Author: Matt Margolis

The Destruction of the CIA Interrogation Tapes

Matt Margolis

If Democrats were as interested in fighting the war on terror as there are interested in protecting the so-called rights and civil liberties of terrorists then I’d be a lot more confident in the outcome of the war on terror. But instead, Democrats use these alleged civil liberties issues to undermine President Bush and the war on terror.

So, my first reaction when I heard about these interrogation tapes that were destroyed I thought “Good, now we don’t have to worry about some Democrat leaking the video.” I mean, imagine the outrage if liberals across America saw that a terrorist was being interrogated in a room that was below room temperature, or was wearing prison clothes that wasn’t 100% cotton, or some other horrible torture like that.

Democrats predictably called for an investigation.

The videotapes showed agency operatives in 2002 subjecting terrorism suspects – including Abu Zubaydah, the first detainee in CIA custody – to severe interrogation techniques. The tapes were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that video showing harsh interrogation methods could expose agency officials to legal risks, several officials said.

“But that excuse won’t wash,” Senator Kennedy said Friday. “Does the director believe the CIA’s buildings are not secure? Would it be beyond the agency’s technical expertise to preserve the tapes while hiding the identity of its employees? Does the director believe that the CIA’s employees cannot be trusted not to leak materials that might harm the agency?

Of course they can’t… and why should they? Does Teddy forget all the other examples of intelligence leaks in the past few years? Does he forget the infamous “Rockefeller Memo” which outlined a strategy for politicizing pre-war intelligence on Iraq? Or how about the secret “black ops” CIA satellite program leaked by Senators Rockefeller, Durbin and Wyden that severely compromised national security? Does Teddy also forget the leak of the NSA terrorist surveillance program? The Democrats have shown previous interest in politicizing intelligence and leaking classified information, both of which severely undermine the war on terror, that my only conclusion from the Democrats’ reaction to this story about the destroyed tapes is that they are furious they didn’t get to leak them first.

Lying In The Bed They Made

Matt Margolis

It’s really amusing to see Democrats moan and groan over “Republican efforts to block legislation.”

When Democrats were in the minority, blocking nominations and legislation, they called it standing up for the rights of the minority party, and cited the Founding Fathers in an attempt to justify their own behavior.

If they’re hot and bothered now, just wait until the next time there’s a Democrat president with a Democrat majority in the Senate (hopefully it won’t ever happen, but hypothetically speaking) and the Democrats are unable to vote on judicial nominations because they can’t break a filibuster. Will Democrats whine like little children, or will they urge their Democrat president to nominate moderate “consensus” nominees?

Saddam’s Files

Matt Margolis

I totally missed this when it first came out, but luckily one of our commenters here posted a link to this story and I’ve decided put up a quick post on it since it clearly hasn’t gotten the attention it should.

According to John Loftus, writing at FrontPage Magazine, we now know what happened to Saddam’s WMD… the answers come from Saddam’s own files.

Based on the evidence, Loftus writes,

Saddam’s nuclear documents compel any reasonable person to the conclusion that, more probably than not, there were in fact nuclear WMD sites, components, and programs hidden inside Iraq at the time the Coalition forces invaded. In view of these newly discovered documents, it can be concluded, more probably than not, that Saddam did have a nuclear weapons program in 2001-2002, and that it is reasonably certain that he would have continued his efforts towards making a nuclear bomb in 2003 had he not been stopped by the Coalition forces.

It’s unfortunately that there are so few (if any) reasonable people in the Democratic Party.

John Bolton on the Iran NIE

Matt Margolis

This is absolutely worth reading.

Rarely has a document from the supposedly hidden world of intelligence had such an impact as the National Intelligence Estimate released this week. Rarely has an administration been so unprepared for such an event. And rarely have vehement critics of the “intelligence community” on issues such as Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction reversed themselves so quickly.

All this shows that we not only have a problem interpreting what the mullahs in Tehran are up to, but also a more fundamental problem: Too much of the intelligence community is engaging in policy formulation rather than “intelligence” analysis, and too many in Congress and the media are happy about it. President Bush may not be able to repair his Iran policy (which was not rigorous enough to begin with) in his last year, but he would leave a lasting legacy by returning the intelligence world to its proper function.

He goes on to explain five key flaws in the report, which you should read carefully.

Why The OH-05 Special Election Matters

Matt Margolis

This race isn’t just about keeping the OH-05 seat in GOP hands… it’s about keeping taxes low, our borders secure, and preventing socialize health care that would also cover illegal immigrants. Bob Latta’s opponent will be another vote for raising taxes, open borders, and HillaryCare.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taMDZsSemxs%5D

Let’s help Bob Latta win in Ohio’s 5th Congressional District!

Visit Bob Latta’s campaign website.
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