people like him -- people who apparently sold out their morals long ago -- make important decisions like when and how to violate the Geneva conventions, torture people and to then lie to Congress about it. Call me crazy, but when it comes to stopping a "brutal" and "un-American" program of torturing people in violation of international law, a little emotion might be a good thing.
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Filed Under: cia, dianne feinstein, emotions, michael hayden, senate, senate report, torture, torture report


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  • icon
    Ninja (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 5:57am

    Too emotional? Torture is not acceptable in any circumstances. The fact that it has been practiced at all is horrifying and the ones that did it or allowed it to happen should be locked in jail for life. There's no excuse for torture. Unless, of course, you are the kind of rotten human we've grown to expect from those people in the intelligence community (generally speaking).

    Disgusting.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Pragmatic, 10 Apr 2014 @ 9:34am

      Re:

      From a purely logical perspective, torture doesn't work. People in pain will say anything to make it stop. I know I would.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Violynne (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 6:47am

    To state senator Feinstein is capable of human emotion is blatantly false and inaccurate reporting.

    Otherwise, she'd have been angry and crying to realize her own government has been spying on its citizens.

    Everyone knows she's Bender's sister. The only thing missing from her mouth is "America can kiss my shiny metal ass."

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Michael Donnelly (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:07am

    inb4 obligatory "you can't handle the truth!" reference.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    DannyB (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:10am

    Who is qualified to judge torture 'fairly'?

    The CIA and NSA bosses probably believe that only emotion-less monsters, devoid of any humanity are qualified to fairly judge torture.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Annonimus, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:47am

      Re: Who is qualified to judge torture 'fairly'?

      Leave me and mine out of this. I am a person who has several different thoughtstreams in my head (its like hearing voices but you know everyone of them is yours and you have a dialogue with yourself in your head) and one of them I call my Psycho.

      This thoughtstream has no empathy and seeks stories of people in pain to laugh at them. This part of me is insulted because you have just made a comparison between my Psycho and a bunch of either incompetent idiots with no impulse control scrambling to cover their asses or overemotional brats who are letting their "feels" guide their policy making.

      You see the CIA people who have been trying to keep this report on their torture program are either the people who have been doing and/or arranging the torture all this time and getting of on it and are now worried that their asses are on the line and/or their fun is going to be taken away OR they are the people who have had an overly emotional reaction to 9/11 and are now driven by a combination of guilt(both/either inaction and survivor), the desire to feel like they are in control and the need to "keep the patriots who have worked on this enhanced interrogation program out of the clutches of a misunderstanding public".

      So please don't overgeneralize for the sake of brevity.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        DannyB (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 11:31am

        Re: Re: Who is qualified to judge torture 'fairly'?

        Very little needs to be said. Torture doesn't work. Never has. The lack of useful intelligence from it has already been covered. The people who do it are people who should not be free in a civilized society. The policymakers who support it undermine the nation's long term credibility and moral high ground. Most of these arguments also apply to NSA bulk surveillance.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pixelation, 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:14am

    "first of all, Chris, you're asking me about a report. I have no idea of its content."

    "I have no idea of it's content."

    How the fuck would he know if she is being emotional without knowing the content of the report? Typical talking head.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:59am

      Re:

      I am quite certain he's lying about this anyway. The CIA was so concerned about this report that they spied on the committee, presumably to obtain it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:03am

      Re:

      And even further, he is accusing her of judging the report on a less objective basis... This guy is analyzing people and making a judgement on the content of the report based on peoples reactions? It is like reading the nametag and sponsors behind a report and discounting it based solely on that. How much less objective than that can you get?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:57am

        Re: Re:

        Not exactly. It sounds like he's accusing her of something worse. He's accusing her of purposely requesting that the report be created beforehand to be as scandalous and sensationalistic as possible based on an emotional reaction to the mere suggestion that the CIA used torture. He's trying to imply that the report was generated with bias from when it was ordered and therefore should be discounted as an unfair representation of what occurred even before anyone else sees it.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Loki, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:19am

      Re:

      Agreed. As a former head of both the NSA and CIA, as someone who paints himself as a highly qualified expert on these matters, he expects me to accept he is so clueless, so out of the loop, so uninformed (and therefore implying he's no longer trusted by anyone in either the current administration OR the intelligent community, but I bet he didn't think that one through enough) that he has no idea what this document says?

      Dude is either lying his ass off, in which case his opinions no longer have any value or meaning, or his so incompetent that his opnions no longer have any value or meaning. Either way his opinions no longer have any value or meaning.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    That Anonymous Coward (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:19am

    Girls can't understand man stuff.

    o_O

    This is the best spin these assholes have, how the fsck did they talk themselves into this much power?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Sneeje (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:25am

    Sexist!

