Turzanski: Torture Report Release Is "Peak Of Partisan Anger" By Feinstein
By Chris Stigall
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In the May 26th, 2002 edition of the New York Times, Senator Dianne Feinstein said that, because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 "that we have to do some things that historically we have not wanted to do to protect ourselves.'' Much of what she was referring to was the "enhanced interrogation tactics" that many consider to be torture and today, the Senate Intelligence Committee is releasing its report on the CIA's post 9/11 torture tactics.
Templeton Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and La Salle University professor, Ed Turzanski, spoke with WPHT morning show host Chris Stigall about the report.
"The conventional media as they look at this, and they get the vapors of this and they say 'oh my goodness, they water boarded Khalifah Muhammad', yes. Guess what? If you're an American flyer, you're also water boarded in your training. If you're an intelligence operative in the field, you're water boarded in your training. You need to know the business that you're getting into."
He feels the release of this report endangers a great deal of Americans and those close to us, and there is a reason why it had not been released in the past.
"Anybody who is recognized as an American or an American ally is at greater risk. Chuck Hagel had this on his desk for eleven months and he wouldn't sign off on it. Every past director of the agency regardless of party has said 'don't do this, it's terrible.' Our allies abroad have said 'this serves no good purpose.' This is a peak of partisan anger on the part of Dianne Feinstein."
With the extra danger that he feels that we are all under, Turzanski maintains that the people who are in charge of protecting us are keeping with their post-9/11 ways, which are exactly what he feels the now critics had said thirteen years ago, "do whatever you have to make sure that my babies are protected, my country is protected."
Turzanski also surmises that the reason why this report was leaked today is to take pressure off of the "Obamacare Architect" Jonathan Gruber who is testifying in front of Congress today.
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