THE H.I.G.

The White House idea of wrestling the investigation procedures from the CIA, and giving it to a newly formed group, "The High Value Detainee Interrogation Group" (H.I.G), smacks National Security right in the face. The group will be composed of interrogators from several agencies, including CIA operatives, and it will be answering to the FBI, which will in turn be subjected to the WH based National Security Council.

The FBI, as we all know, gathers information for criminal proceedings in domestic courts, and does not have the relationship with foreign intelligence that will allow its personnel to fish out adequate information from various sources to sufficiently question terrorist suspects; and therefore, when it comes to Intelligence gathering, the FBI will fall short, because that is not what it is designed for.

Bringing other agencies in to do the job they are not fully trained for will only complicate matters. Some scraps of CIA know-how, they say, will be thrown in to make it sufficient for the interrogation of High-Value detainees that have serious information needed to deter mishaps; perhaps, another 9/11 attack.

It will be the case of "too many cooks spoiling the broth"; and it must be left for the new CIA Director Leon Penetta to be at the helm of any such group that will be responsible for conducting the interrogation of terrorists. He already has access to President Obama, and also to the National Security Council through the WH. Therefore, the scenario of going round in circles to get vital information to protect the nation does not seem reassuring at all. It cannot be seen as making changes to improve methods to keep America safe.

It can only be viewed as making changes in techniques of interrogation to prevent any kind of abuse or torture, as the case may be, of terrorists who are determined to use any means at their disposal to destroy the United States. It seems like a political maneuver to appease the left of the Democratic Party. They, the leftist organizations, think of their party first before the nation; hence, their recent attacks of the CIA.

For the safety of all Americans and the security of the nation, the CIA must be permitted to do its work, as has been intended by previous governments, with no interference from the left of the Democratic Party.