House Speaker Pelosi just needs to shut up. In her press conference last week she made the claim that the CIA “misled” her in September of 2002 and was not told that water boarding was being done, especially on Abu Zubaydah. Friday, after Speaker Pelosi’s grandstand, CIA Director Leon Panetta stated, “CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing ‘the enhanced techniques that have been employed’”.
According the law of the land, it is a crime to lie or mislead Congress. If this is the case, why is it okay then for Speaker Pelosi is able to stand there and lie to the American Public? The surprising message being lost here is the lack of defense of Speaker Pelosi by the White House. Why might this be?
Perhaps it is because the CIA did let Congress know of the techniques being used to ferret out information. On CNN’s State of the Union, Rep. John Boehner said, “If the speaker is accusing the CIA and other intelligence officials of lying or misleading the Congress, then she should come forward with evidence and turn that over to the Justice Department so they be prosecuted. And if that is not the case, I think she ought to apologize to our intelligence professionals around the world.”
As I am writing a promo came on MSNBC for Hardball. Chris Matthews’s teaser put forth the question if the Republican Party is using the Pelosi CIA attack as a distraction to Bush era policy. Now, I understand that Chris Matthews is a commentary but many people in our realm feel he is a news reporter. Why doesn’t the liberal media focus on Pelosi’s retort to CIA Panetta’s charge that she was given full disclosure?
Speaker Pelosi shifted her focus from the CIA to the Bush administration when she put out the statement last Friday, “My criticism of the manner in which the Bush administration did not appropriately inform Congress is separate from my respect for those in the intelligence community who work to keep our country safe.” Really? Is Speaker Pelosi for real? As it has been reported, she first claimed that she was never briefed only to later soften her stance then to an outright blast of the CIA.
It was the role of the CIA to inform Congress of the techniques used, which according to CIA Panetta was done in September 2002. I would love to see a truth commission as it will bring to light to truth. My only concern is if the media will report the facts and not add their bias.
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The thing that I really dislike about this story is that there are so many more important things going on in the world.
ReplyDeleteHow about we stop looking back 7 years to a remote incident that really may only affect how Californians vote next time around, and instead focus on stories of today that actually matter to most Americans? Unfortunately the media caught this divisive little story and stirred the pot because they knew it was a ratings winner. And guess what... all the pundits are split on party lines... how surprising!
But here are some thoughts, in no particular order:
*Nancy Pelosi should shut it.
*The CIA should shut it too. They don't really have a great track record of being completely open and honest with anyone... let alone the ones signing the checks (Congress). I'm not suggesting they lied, I'm just saying I don't trust them to be completely open and honest about everything. Then again, I don't trust politicians completely either.
*Neither side really wants a truth commission, do they? My guess is it's a Pandora's Box that's filled with nastiness on both sides that may have greater consequences to a greater number of people. It may even turn into (if it hasn't already) the great Red scare of the 50's.
*The White House should not get wrapped up in an issue of one senator's defense unless they are named specifically. It's not their fight. It's a different branch of the government, it's a different administration, and there needs to be some separation. Plus, there's been so much turnover since 2002 that there's very little to be won.
*Republicans are absolutely using this controversy to distract, at least in part. The second reason is that Republicans have been bashing the Speaker for years and would love to turn the knife a little more. Why not use everything they have to rally support for the Republican cause, especially when their poll numbers are WAY down? If I were a Republican congressman, I probably would too.
And, by the way, I think the Republicans should shut it too.
*It's a big, huge, complex issue... and Nancy Pelosi I'm sure has big, huge, complex emotions and thoughts about it all. Why can't she respect the intelligence community for their actions in keeping us all safe? Even if the CIA misinformed, wasn't completely open and honest, or outright lied to Congress, that doesn't necessarily mean that Pelosi dislikes everything the CIA does on a day to day basis. But, as I stated before, she should really just shut it.
But, call it as you see it. If you want to use your energy by being angry about it, then by all means go ahead. I'm sure that the 24 hours news stations will thank you for it, as they are far from shutting it. But unless you can get San Francisco to not vote for a Dem, then it probably won't matter anyway.
And now that I've said my piece on this "much ado about nothing" controversy, I'll shut it too...
Pat
ReplyDeleteAgreed that Pandora’s Box has been opened which started when President Obama ordered the closing of Gitmo detention center. Then lifted the lid further with the releasing of CIA memos on enhanced torture techniques. After a stink was raised by Vice President Cheney about the release of memos that would vindicate the use of the techniques and not one foreign government willing to take any prisoners, the Obama White House is doing an about face while adopting Bush era policy.
You are correct that the bigger story is being missed and the mainstream media will not report on it. The bigger story is the naïve stance President Obama has on foreign policy. The smart thing thus far is the White House’s renewed attempt at “looking forward” instead of looking backwards.
On a side note, I am trying to find the exact quote and original story that no one in the drive-by media is covering. That story is President Obama’s own admittance that his budget is not working and will do great harm to America’s future. Apparently is said to a group of people in San Francisco over the weekend.