Like the CIA officials of today, those pilots were highly trained, critical assets to national security. The running joke was, “The investigation did more to gut Naval Aviation than Saddam Hussein could ever dream of doing”. Long after the perpetrators were meted their just punishment, the stench and accusatory nature of the botched investigation lingered. Many officers were forced to sign written disclosures as to their whereabouts during Tailhook 91’, most never having attended at all, years after the incident. Many colleagues and fellow pilots resigned their commissions, and many aviators, to this day, held considerable resentment toward the NIS and DoD investigators. It was tragic that the incident took place aat all, and most officers believed if they would have just acted quickly enough, sending the clearly guilty bastards to the “Yard Arm” for hanging, it would have alleviated the prolonged damage to the greater institution.    

Operatives, and contractors, within the Agency could very well be found guilty of crimes. What is a very disconcerting thought is the notion of another politically charged investigation that challenges the other 99% of quality, respected, and professional officers with the CIA, all viewed as “guilty until proven innocent”. In extraordinary vocations such as Fighter Pilots and Covert Intelligence Operatives, trust, and knowing your superiors and their “overseers” have your best interests in mind as you are asked to perform unusually dangerous and difficult tasks, is paramount. The CIA was perceived as risk-averse before 9/11, and then was thrust into the greatest challenge to our national security, in a new and unorthodox covert and intelligence war against very ruthless and dangerous terrorists. CIA officers, like pilots, are any things…but they are not stupid. If you want me to either fly a $30 million high performance aircraft that is just as prone to try and kill me as the missile envelope you are ordering me into, or task me to clandestinely recruit and run enemy agents in a hostile environment, in a foreign language, and pay me “Bupkis”, then I had better know, in my heart, I can trust you to back me up! Believe me, without the trust, the low pay, hard life, little recognition, and tin medals don’t mean much.

The Obama administration is on the precipice of potentially losing hundreds if not thousands of extremely talented and experienced intelligence operatives during a time of unprecedented challenge in an unconventional and dangerous conflict. Like pilots, these folks don’t grow on trees, nor is there a huge storage bin of former folks that would be willing to pick up the slack from such a mass exodus.

Perhaps they can turn to the ACLU. I hear they have a pretty good spying program now.

Apparently, the Attorney General, Eric Holder, is going to assign a Special Prosecutor to investigate alleged CIA abuse of terror suspects shortly after the 911 attack. This is on the heels of a report released that CIA interrogators used unauthorized and abusive tactics to compel and force terror suspects to provide information crucial in the thwarting of and intelligence gathering on Al Qaeda and other terrorists, post World Trade Center bombing.

Having both worked in intelligence and having been an instructor in resistance to interrogation methods, I recognize the thin balance between our moral obligation to adhere to the rules and procedures of interrogation and intelligence gathering, and the critical need to acquire real-time vital information that could lead to the apprehension of bad guy operators and the stopping of further terror attacks against our citizens, for which we are sworn to defend.  This is a real conundrum, and can be debated well after Mr. Holder is out of office. Politicians, Law Enforcement practitioners, and legal analysts will no doubt argue that we, as the leader of the free world, need to be above this type of abuse and it is ultimately in our national interest to ensure we do not utilize methods and procedures that diminish and erode our moral high standing.

From a comfortable chair, over looking the Potomac, sipping my Half–Caff Latte with Light Foam, I can certainly appreciate the desire and necessity for the US and our defense and intelligence practitioners to color within the lines. This is a slippery slope, and can open up, as witnessed by the Special Prosecutor, a very ugly can of worms. Yet, as the proverbial time bomb ticks, and you are thinking about your fellow citizens, and even your own family, being exposed and possibly injured or killed by the “next” attack as you have the potential of gathering crucial information and thwarting their nefarious activities, “morality” in a strictly academic sense is a luxury and even a burden to the Real Politicks of hard core and “play for keeps” operations against those dedicated to kill us. Playing by the rules is what Americans do…and it is precisely that mentality that the Terrorists are counting on.

Of course, we can not simply pick and choose which rules we like and those we don’t to either cover our administrative derrières, for political expediency, or perceived operational necessity. The CIA will no doubt argue, and there are officers and documents that support, the intelligence gathered as a result of their interrogations, some including questionable and clearly unauthorized methods, was “top drawer” information that led to stopping and further apprehension and disruption of terrorist networks. It is quite easy to lose the focus that we are at war with the most insidious of enemies as prosecutors, other bureaucrats and “experts” analyze the “post game” films and begin to hand out indictments and other legal “French Kisses” to the operators. If…IF…there was criminal activity, then there needs to be repercussions for that behavior and it needs to be addressed. That is clear.  However, if we discover that the tactics, though on the surface appear brutal and cruel, did provide key intelligence indicators about future terror activities then our concern shifts from the “criminal” concerns to how the terrorist “felt”, and did we “scare them”…and were their feelings hurt.

