After days of public debate over his release of the so-called “torture memos,” President Barack Obama on Monday sought to reassure CIA employees that he understood the anxiety some felt over his ban on certain harsh interrogation techniques.
Obama also stressed that he is committed to protecting national security secrets — but said the release of the secret documents prepared by the Bush Justice Department was “the result of a pending court case” that left his administration with little room to maneuver.
“I understand that it’s hard when you are asked to protect the American people against people who have no scruples and would willingly and gladly kill innocents. Al-Qaida’s not constrained by a constitution,” Obama said in his first visit to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. “What makes the United States special and what makes you special is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values even when it’s hard.”
“You’ve got a harder job, and so do I. And that’s okay,” he said. “Over the long term, that’s why I believe we will defeat our enemies: because we’re on the better side of history.”
Obama’s remarks came amid mounting criticism from both the left and the right over the White House’s decision to release the memos prepared by the Bush Justice Department, while simultaneously ruling out the possibility of prosecuting officials implicated in torture. - Politico Story
No you don't. You have caused a majority of that pain. In a not so nice world of Terrorism, you have tied the hands of the men and women who are tasked with trying to protect all of us.
How can you feel their pain?
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