CIA: Pelosi Briefed on Use of 'Enhanced Interrogations'

[6.8SPC_DUMP]

CIA Says Pelosi Was Briefed on Use of 'Enhanced Interrogations'
By Paul Kane

Intelligence officials released documents this evening saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use of harsh interrogation tactics against al-Qaeda prisoners, seemingly contradicting her repeated statements over the past 18 months that she was never told that these techniques were actually being used.

In a 10-page memo outlining an almost seven-year history of classified briefings, intelligence officials said that Pelosi and then-Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.) were the first two members of Congress ever briefed on the interrogation tactics. Then the ranking member and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, respectively, Pelosi and Goss were briefed Sept. 4, 2002, one week before the first anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The memo, issued by the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency to Capitol Hill, notes the Pelosi-Goss briefing covered "EITs including the use of EITs on Abu Zubaydah." EIT is an acronym for enhanced interrogation technique. Zubaydah was one of the earliest valuable al-Qaeda members captured and the first to have the controversial tactic known as water boarding used against him.

The issue of what Pelosi knew and when she knew it has become a matter of heated debate on Capitol Hill. Republicans have accused her of knowing for many years precisely the techniques CIA agents were using in interrogations, and only protesting the tactics when they became public and liberal antiwar activists protested.

In a carefully worded statement, Pelosi's office said today that she had never been briefed about the use of waterboarding, only that it had been approved by Bush administration lawyers as a legal technique to use in interrogations.

"As this document shows, the Speaker was briefed only once, in September 2002. The briefers described these techniques, said they were legal, but said that waterboarding had not yet been used," said Brendan Daly, Pelosi's spokesman.

Pelosi's statement did not address whether she was informed that other harsh techniques were already in use during the Zubaydah interrogations.

In December 2007 the Washington Post reported that leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees had been briefed in the fall of 2002 about waterboarding -- which simulates drowning -- and other techniques, and that no congressional leaders protested its use. At the time Pelosi said she was not told that waterboarding was being used, a position she stood by repeatedly last month when the Bush-era Justice Department legal documents justifying the interrogation tactics were released by Attorney General Eric Holder.

The new memo shows that intelligence officials were willing to share the information about waterboarding with only a sharply closed group of people. Three years after the initial Pelosi-Goss briefing, Bush officials still limited interrogation technique briefings to just the chairman and ranking member of the House and Senate intelligence committees, the so-called Gang of Four in the intelligence world.

In October 2005, CIA officials began briefing other congressional leaders with oversight of the intelligence community, including top appropriators who provided the agency its annual funding. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a prisoner-of-war in Vietnam and an opponent of torture techniques, was also read into the program at that time even though he did not hold a special committee position overseeing the intelligence community.

A bipartisan collection of lawmakers have criticized the practice of limiting information to just the "Gang of Four", who were expressly forbidden from talking about the information from other colleagues, including fellow members of the intelligence committees. Pelosi and others are considering reforms that would assure a more open process for all committee members.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/05/cia_says_pelosi_was_briefed_on.html

[SF_BHT]

OK Lets list all, ALL the Dems and Rep's that knew. It was not Palosi and one or two more. They are all now acting like it is such a scandal and they are pandering for Political Press. I Hate Politicians.:mad:

[Utah Bob]

OK Lets list all, ALL the Dems and Rep's that knew. It was not Palosi and one or two more. They are all now acting like it is such a scandal and they are pandering for Political Press. I Hate Politicians.:mad:

Yup. A lot of sanctimonious "Harrumphing" going on in Congress right now.
Reminds me of Casablanca, when Captain Renault shut down Rick's Cafe Americain for illegal gambling then collected his winnings.
"I'm Shocked to discover that gambling is taking place here!!"

[Ret10Echo]

A partial list of those who may have found themselves in a position to "hear" something (and they told two friends..and so on and so on......)

My Google-Fu is a little weak trying to reach back beyond the 109th for the House membership.....

Members of the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,

111th Congress:

Silvestre Reyes, Chairman, Texas
Alcee L. Hastings, Florida
Anna G. Eshoo, California
Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland
John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
Mike Thompson, California
Jan Schakowsky, Illinois
James Langevin, Rhode Island
Patrick Murphy, Pennsylvania
Adam Schiff, California
Adam Smith, Washington
Dan Boren, Oklahoma
Peter Hoekstra, Ranking Member, Michigan
Elton Gallegly, California
Mac Thornberry, Texas
Mike J. Rogers, Michigan
Sue Myrick, North Carolina
Roy Blunt, Missouri
Jeff Miller, Florida
John Kline, Minnesota
K. Michael Conaway, Texas

Ex officio
Nancy Pelosi, California
John Boehner, Ohio

Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,
110th Congress

Silvestre Reyes (Texas), Chairman
Alcee L. Hastings (Fla.)
Leonard L. Boswell (Iowa)
Bud Cramer (Ala.)
Anna G. Eshoo (Calif.)
Rush D. Holt (N.J.)
Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.)
John Tierney (Mass.)
Mike Thompson (Calif.)
Jan Schakowsky (Ill.)
Jim Langevin (R.I.)
Patrick Murphy (Pa.)
Peter Hoekstra (Mich.), Ranking Member
Terry Everett (Ala.)
Heather Wilson (N.M.)
Mac Thornberry (Texas)
John McHugh (N.Y.)
Todd Tiahrt (Kan.)
Mike J. Rogers (Mich.)
Rick Renzi (Ariz.)
Darrell Issa (Calif.)

