the cia's gift to conspiracy theorists

from robert baer: The CIA has proved, once again, that the cover up is worse than the crime. Or at least let's hope that's the case.

CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden has admitted that in 2005 the CIA destroyed two videotapes of interrogations of al-Qaeda prisoners, including a central figure in 9/11, Abu Zubaydah...

What other evidence has the CIA destroyed? And can the CIA be trusted to tell us? The CIA had told the 9/11 Commission, when it formally requested such materials, that there was no taping of interrogations...

I would find it very difficult to believe the CIA would deliberately destroy evidence material to the 9/11 investigation, evidence that would cover up a core truth, such as who really was behind 9/11. On the other hand I have to wonder what space-time continuum the CIA exists in, if they weren't able to grasp what a field day the 9/11 conspiracy theorists are going to have with this — especially at a time when trust for the government is plumbing new depths.

I myself have felt the pull of the conspiracy theorists — who believe that 9/11 was an inside job, somehow pulled off by the U.S. government. For the record, I don't believe that the World Trade Center was brought down by our own explosives, or that a rocket, rather than an airliner, hit the Pentagon. I spent a career in the CIA trying to orchestrate plots, wasn't all that good at it, and certainly couldn't carry off 9/11. Nor could the real pros I had the pleasure to work with.

Still, the people who think 9/11 was an inside job might easily be able to believe that Abu Zubaydah named his American accomplices in the tape that has now been destroyed by the CIA...

If this sounds like paranoia, it is. But the CIA certainly is not helping by destroying evidence. And they should know better than to destroy evidence in the biggest criminal case in American history. More than anything what we need right now is complete and total transparency on 9/11.

related: inquiry into cia interrogation tapes' destruction begins
from raw story: On Saturday, the Department of Justice and the Central Intelligence Agency’s internal watchdog launched a joint inquiry into the spy agency’s destruction of videotapes showing interrogations of top Al Qaeda operatives.

According to the New York Times, “Investigators will gather facts to determine whether a full inquiry is warranted. If it is ultimately determined that any agency employee broke the law, the standard procedure would be for [CIA inspector general John] Helgerson to issue a criminal referral to the Justice Department.”

update: robert baer suggests saudis could stage terror in america to instigate iran attack
from paul joseph watson: Former CIA veteran Robert Baer has suggested that a withdrawal from the possibility of striking Iran could be reversed if a terror attack was to take place in America - and he fingered America's ally Saudi Arabia as the most likely perpetrator of any such attack. Baer also questioned why the U.S. and its allies continue to protect individuals who consorted with the alleged mastermind of 9/11 before the attacks... Elaborating on this during an appearance on The Alex Jones Show yesterday, Baer pointed out that the alleged masterminds behind 9/11 were all being protected by the U.S. government and its allies before the attacks.

robert baer on the alex jones show on december 6, 2007 (5.86mb MP3)