Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The Drone War

Here is Senator Dianne Feinstein from February 7, 2013 making her priorities clear:


We will begin this hearing.  And let me say right up front that the process is that people are respectful; that they don't cheer, they don't hiss, they don't show signs; that this is to listen. If that's a problem for anybody, I ask you to leave the room now , because what we will do is remove you from the room -- let there be no doubt.

That was aimed at opponents of The Drone War.  See, Dianne's okay with innocents being killed by drones, she just doesn't want to have to face a mean old sign.  She really needs to get her act together because she's become a very public embarrassment. She's actually part of what I like to think of as The Unholy Bad Hair Trinity in the Senate -- three useless women who lie repeatedly and ensure that no oversight takes place.


From the hearing, to confirm John Brennan as CIA Director, here's DiFi:


I have been calling, and others have been calling -- the Vice Chairman and I -- for increased transparency on the use of targeted force for over a year, including the circumstances in which such force is directed against U.S.  citizens and noncitizens alike. I have also been attempting to speak publicly about the very low number of civilian casualties that result from such strikes; I have been limited in my ability to do so.  But for the past several years, this Committee has done significant  oversight of the government's conduct of targeted strikes and the figures we have obtained from the Executive Branch -- which we have done our utmost to verify -- confirm that the number of civilian casualties that have resulted from such strikes each year has typically been in the single digits.  When I ask to give out the actual numbers, I'm told, "You can't." And I say, "Why not?" "Because it's classified " ... "It's a covert program" ... "For the public, it doesn't exist." Well, I think that rationale, Mr. Brennan, is long gone, and I'm going to talk to you , in my questions , a little bit about that  because I think it's very important that we share this data with people.  This Committee will continue to perform significant oversight of targeted strikes.


Dianne provided no oversight.  She provided cover for Barack's Drone War.  She misled the American people.  Chris Woods (Bureau of Investigative Journalism) reports:



  A secret document obtained by the Bureau reveals for the first time the Pakistan government’s internal assessment of dozens of drone strikes, and shows scores of civilian casualties.
The United States has consistently claimed only a tiny number of non-combatants have been killed in drone attacks in Pakistan – despite research by the Bureau and others suggesting that over 400 civilians may have died in the nine-year campaign.
The internal document shows Pakistani officials too found that CIA drone strikes were killing a significant number of civilians – and have been aware of those deaths for many years.
Of 746 people listed as killed in the drone strikes outlined in the document, at least 147 of the dead are clearly stated to be civilian victims, 94 of those are said to be children.
The confidential 12-page summary paper, titled Details of Attacks by Nato Forces/Predators in FATA was prepared by government officials in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).


Elias Groll (Foreign Policy) observes, "For defenders of the drone program, the report should make for uncomfortable reading. During the February confirmation hearing for CIA Director John Brennan, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, claimed that civilian casualties of drone strikes each year have 'typically been in the single digits.' That's a claim that Pakistani government reporting manifestly contradicts."

Back to Brennan's confirmation hearing:


Senator Ron Wyden:  And I want to start with the drone issue. In a speech last year, the President instructed you to be more open with the public about the use of drones to conduct targeted killings of al Qaeada members.  So, my question is what should be done next, to ensure public conversation about drones, so that the American people are brought into this debate and have a full understanding of what rules the government is  going to observe when it conducts targeted killings? 

John Brennan:  Well, I think this hearing is one of the things that can be done , because I think this type of discourse between the Executive and the Legislative Branch is critically important.  I believe that there need to be continued speeches that are going to be given by the Executive Branch to explain our counterterrorism programs. I  think there is a misimpression on the part of some of American people who believe that we take strikes to punish terrorists for past transgressions --  nothing could be further from the truth. We only take such actions as a last resort to save lives when there's no other alternative to taking an action that's going to mitigate that threat.  So we will need to make sure that there is an understanding. And the people that were standing up here today, I think they really have a misunderstanding of what we do as a government , and the care that we take , and the agony that we go through to make sure that we do not have any collateral injuries or deaths.  And as the Chairman said earlier, the need to be able to go out and say that publicly and openly, I think , is critically important , because people are reacting to a lot of falsehoods that are out there. And I do see it as part of my obligation , and I think it's the obligation of this Committee, to make sure  the truth is known to the American public and to the world.

 Does is really appear Brennan's been open or honest?  Not at all, not in light of the new drone report.  Chris Woods appears today on Democracy Now! to discuss the new report.

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