    Senator Feinstein should take Hayden to the woodshed for such blatantly misogynistic remarks. That is a common, out-dated method for dismissing the positions or opinions of women. That along makes him sound like a dinosaur.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:43am

      Re: Sexist!

      I'm sorry, where exactly did he say she was emotional 'because' she was a woman? I read the whole thing, I didn't see it anywhere except here in your comment.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:01am

        Re: Re: Sexist!

        It's such an incredibly common sexist trope that if he didn't intend the implication, he would have phrased it differently.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:14am

          Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

          Ah, come on! We are talking about a live interview. Reading into motivations for specific formulations is thin unless his responses are perfectly scripted (they are not in this case)!

          There is plenty else to attack him on. No need to read sexism in the context.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:33am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

            It may have genuinely been a case of mispeaking on the fly. But it's not the type of phrasing most people would have done.

            It absolutely reads loud and clear like a sexist statement. That's the very first impression I got when I heard it. If that's not what he meant to get across, that's no better as it just demonstrates how incompetent he is at understanding what exactly he's actually saying.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:07am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

              "But it's not the type of phrasing most people would have done."

              I would have. Overly strong emotion and law making should not mix. When they do we get laws that do more harm then good. If I truly thought that someone was too emotional to do their job, I would say as such.

              Speaking of too emotional, a lot of people are jumping on the statement saying it's sexist. But instantly jumping to the defense just because it's a man saying something to a woman is just as sexist. Show me something more and I'll be with you, but one sentence does not a sexist make.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:12am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                it seems to be a trend on the social sites lately, a man says something to a woman, it HAS to be sexist.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:41am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                I never said he was sexist. I said he made a statement that sounds sexist. That statement is the only thing I'm discussing here, so there's literally nothing more that can possibly enter into it.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:56am

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                  Oh please, stop pretending you're neutral, accept your clearly biased comments.

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • identicon
                    Pragmatic, 10 Apr 2014 @ 9:37am

                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                    Okay, when is the last time you saw a man being called out on TV or in the media for being too emotional? Please provide a link.

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:09am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

              "It absolutely reads loud and clear like a sexist statement."

              If you are sexist to begin with it reads like a sexist statement, if he said he loves children you would imply he's a pedophile.
              The only sexists here are you and Sneeje, implying emotions are exclusive to one sex. And spare me the trope bullshit, this isn't reddit or your internet forums with your "huehue, THIS TROPE GUYS, SO MISOGYNIST XD XD".

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:42am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                That's hilarious! It's right up there with accusing people who point out racist-sounding statements as being racist themselves. Keep it up.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:52am

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                  "it's right up there with accusing people who point out racist-sounding statements as being racist themselves."

                  they are if they manage to find racist statements in simple conversations. They are just racist to the other race.
                  But you keep burring yourself in your imagined persecution, I'm sure it works great on reddit.

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • icon
                    John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:57am

                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                    Simple conversations can't contain bigoted statements, then?

                    Your reddit fixation is fascinating. I'm sure that means something to you, but the reference is totally lost on me as I am not familiar with the reddit subculture.

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

                    • identicon
                      Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:57am

                      Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                      "Simple conversations can't contain bigoted statements, then?"

                      Strawmen much?

                      link to this | view in chronology ]

                      • icon
                        John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 2:15pm

                        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                        Not a straw man at all. A straw man is if I claimed you made an easily debunked argument that you didn't make and then debunked it. My question isn't even debunking anything, let along putting words in your mouth. At absolute worst, you might be able to accuse me of moving the goalposts, but I don't think I'm doing that either.

                        What I am doing is trying to nail down what your point actually is. It appears to be this: you disagree with me about whether or not a specific statement was sexist, so therefor I must be sexist myself. However, that's just a silly argument, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.

                        link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 8 Apr 2014 @ 9:44am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sexist!

                If Hayden didn't want his words to be read in a negative light, he should have thought of that before he left the house. The 'emotional' criticism is a widely-known sexist construct, and whether or not Hayden feels it to be sexist he should be prepared for the outcome of his actions vis a vis public commentary.

                Whether or not Hayden is sexist, whether or not his remark is even sexist, major political figures should be prepared for the world to hear and read their commentary. This applies to all audiences.

                I personally don't find this statement as offensive as many statements worded in similar ways. It does unsettle me, however, and I would encourage explained interpretation of Hayden's words, given the wider context of Hayden's words and actions. Yes, even if the results are contentious.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Tom (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:33am

    I'll just leave this here.

    http://www.salon.com/2009/06/30/accountability_7/

    I think an emotional response is apropos when finding out one's nation tortured over a hundred people to death. Perhaps the correct question to ask is, why didn't Hayden have one?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:40am

    " may show deep emotional feeling on part of the senator. But I don't think it leads you to an objective report.

