Leon Panetta sent his CIA people a Email meant to ease their fears of prosecution for Torture. According to reports he told them "agency employees who took part in harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects are not in danger of being punished."
Considering we don't know how many died at the hands of the CIA or it's Contractors that is a pretty generous statement from Panetta. He may believe someone died and made him God, or Atty. General. With two investigations going forward, Leahy's Torture Commission and the Senate Intelligence Committee's review recently spoken of, Panetta is probably feeling the heat from within.
Now don't get me too wrong, I'm not looking to go after just the little guy who bashed heads, kneed a few groins, or sliced a penis or 2. While I think they should be tried and punished, so should those higher ups.
Each and every person that tortured another human being knew it was wrong. A few of the low level soldiers have already been sentenced. What is fair to do to those soldiers should be more than fair to do to those in higher positions such as the CIA. The Laws are drilled into them during their training even more so than the Guards of Gitmo or Abu Ghraib.
For a year or more there has been too much talk of immunity for those that were just following orders. Congress has given them some cover in the Bills they have passed, but I doubt they would hold up in court if pressed. One of the problems is I don't see anyone stepping up to see that Justice is served.
Sen. Leahy's Torture Commission is not generating much excitement inside Washington, not of any good kind anyway. The Republicans didn't even stay at the hearing to ask their own Witnesses any questions, that's how interested they are in being drug through the mud once again.
A week or so ago Senator Whitehouse warned the Country that we had yet to see the worse of what is to come out. I shutter to think about what is to be revealed and how the World will react but it needs to come out imho. Once that News is made public will Panetta stand pat with his decision to protect the perps ?
So the question is, do you think CIA Director Leon Panetta is right or wrong to protect those that Tortured and maybe killed those in their custody, or not ?
Panetta: No one to be punished for interrogations