Behind Obama’s Interrogation Order

President Obama’s outlawing of harsh interrogation techniques was praised by liberals and human-rights activists, but apparently they’re not as jubilant over at the C.I.A. In an interview with Jane Mayer at The New Yorker, new White House Counsel Greg Craig says that at the Agency, “They disagree in some respect.” It’s unclear if the C.I.A. will have to abide the same rules as the military, but Craig says that Obama “is somewhat sympathetic to the spies’ argument that their mission and circumstances are different.” Craig reveals that, during the transition, “Obama’s legal, intelligence, and national-security advisers visited Langley for two long sessions with current and former intelligence-community members.” He goes on to say that “There was unanimity among Obama’s expert advisers that to change the practices would not in any material way affect the collection of intelligence.”