Learning from Nixon's mistake

The CIA's new initials are CYA, it seems:

The CIA can now identify the number of videotapes that were destroyed," Acting US Attorney Lev Dassin wrote in his letter dated March 2 to New York Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

"Ninety-two videotapes were destroyed."

The tapes reportedly showed "war on terror" Al-Qaeda suspects undergoing waterboarding, in which prisoners are subjected to a process of simulated drowning that is widely considered torture.

In December 2007, then CIA chief Michael Hayden disclosed the existence of tapes showing the interrogations of two Al-Qaeda suspects, made in 2002 and destroyed in 2005 to protect the identity of agency operatives.

There seems to be a typo in that last bolded part -- should read, "to protect the liberty of agency operatives." Protect it from prolonged penal confinement.

I keep expecting al-Qaeda to videotape waterboardings of its victims before beheading them, but happily, they haven't gotten that smart yet.

92 tapes ... = 92 interrogations, I wonder? Of how many people? Perhaps we'll find out.