Who in his right mind would write professional liability insurance for a CIA agent, especially one involved with interrogations of suspected terrorists? According to an article in “The New Yorker,” at least one unnamed carrier is doing just that. How would such coverage even function in this outlaw world of renegade spies, facing little or no legal restraints when manhandling enemy combatants or eavesdropping on phone calls and e-mails? Read on and weigh in, if you dare!

This all came up while I was reading a rather disturbing piece by Jane Mayer in the Aug. 13 edition, headlined “The Black Sites: A rare look inside the CIA's secret interrogation program,” when the following paragraph jumped out at me.

“A former CIA officer, who supports the agency's detention and interrogation policies, said he worried that, if the full story of the CIA program ever surfaced, agency personnel could face criminal prosecution. Within the agency, he said, there is a 'high level of anxiety about political retribution' for the interrogation program. If congressional hearings begin, he said, 'several guys expect to be thrown under the bus.'”