    I find it very hard to believe that with the state of the government now, 1 emotional person could dictate the state of a $40 million report. Especially if that person isn't the one doing the research or reporting.

    Honestly, I believe there is too much deception, covering up, and secrecy for even the President to affect a report that much. How would one person of an "oversight" committee have the power to control what a report looks like?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael, 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:44am

    Ok, so let's take the emotional "but torturing people is WRONG" argument away for a second and focus on the "it didn't produce significant results" argument. We are still in the same place - not really a good plan.

    Can't someone just go get a patent on "extraction of information from organic data storage devices through the use of irritants" so nobody else can do this to people?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:57am

    too emotional to judge CIA torture fairly?

    that is rich. Torture is never acceptable and can't be defended.

    Torture is and always was worthless to gather information. The tortured will always eventually say what torturer wants to hear, making the entire process futile.

    The only use for torture is to intimidate people, nothing more. The moment the USA were allowing torture was the moment when they betrayed every notion of civilization that existed, It was the moment where every resistance to the USA became justified.

    The only way to judge torture programs fairly is to trial every single one who signed off on them for crimes against humanity and treachery for betraying your own country and everything it used to stand for.

    Everyone involved is guilty of crimes against humanity, there is no way around it and no way to sugarcoat it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Roger Strong (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:05am

    Yoga and Torture

    There's a lucrative industry in claiming copyrights on ancient yoga postures and techniques. If you can do it for yoga you can do it for torture.

    I fear that the main reason Chris Wallace is stonewalling is that the CIA has been using the intellectual property of everyone from the Inquisition to Iran without proper licensing agreements. Even ignoring the financial penalties, any attempt to release the report on the CIA's torture program will only lead to endless DMCA take-down notices.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:27am

      Re: Yoga and Torture

      "CIA has been using the intellectual property of everyone from the Inquisition"

      Oh man, you're comment invokes visions of The Vatican suing the CIA for IP violations in an amount that would make the MAFIAA's claim for more money than the world contains look like a teenagers allowance in a third world country.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:35am

        Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

        Copyright doesn't ACTUALLY last forever and a day... any Inquisition-era copyrights or patents would have expired by now. (If they even had such things way back then.)

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Roger Strong (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:42am

          Re: Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

          Check out the Wikipedia entry "Yoga Piracy." Those yoga postures and techniques are ancient, but that hasn't stopped modern-day copyright shakedowns, by estimates worth as much as $3 billion annually.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:56am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

            They can CLAIM copyright, and some people might pay them, but according to the Copyright Office the copyrights are no longer valid.

            http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2012/77fr37605.pdf

            However, under the policy stated herein, a claim in a compilation of exercises or the selection and arrangement of yoga poses will be refused registration. Exercise is not a category of authorship in section 102 and thus a compilation of exercises would not be copyrightable subject matter. The Copyright Office would entertain a claim in the selection, coordination or arrangement of, for instance, photographs or drawings of exercises, but such compilation authorship would not extend to the selection, coordination or arrangement of the exercises themselves that are depicted in the photographs or drawings.

            The Office has issued registration certificates that included ‘‘nature of authorship’’ statements such as ‘‘compilations of exercises’’ or ‘‘selection and arrangement of exercises.’’ In retrospect, and in light of the Office’s closer analysis of legislative intent, the Copyright Office finds that such registrations were issued in error.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Roger Strong (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:56am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

              IN THEORY, to the Copyright Office such copyrights are no longer valid. But that's only the intention.

              IN REALITY, the Copyright Office routinely grants such copyrights. Again, look at the Wikipedia entry "Yoga Piracy." Well documented as ancient knowledge, and worth $billions as modern IP under copyright.

              Or look at the litigation and claims over "Happy Birthday to You." No rational person would claim that the copyright is valid. And yet here we are.

              The intention of copyright regulations is utterly irrelevant next to how they used and enforced in the real world.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 10:37am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

                I read the article the first time you mentioned it. The only not-broken external link points to something written in 2004. The document I linked to earlier was from 2012. The Wikipedia article has not had any significant edits since then. (I'm tempted to edit the thing myself to reference the copyright office's stance, as it's clearly relevant.) Do you have any evidence that the copyright office is STILL granting these?

                I must admit that a copyright office denial of registration is not the final word - after all, the copyright office denied the claim by that "Innocence of Muslims" actress to a copyright on her 5 second performance, but the circuit court decided her case was likely to prevail anyway. On the other hand, most courts would probably defer to the Copyright Office, and even if they don't, the statement by the copyright office that says the material is not copyrightable means you can at least prove the infringement was not willful (so no putative damages) and without a valid registration they can't seek statutory damages, so they're only left with proving actual damages.

