Leave it to the intrepid Larisa Alexandrovna to ferret out a key piece of information–the torture tapes were not destroyed in 2005. Just take time to read the letter U.S. Attorneys, Novak and Raskin, sent to the Federal Court on 23 October 2007.
Especially check out page 2, paragraph2 of the letter. The U.S. Attorneys “viewed the video tape and transcript . . . of the interview” in September 2007.
Sure would appear that Jose A. Rodriguez did not destroy anything. How can you watch a destroyed tape? Way to go Larisa.
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I would also like to know what the hell the CIA, supposedly the implementer of the absolute cutting edge in equipment was doing using 'tapes' in 2002? I think I threw out my VHS in 2001, and I was on a student's budget!
December 10, 2007 8:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
They might have been mini DV tapes. Those are currently in use by a large swath of pro videographers.
December 10, 2007 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Very true, thought of that right after I posted, Mini DV is still a psuedo-standard due to lack of popularity of digital media and flash to win over top pro's.
But for some reason imagining CIA operatives running around with mini-DV handy-cams like that annoying uncle at family gatherings just makes me chuckle...
December 10, 2007 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm.... What did they destroy then? And where's the paper trail for that?
Alice in Wonderland was nothing like this!
I wonder what else they've got squirreled away there....
December 10, 2007 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was thinking last Friday that the chances of those tapes actually being destroyed are fairly slim. Somebody somewhere has a copy - if for no other reason than to whack off to it.
December 10, 2007 9:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why just 'two tapes?'
Why just these two in particular?
December 10, 2007 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I can't definitively say who scooped the story, but Skeeter Sanders of OpEdNews.com posted U.S. Attorney Says Two CIA Interrogation Tapes Still Exist on December 9. Sanders' post gives much more context than does Larisa Alexandrovna in her short post dated December 10.
December 10, 2007 12:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, Larisa first posted on this on 8 December. Anticipated apology accepted.
http://www.atlargely.com/2007/12/the-cia-tapes-c.html#more
December 10, 2007 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please see my misplaced reply below.
December 10, 2007 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, we are back to reliance on Rule No. 1, the key to understanding the Bush Administration. That rule, of course, is that every thing said by a member of this administration is a lie. When you keep that simple rule in your mind you can actually understand much of what they say.
Hoppy in Sacramento
December 10, 2007 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
hoppycalif2 said:
I don't trust the military people the Bush gang appoints either.
December 10, 2007 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
How does anyone know which tapes are the ones they are talking about in the letter relative to the ones which are now supposedly destroyed? Are they being deliberately obtuse? I am shocked!
Jan
December 10, 2007 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I make errors, but I did not miss the posting dates in question.
I was careful to state that I can't say who scooped the story. I haven't even seem a claim by either author of having scooped the story. Larisa, in her post cited in your comment above (Continue reading "The CIA tapes continued..." »), credits a reader for pointing out the dates discrepancies.
Readers may compare news and blog coverage and reach their own conclusions. I have no desire to play reporters and bloggers looking into the questions against one another.
I don't see that I should apologize for anything.
December 10, 2007 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
The above was a reply to ljohnson's reply (link) to my comment. I reloaded and dislodged my nest. Fallibility struck. I apologize for any inconvenience.
December 10, 2007 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hard to believe all copies would be destroyed and that there were only two. Has anyone checked Cheney's "man-safe"?
December 10, 2007 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Larry,
Who is this guy claiming to have waterboarded Al Qaeda leaders? How can he just pop up out of the blue to defend the practice while claiming he "struggles" with it? Seems kinda fishy to me.
Any thoughts?
December 11, 2007 6:23 AM | Reply | Permalink