109th Congress (2005-2006)

Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,

Jane Harman (Calif.)
Alcee L. Hastings (Fla.)
Silvestre Reyes (Texas)
Leonard L. Boswell (Iowa)
Bud Cramer (Ala.)
Anna G. Eshoo (Calif.)
Rush D. Holt (N.J.)
Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.)
John Tierney (Mass.)
Peter Hoekstra (Mich.), Chairman
Ray LaHood (Ill.)
Terry Everett (Ala.)
Elton Gallegly (Calif.)
Heather Wilson (N.M.)
Jo Ann Davis (Va.)
Mac Thornberry (Texas)
John McHugh (N.Y.)
Todd Tiahrt (Kan.)
Mike Rogers (Mich.)
Rick Renzi (Ariz.)
Darrell Issa (Calif.)

Senate Intelligence Committee Membership 107th – 111th Congress (2001 – present)

2009-2010

Dianne Feinstein, California
Chairman Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Vice Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Richard Burr, North Carolina
Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin
Tom Coburn, Oklahoma
Bill Nelson, Florida
James Risch, Idaho
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island

Harry Reid, Nevada, Ex Officio
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky, Ex Officio
Carl Levin, Michigan, Ex Officio
John McCain, Arizona, Ex Officio


2007-2008

John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia
Chairman Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Vice Chairman Dianne Feinstein, California
John Warner, Virginia
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Orrin Hatch, Utah
Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Bill Nelson, Florida
Richard Burr, North Carolina
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island

Harry Reid, Nevada, Ex Officio
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky, Ex Officio
Carl Levin, Michigan, Ex Officio
John McCain, Arizona, Ex Officio

2006

Pat Roberts, Kansas
Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia
Vice Chairman Orrin G. Hatch, Utah
Carl Levin, Michigan
Mike DeWine, Ohio
Dianne Feinstein, California
Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Trent Lott, Mississippi
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
Russell D. Feingold, Wisconsin
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia

Bill Frist, Tennessee, Ex Officio
Harry Reid, Nevada, Ex Officio
John Warner, Virginia, Ex Officio


2005

Pat Roberts, Kansas
Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV,
West Virginia
Vice Chairman
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah
Carl Levin, Michigan
Mike DeWine, Ohio
Dianne Feinstein, California
Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Trent Lott, Mississippi
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
Jon Corzine, New Jersey
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia

Bill Frist, Tennessee, Ex Officio
Harry Reid, Nevada, Ex Officio
John Warner, Virginia, Ex Officio


2003-2004

Pat Roberts, Kansas
Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia
Vice Chairman
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah
Carl Levin, Michigan
Mike DeWine, Ohio
Dianne Feinstein, California
Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Trent Lott, Mississippi
Richard Durbin, Illinois
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
John Edwards, North Carolina
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
Barbara Mikulski, Maryland
John Warner, Virginia


Bill Frist, Tennessee, Ex Officio
Thomas A. Daschle, South Dakota, Ex Officio

2001-2002

Bob Graham, Florida
Chairman Richard C. Shelby, Alabama
Vice Chairman
Carl Levin, Michigan Jon Kyl, Arizona
John D. Rockefeller IV, West Virginia
James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma
Dianne Feinstein, California
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Pat Roberts, Kansas
Richard Durbin, Illinois
Mike DeWine, Ohio
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Fred Thompson, Tennessee
John Edwards, North Carolina
Richard G. Lugar, Indiana
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland

Thomas A. Daschle, South Dakota Ex Officio
Trent Lott, Mississippi Ex Officio

[csquare]

"Either the speaker has a veracity problem or an incompetence problem and it could be both," Blakeman told FOX News. "The fact of the matter is she was briefed and she was hoping that the top secret nature of these briefings would shield her from this information coming out."

I would lean towards incompetence more and then sprinkle in her factual belief of the truth.

[longrange1947]

I don't care who was briefed. Since ONE was briefed they ALL knew it. Congress can't keep a secret for more than the time it takes to walk/call/text their next friend to show how "In the Know" they are.

Screw them all and their sanctimonious crap. They are now more guilty of spineless weaseling and quibbling then anyone in my lifetime.

