# So What Is the Super Secret Bush Spy Program? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 13, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836 "2009-07-13T05:07:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/1 "2009-07-13T05:07:42Z")
So what do you think the spy prgram Panetta just canceled was? A death squad, a surveilance method, or what? My guess is that it was death squad authorized to kill suspected terrorist leaders in countries that were not cooperating with the US. My second guess is that it was a means for monitoring all cell phone communications in the US and doing some sort of data mining by looking at who called who and trying to tie it back to known terrorist contacts. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/2 "2009-07-13T05:24:13Z")
This is a poll, not a debate. I am going to leave it here for a while in case a debate breaks out, but if one does not, it is off to IMHO. [/Modding] ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/3 "2009-07-13T06:34:00Z")
Maybe you should just close it. The [news](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124736381913627661.html)seems to be breaking. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/4 "2009-07-13T07:46:15Z")
I don’t think a CIA plan to capture or kill Al Queda leaders was illegal, secret or controversial. So I think that the WSJ article does not reveal anything new. Panetta seems to have uncovered something that was secret, illegal and would be highly controversial if known. Seymour Hersh’s reporting on a secret assassination squad that reported only to Cheney is probably closer to being on target. And the implication is that the targets were not what would otherwise be legitimate Al Queda targets. We might see. He is going to report to Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/5 "2009-07-13T08:11:21Z")
I find it mind boggling that assassination of mass murderers would be of higher questionable morality than torturing mid-level grunts. I’d guess that the operation didn’t get off the ground because they never found anyone, not because anyone actually felt it was a bad and evil thing. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/6 "2009-07-13T11:15:01Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > My second guess is that it was a means for monitoring all cell phone communications in the US and doing some sort of data mining by looking at who called who and trying to tie it back to known terrorist contacts. Isn’t this just the [ECHELON](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/503224.stm) program that’s been in place since the 90s? ---
**Author:** ![Burton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Burton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burton)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/7 "2009-07-13T13:12:07Z")
Its hard to see how something like what’s being speculated on could take more than 8 years to become operational. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/8 "2009-07-13T14:56:27Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > I don’t think a CIA plan to capture or kill Al Queda leaders was illegal, secret or controversial. So I think that the WSJ article does not reveal anything new. Panetta seems to have uncovered something that was secret, illegal and would be highly controversial if known. I agree. I cannot see why assassinating Al Qaeda leaders would need to be kept secret from Congress. Hell, why keep it secret from the American people? Be sort of our own terror campaign back at the terrorists, win points with the public here and so on. Heck, I figured we’d be doing that all along anyway. Kind of the point being over there. Whatever it is I think it has to be something more controversial. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/9 "2009-07-13T15:07:06Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Isn’t this just the [ECHELON](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/503224.stm) program that’s been in place since the 90s? But I think Echelon was restricted to foreign calls or calls in which one side was foreign. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/10 "2009-07-13T16:23:03Z")
If it was nothing but a program to assassinate AlQ leaders, they wouldn’t be hiding it, they would be flaunting it, they would be trumpeting it to the skies about how the libdems were undermining national security and were too wimpy and weak to make the hard decisions. They’re hiding something. They wouldn’t need to keep it from Leon Panetta if thats what it was. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/11 "2009-07-13T16:24:42Z")
My thread got moved to IMHO. Like I ever had a humble opinion. Grumble, grumble. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-is-the-super-secret-bush-spy-program/502836/12 "2009-07-13T18:12:35Z")
“secret, illegal and would be highly controversial if known”? Ok, here’s my Wild-A\*\*\*\*-Guess: A secret program of moles who were told to **actually kill or help kill Americans** in order to secure unquestionable cover within Al-Queda and other terrorist groups.