As pointed out today on The Daily Beast web site, Seymour Hersh reported back in March of this year that Dickhead Cheney was operating secret assassination squads. However, it wasn't until earlier this month that Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, learned about the program's existence and shut the program down.
Before additional comment, let's note the incredible irony that the head of the premiere spy organization in the US Government didn't find out about the 'secret' until four months after it was published in the mainstream media!
Follow along after the fold...
I have confidence in Panetta to do the right thing as CIA Director. He's got a lot on his plate and his shutting down this program is a great indication that things are being put on the proper track. However, if he wants to speed up progress, here are some things that can or should be done:
1> Fire everybody involved in concealing the program.
The CIA is under legal obligation to report on its activities to the Representatives and Senators on the designated oversight committees. Anyone who knowingly participated in this willful violation of US law has demonstrated a dangerous disregard for the necessary checks and balances of the CIA's operations, and represents a threat to our democracy. They should be publicly identified, fired, and be disqualified from receiving any postemployment benefits such as pensions.
2> Use Seymour Hersh as a source if and when he can be of help.
Obviously, Mr. Hersh has contacts who are more on top of what's wrong with the CIA than Mr. Panetta had over the past four months. If he can help straighten things out in Langley and is willing to do so, let's have the Administration take advantage!
3> Strengthen the internal oversight capabilities of the CIA.
For this to have been concealable within the CIA for eight years, there had to have been a structural deficit in its internal oversight. There should be a beefed-up internal audit department to prevent such a mess from recurring.
4> Require the CIA to obtain an opinion from the Justice Department that determines the legality of every budgeted program.
Easy rule: You wanna the money, you getta the okey-dokey.
5> Embed personnel from the congressional oversight committees within the CIA.
If Congress wants to be on top of the CIA's activities, it can't just trust the CIA to do the right thing. The CIA has repeatedly been demonstrated to lie to, mislead, and obstruct those same committees. If they don't need to rely on CIA personnel but have their own watchdogs within the CIA, they can do their business properly.
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A final observation:
There are those on the left that whine and moan complaints about the Obama Administration constantly ('not doing enough about DOMA & DODT,' 'they're pandering to Wall Street,' 'not prosecuting on war crimes,' etc.) I believe that this episode with the secret CIA program is prima facie evidence as to just how f****d up things had gotten under Cheney/Bush and how much substantive work there is to restore our nation to a properly functioning democracy. That doesn't even take into account how messed up our economy had gotten! The bottom line is: these things will take some time, but Barry O and Friends are on the job, on our side, and on track to get 'er done.