11 attacks represented an intelligence failure, as opposed to a lapse on the part of policymakers who dragged their feet in responding to the flashing warning signs. Through the interviews, certain memes recur almost comically, such as a montage of multiple subjects saying in regard to terrorism, “You can’t kill your way out of this.” Ultimately, the questions boil down to determining the CIA’s proper role in a world where terrorism remains a perpetual concern, from the propriety and efficacy of torture (or “enhanced interrogation techniques,” to use the more benign-sounding term) to the morality of drone strikes that can kill from afar.īeyond torture, officials re-litigate whether the Sept.
SPYMASTERS CIA IN THE CROSSHAIRS HOW TO
11 attacks – namely, how to balance constitutional protections against the desire for security against an amorphous threat. Not surprisingly, the officials, cutting across presidential administrations, harbor sharply divided views about the question that has lingered since the Sept. Written by Chris Whipple and directed by brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet (whose credits include CBS’ memorable “9/11”), the Thanksgiving-weekend telecast secured interviews with all 12 surviving CIA directors, including the current occupant of that seat, John Brennan. Still well worth watching, it’s at least a step toward the ethical conversation that, as these chiefs note, America needs to have. Produced by CBS News for its sister network, the special boasts extraordinary access to heads of the agency and key subordinates, but feels overproduced and slightly unfocused, only sporadically zeroing in on its central premise: “A battle for the soul of the CIA,” as narrator Mandy Patinkin intones, where the rules of engagement remain unclear. Essentially constructed as a documentary companion to “Homeland,” “ Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs” is exceedingly timely but less compelling than it should be.
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