The CIA is punking the Senate. Here's how the Senate can fight back.

On the question of torture in the Bush era, it's time for Dianne Feinstein to show some leadership

Feinstein
(Image credit: (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite))

The CIA's monthslong battle with the Senate has reached a new impasse, this time over the release of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, or SSCI, report on the CIA's torture of terrorism suspects during the Bush years. In about the most blatant conflict of interest imaginable, the CIA was allowed to redact the report about its own war crimes — and to precisely no one's surprise, the spy agency blacked it out into gibberish.

In a statement, Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) said "strategically placed redactions can make a narrative incomprehensible," and that redactions should not be made merely to "cover up acts that could embarrass the agency." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the committee chair, delayed the release of the report, saying it can't be made public in its current, incomprehensible form.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.