The Politico discusses a 50 minute interrogation:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Sunday defended the decision to read alleged bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights after just 50 minutes of interrogation, saying that “FBI interrogators believe they got valuable intelligence and were able to get all that they could out of him.”

“That decision was made by the Justice Department and the FBI by experienced FBI interrogators, Gibbs said on “Fox News Sunday.” “But make no mistake — Abdulmutallab was interrogated and valuable information was gotten by those experienced interrogators.” After he was read his rights, Abdulmutallab stopped cooperating with investigators. “The Department of Justice made the right decision, as did those FBI agents,” Gibbs said.

White House adviser David Axelrod, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” also dismissed “this notion that he was lawyered up and didn’t give us information.” “Many of the people who are criticizing us now were celebrating” criminal trials for terrorists held under President George W. Bush, said Axelrod

The Washington Post on KSM’s rather lengthier discussions with US officials:

In 2005 and 2006, the bearded, pudgy man who calls himself the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks discussed a wide variety of subjects, including Greek philosophy and al-Qaeda dogma. In one instance, he scolded a listener for poor note-taking and his inability to recall details of an earlier lecture.

Speaking in English, Mohammed “seemed to relish the opportunity, sometimes for hours on end, to discuss the inner workings of al-Qaeda and the group’s plans, ideology and operatives,” said one of two sources who described the sessions, speaking on the condition of anonymity because much information about detainee confinement remains classified. “He’d even use a chalkboard at times.”…

“He wrote us an essay” on al-Qaeda’s nuclear ambitions, the official said. “Not all of it was accurate, but it was quite extensive.” Mohammed was an unparalleled source in deciphering al-Qaeda’s strategic doctrine, key operatives and likely targets, the summary said, including describing in “considerable detail the traits and profiles” that al-Qaeda sought in Western operatives and how the terrorist organization might conduct surveillance in the United States.

Feel free to decide for yourself which approach better serves the intelligence-gathering needs of the US. For what it’s worth, the Washington Post publicly changed its previous editorial position on the administration’s handling of the matter and now says: “The administration claims Mr. Abdulmutallab provided valuable information…before he clammed up. This was immediately after he was read his Miranda rights and provided with a court-appointed lawyer. The truth is, we may never know whether the administration made the right call or whether it squandered a valuable opportunity.”

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