Last Call

WaPo's Walter Pincus rolls out the CIA's targeted leaks as the intel community fires another shot across Obama's bow.

The agency's defensiveness in part reflects a conviction that it is being forced to take the blame for actions approved by elected officials that have since fallen into disfavor. Former CIA director Michael V. Hayden said in an interview that CIA managers and operations officers have again been put "in a horrible position." Hayden recalled an officer asking, "Will I be in trouble five years from now for what I agree to do today?"

Although President Obama has said no CIA officers will be prosecuted for their roles in harsh interrogations if they remained within Justice Department guidelines in effect at the time, agency personnel still face subpoenas and testimony under oath before criminal, civil and congressional bodies.

As part of an ongoing criminal inquiry into the CIA's destruction of videotapes depicting waterboarding, CIA personnel will appear before a grand jury this week, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is continuing. The Senate intelligence committee is pursuing its investigation into whether harsh interrogations, including waterboarding, brought forward worthwhile intelligence, as agency and Bush administration officials have maintained.

The CIA plays the victim card like the all-time pros they are, and right on cue the Wingers go after the Dems for daring to question these patriots fighting America's terror war on the front lines.

Poor babies! How dare Obama and Congressional Dems try to inflict oversight on these heroes! What gives them the right to call the CIA liars? How dare he rob the CIA of their ability to torture people into giving false information to start a war of aggression! I mean after all, these Muslims are sub-human...why should we bother to treat them with human dignity?

At some point Obama and CIA director Leon Panetta need to have a little talk.