                And yes, you can always argue that settling is cheaper than fighting and that makes the law almost irrelevant, but that can be true of any lawsuit.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:44am

          Re: Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

          "Copyright doesn't ACTUALLY last forever and a day..."

          That's impossible to know, as "forever and a day" hasn't arrived yet. But given that so far copyright terms get extended every time Mickey Mouse is about to enter the public domain, it's not unreasonable to assume that this will continue to happen. The net effect is that copyright actually lasts forever and a day, regardless of whatever term is reflected in the current law.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            David, 8 Apr 2014 @ 2:30am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Yoga and Torture

            Well, what do you expect if copyright legislation is firmly in the pockets of Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny (aka Walt Disney Corpse and Times/Warner)?

            link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Robert, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:24am

    I wonder...

    I wonder when DiFi will get around to commenting on....
    "The Red Line and the Rat Line"
    Seymour M. Hersh on Obama, Erdoğan and the Syrian rebels
    http://www.lrb.co.uk/2014/04/06/seymour-m-hersh/the-red-line-and-the-rat-line

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:29am

    "Of course, as Amy Davidson at the New Yorker notes, while the Ignatius report does suggest this as potential motivation for Feinstein, it's actually taking a Feinstein quote completely out of context."

    What would have been better is if you had included the specific quote, exactly when it was said and to whom it was made.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    avideogameplayer, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:48am

    Isn't this SAME Feinstein that has been dumped on for her views about this whole NSA issue?

    +5 internets that she'll be singing a different tune tomorrow...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      John Fenderson (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:56am

      Re:

      I don't think she'll change her tune. I disagree with her in the strongest terms about almost everything, but I'll grant her one thing: she has remained consistent in her viewpoints regardless of opposition.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 8:49am

    Prisoners without the ability to defend themselves being tortured deserves an emotional response, by creating a clear no torture under any circumstances by anyone representing the US is just smart, and offers at least small protections for US Military Personnel and all others that may be captured in time of wars or conflicts.
    It also provides us with the moral high ground, and can be used to provide ample reason to hit hard if another nation or group causes undue harm to prisoners in time of conflict.
    to be honest no emotion is needed for using intelligent strategy.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    David, 7 Apr 2014 @ 9:52am

    Well, duh.

    Without a few persons having strong emotions about right and wrong, there would be no American constitution.

    Of course, Hayden has a very low opinion of the constitution anyway. If he had been in office a few hundred years ago, he'd have tortured and hanged George Washington for being on the wrong side of power.

    One century later, he'd have been a leading member of the Ku Klux Klan. And these days he got to head the NSA.

    You can judge the quality of a democracy by how close to the top of power scum has a chance to rise. The U.S.A. has seen better times.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Apr 2014 @ 10:26am

    General Hayden is a criminal, and traitor and until we look back and deal with these people in the courts, we can't move forward.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous, 7 Apr 2014 @ 3:39pm

    Scanning the site quickly I misread that as Torture Fairy.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    trollificus (profile), 7 Apr 2014 @ 7:15pm

    Well...that's just all kinds of wrong.

    Everything about this is wrong.

    a) It's wrong to say Hayden's was a sexist comment. It isn't sexist because he would characterize ANYBODY'S negative reaction to "enhanced interrogation methods" as being overly emotional, including most of the outraged comments here.

    b) But he would also be wrong, as the outraged reaction is NOT overly emotional, but rational and moral.

    c) And Feinstein, who is an idiot political hack liberal 1%er and wrong on everything from budgetary, environmental, economic, and foreign policy issues to mindless gender legislation, domestic spying, IP/copyright/patent issues and on and on, is, God help me, absolutely RIGHT on this one.

    And that just seems wrong, somehow. Looks like I picked the wrong decade to give up sniffing glue.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      David, 8 Apr 2014 @ 2:39am

      Re: Well...that's just all kinds of wrong.

      But he would also be wrong, as the outraged reaction is NOT overly emotional, but rational and moral.

      You are confused. "Moral" is the same as "overly emotional" in gobbledyspook. Hayden is proud to be a "human" who managed to rid himself of any traces of moral, qualms, or compassion. He'd be ashamed to be influenced by any of that overly emotional claptrap.

      He is America's answer to Joseph Goebbels.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Raymond Weaver, 9 Apr 2014 @ 8:57am

    Michael Hayden and the NSA, CIA

    Referencing RONALD SCHOUTEN, MD, JD, and JAMES SILVER, JD, the authors of Almost a Psychopath, Michael Hayden is coming off like a near psychopath.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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