Each time certain information is released about our methods and procedures for interrogation, the terrorists adapt and overcome through training and experience how to defeat our intelligence gathering and interrogation methods. Guile, and scaring the urine out of those that are determined to kill as many of us as possible are not reasons to prosecute. If there is reason to believe the methods were physically fatal or life threatening (in their execution, not in their perception), then their needs to be a classified investigation as is standard within sensitive organizations, and even outside oversight. If Mr. Holder chooses to “open this up” and expose methodologies that are not criminal, but still effective, then we are aiding the enemy in his ability to resist our increasingly vanilla options. As with any organization, there needs to be procedures to police and observe its own personnel and if necessary from those outside. However, Mr. Holder also swore an Oath to support and defend against all enemies.

There are organizations that have those within it slipping out of bounds all the time. Professional football teams have extremely well paid athletes that commit personal fouls all the time…even criminal activity off the field. They fail to stop touchdowns, they fail to score touchdowns, and they fumble and miss read defenses every Sunday. However, the Owner doesn’t assign the Team Lawyer to investigate the defensive back coach each time the secondary commits a penalty against the opposing team. The coach either gets a hold of the problem, or he, or the players, is replaced. But in the world of US Government football, we put the problem of the defensive backs under the purview of the Special Teams coach, with oversight from the Team Lawyer and the assistant General Manager. This is evident of a new “group” to be managed by the FBI (which really means, Failure to Become Integrated) and under the auspices of the National Security Council called the High Value Target Interrogation Group. So, instead of having our first string field intelligence interrogators in the CIA and DIA, we are going to hand the authority over to the FBI, who as a law enforcement organization, is more concerned about case-making, than they are about enemy–breaking. So, the Defensive Backs at the CIA are now going to be replaced by the Offensive linemen at FBI, under the watchful eye of the management department under the General Manager, provided by information from the owner’s lawyer.  How long would the NFL last with this kind of logic?

Leave it to Congress to have a “Forsooth and Egad” moment when it comes to C.I.A. contractors doing “wet work” in the new "Overseas Contingent" campaign formally referred to as The Global War on Terror. Believe me (or not...) when I say Blackwater is not the only game in town, and has been avoided like rotten sushi in some regards. Though I can not confirm nor deny, I’m confident there are entrepreneurial methods and personnel that have been approached and used in other “black” programs to provide our top favorite Jihadists their much deserved One Way Ticket to the Virgin Party in some format, whether direct action or training and support.  (Isn’t it interesting that an organization that is so fueled by its rejection of modernity and the “wicked” ways of the West uses the deflowering of women as its prime motivator to get stupid men to do terrible things to the “heathens”…I digress)

One would hope, when it comes to the quintessential struggle of our life time, we would encourage and employ the best this nation has to offer in the ways of clandestine, covert, and counter-terror tactics, even if that requires our government to seek those with special skills, backgrounds, experiences and training in “ticket sales” and technical support, “baggage handling” from outside the active intelligence and military spheres. During the Second World War, we recruited Captains of Industry, academics, and even convicted criminals to support the war effort in areas like the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, precursor to the C.I.A.), Army Logistics, and the Manhattan Project.

I can certainly understand the trepidation and uneasiness by Congress about hiring essentially “hit teams” to neutralize Al-Qaeda and other Jihadist elements. After all, it is a bold method, involving risk, uncertainty, and exposure, attributes Congress tends to avoid. That is precisely why we hire the “varsity” to conduct such actions and programs, artful in both “shooter” and “spook” skills (“shooks”) that can operate clandestinely, utilizing superior language skills and cultural and regional acumen, and themselves have the necessary skills and experience with no trepidation on personally “booking” a flight for these characters. Congress, however, would rather sit back and get glossy Power Point Briefs, and infrared streaming video as they sip their Lattes while the Global Hawks and Predators “Nintendo” the war by some pimply faced airmen from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, who then goes to the club for a cold beer. Unfortunately, Predators, and other technical, Un-manned platforms, can provide the “who”, “what”, “where”, but are incapable of the “should” and “why” components of intelligence gathering and surveillance.

There is no doubt that this is hard, complex, and morally challenging work that “contractors” and other elements of such programs might have and could be delving in now. That is why intelligence and special/sensitive operational leadership, experience, oversight, and judgment are essential in the process…none of which Mr. Panetta possesses in the intelligence field. He knows the “Congress” field. No doubt that is why he marched up to the Hill as soon as his untested comfort level was met.

Madam Speaker,

I am writing you to express my disappointment, shock, and frustration with your completely irresponsible comments regarding Town Hall participants being maligned as NAZIs. This is unbelievable, hurtful, and despicable on a scale unprecedented in recent American history. I am not an extremist, not racist, nor a NAZI, Madam, simply because I oppose a policy bill. I am not beholden to any lobbyist, insurance interest, or other political agents regarding my distain and frustration over, what was initially the Health Care Bill, and now the impugning of my ability to exercise my 1^st Amendment Rights, less I be now labeled a “thug” and “NAZI”…I take great offense to the inference, and would ask you make a formal apology to the millions of Americans, for which you represent in your capacity as Speaker.  Can you make the same claim, Madam? Can you say you are not beholden to any special interest?

While I was on active duty in the Marine Corps, I actually met you with my Principal while we were “making the rounds” at Congress. I can not believe, for political gain only, you would tacitly or directly label men like me, defending this country, as extremists, and now malign many of those same men as thugs and “NAZIs’ for our God-given right to petition and debate with our elected representatives.

Regrettably,

FD

LtCol, USMC (ret)