Onion Peels 0

The other day, I heard a caller to a radio show predict that getting to the bottom of the current rumors of a CIA assassination program would be like peeling an onion.

He based that, he said, on his experience as a contractor in Central America some years ago. Contracted to do what, he would not say. But I know from acquaintances of mine who were in Central America in that period that a lot of stuff that we never heard of went on during “drug interdictions” in Central America.

First, he predicted, we would learn that it was authorized to work in a wider field than currently reported.

Next, he predicted, we would learn that it wasn’t just in the planning stages. Rather, it had been “operationalized.”

Next, he predicted, we would learn that, not only had it been operationalized, it had actually assassinated people.

Then, he predicted, we would find that, not only had it assassinated people, but that it had assassinated the wrong people. For the wrong reasons.

Well, we’ve reached step one:

Reporter Joby Warrick added: “The finding imposed no geographical limitations on the agency’s actions, and intelligence officials have said that they were not obliged to notify Congress of each operation envisaged under the directive.”

This revelation, buried in paragraph 12 of the Post’s report, was highlighted by Talking Points Memo’s Zachary Roth later in the afternoon.

“‘No geographical limitations’ presumably means that operations could potentially be carried out in countries, friendly or unfriendly, that are far from any war zone — including even the US itself,” he opined. “And it seems likely that they would be carried out without notifying the foreign country in question.”