CIA knew it had the wrong man, but kept him anyway

[gratuitous]

From the Tribune Washington Bureau:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cia-knew-it-had-the-wrong-man-but-kept-him-anyway/ar-AAi2kwo?li=BBnb7Kz

BERLIN — By January of 2004, when German citizen Khaleed al-Masri arrived at the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret prison in Afghanistan, agency officials were pretty sure he wasn’t a terrorist. They also knew he didn’t know any terrorists, or much about anything in the world of international terror.

In short, they suspected they’d nabbed the wrong man.

. . .

Adding to the sense of injustice: Even though the agency realized early on that al-Masri was the wrong man, it couldn’t figure out how to release him without having to acknowledge its mistake. The agency eventually dumped him unceremoniously in Albania and essentially pretended his arrest and detention had never happened.

The release of the report, which is 90 pages long and was written in July 2007, came in June after a Freedom of Information Act suit by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing al-Masri in his decadelong attempt to get an official apology from the United States.

Just makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it? We can't even apologize to this guy.

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[merrily]

2. When the US government does something wrong, it owns it and promptly commences amends.

Everyone knows that. This is just another "conspiracy theory."

(Note to self: Destroy potentially revealing records more often.)

[pinboy3niner]

3. At the same time, a Republican Congress has blocked Obama's efforts to release prisoners. nt

[LittleGirl]

4. +1 eom

[merrily]

5. Some deflection there.

My post was about U.S. government and so-called "conspiracy theories" and did not specify any time frame.

Obama is certainly not all of U.S. government and certainly not all of US government for all time, past, present or future. The events in the OP occurred years before he took office. Similar events may well occur after he leaves office. Who knows? Similar events may even have occurred while he was in office, with or without his knowledge. Moreover, Republicans are not the only ones who block Obama's good efforts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/us/politics/21detain.html?_r=0

http://www.bobcesca.com/congress-votes-against-closing-gitmo-again-and-again/

And everything is not about Obama. My post sure wasn't.

[pinboy3niner]

6. I'm certainly not "all about Obama"

Your links are about legislation dealing with transferring prisoners to the U.S., and about closing Gitmo, not release of prisoners.

My point was simply that the release of prisoners by the U.S. government has been sought by the current Administration, but that has been blocked by the Repubican-controlled Congress, which has prohibited release to certain countries--which happen to be the only countries to which the prisoners can be released.

[merrily]

7. And the point of your Reply 3, as you describe it, was not some deflection from my Reply 2?

The OP is about the CIA refusing to acknowledge that it had arrested someone who was not a terrorist. So was my Reply 2.

The links in my reply 5 were about my statement about Obama's good efforts being blocked, not about your statement.

This seems like an odd conversation.

[pinboy3niner]

8. No, deflection was not my intention

My concern is not only about CIA refusing to acknowledge a mistake, but the failure to release someone when the charges are determined to be unfounded. Holding people in captivity long after the determination that they don't belong there.

That's a bigger injustice than an agency's refusal to acknowledge a mistake.

We're on the same side here.

[merrily]

9. It's not about sides or concerns or intent. It's about replying about Obama and Republicans

when my post and the OP had nothing to do with either of those subjects. That's pretty much the definition of deflection in posting.

I think we've about beaten this to death, tho'. Enjoy the Fourth!

[pinboy3niner]

10. Note the title of the thread: CIA knew it had the wrong man, but kept him anyway

Happy Independence Day!

[merrily]

11. You replied to my Post #2, not to the thread title, but none of the following had a thing to do with

Republicans blocking Obama: The title of the thread, the OP, my Reply 2, to which you purported to reply. Sorry, dude but your "reply" to me had nothing to do with my Reply 2 and, as already stated, that is just about the definition of deflection while posting. Not sure why you can't either move on or admit that.

[pinboy3niner]

12. This is getting ridiculous. I give up, okay?

G'night.

[malaise]

13. Nailed it

[pinboy3niner]

14. Thanks, malaise

[Joe Chi Minh]

15. That is just sick, sick, sick. Way beyopond criminal. The authorities

responsible are an absolute disgrace to the US.

They must have found a perverse pleasure in it in the Abu Ghraib hell-hole, and similar institutions.

[pinboy3niner]

16. Multiple issues here

Treatment of prisoners, failure to release when cleared, and failure to acknowledge the history of what hapened and is happening.

Each is worth multiple books.

[Joe Chi Minh]

17. But failure to release a person, when they've been cleared

of any offence, seems likely to be historically unique, outside of a Kafka novel.

Of course, a culture with a propensity for slavery wouldn't be too fussy, since possession of cunningly physiologically-absorbed, contraband melanin would be a hard case to defend in a court of law ; irrespective of whether driving a motor vehicle or not, when apprehended.