[Red Flag 1]

I don't care who was briefed. Since ONE was briefed they ALL knew it. Congress can't keep a secret for more than the time it takes to walk/call/text their next friend to show how "In the Know" they are.

Screw them all and their sanctimonious crap. They are now more guilty of spineless weaseling and quibbling then anyone in my lifetime.

YUP!!!

Also of note, Ret10Echo did not list a party affiliation in his long list....that is as it should be. Spineless crosses all party lines.

My $.02.

RF 1

[18DWife]

Am I the only One who gets more and more depressed as each day passes :(

And Pelosi is a C*%#:rolleyes:

[Red Flag 1]

Am I the only One who gets more and more depressed as each day passes :(

And Pelosi is a C*%#:rolleyes:

I limit mysefl to no more than one hour a day of "political" news. More than that, and my critters run away and hide.....including the ones in the fish tank:D.

You are not alone 18DWife!

Be well.

RF 1

[greenberetTFS]

I don't care who was briefed. Since ONE was briefed they ALL knew it. Congress can't keep a secret for more than the time it takes to walk/call/text their next friend to show how "In the Know" they are.

Screw them all and their sanctimonious crap. They are now more guilty of spineless weaseling and quibbling then anyone in my lifetime.

LR,

How true,how true........:eek: These weasels, as you so called them, and rightfully so are our fearless leaders whether we like it or not.....:rolleyes: How we will ever manage to survive will truly be a miracle...........:p

GB TFS :munchin

[Utah Bob]

I saw her denying she was ever told.
Looked just like Bill Clinton in his denial statement.

[Box]

...its amazing how congress can somehow have knowledge of what bathroom stall another congressmen uses to play with his ding-a-ling, but somehow the fact that they knew about terrorists pulled from the battlefield were being "tortured" seemed to have Completely slipped in under the radar...

[greenberetTFS]

...its amazing how congress can somehow have knowledge of what bathroom stall another congressmen uses to play with his ding-a-ling, but somehow the fact that they knew about terrorists pulled from the battlefield were being "tortured" seemed to have Completely slipped in under the radar...

Billy,

Your far too soft on them today......:rolleyes: Where's that Billy who would have burned them a new asshole with his hardened heart....... :eek: Your getting to mellow in your recent posts...........;)

GB TFS :munchin

[180A]

Pelosi will be voted out and in 2012 we will have a new president. And you are correct, our congress should be tried for treason.

[Box]

Pelosi will be voted out and in 2012 we will have a new president.

I hope you are correct...
...unfortunately I don't have your level of positive thinking. I fear that speaker Pelosi has bought and paid for her seat for as long as she cares to sit in it. I also feel that the momentum of the current spin machine has not even started to show its potential. Under the leadership of the current crop of conservative republicans like Gen (ret) Colin Powell, the democrats could kill the Easter bunny on national TV the evening of 3 Nov 12 and still pull off a win.

I fear we are in for a long hard test of our 'national identity'.
...again from the bottom of my heart I hope you are correct.

Just my 2 cents, I hope I am wrong.

[Richard]

There's a reason Wahington, DC, is known in the world's political and intelligence circles as The City of Leaks - and they ain't talking about the plumbing. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

[Defender968]

I hope you are correct...
...unfortunately I don't have your level of positive thinking. I fear that speaker Pelosi has bought and paid for her seat for as long as she cares to sit in it. I also feel that the momentum of the current spin machine has not even started to show its potential. Under the leadership of the current crop of conservative republicans like Gen (ret) Colin Powell, the democrats could kill the Easter bunny on national TV the evening of 3 Nov 12 and still pull off a win.

I fear we are in for a long hard test of our 'national identity'.
...again from the bottom of my heart I hope you are correct.

Just my 2 cents, I hope I am wrong.

I concur with your conclusion on Mrs. Pelosi, and I share your feeling of impending challenges to our nation. With the current offensive against anything conservative from Vets to anti tax protesters the administration and it's lapdog the main stream media are consolidating and systematically trying to silence the voices of any and ALL critics, the world has seen this type of behavior many times before, but I would never have believed we would see it here in the US.

Like you I fear dark times are ahead, and again like you I hope I am wrong.

[Team Sergeant]

I do not find it hard to believe someone with pelosi's character lies like a snake, what I find difficult to understand how millions of "Americans" accept the blatant and deliberate lies???

You men and women of the US Secret Service would give your lives to defend individuals such as this???? And the "American" people think some in the US Military are "brain-washed"????

This is not the country or people I defended for 20 years.

Disgusting.

Team Sergeant

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

It takes no thought or thinking to know Ms POS is a bold face liar. It is a prime example of the "representation" of the people the sheep continually vote for.
Most of the People we defended for all those years (and still do) are not able to think beyond their noses. They will be subjugated as they are sheep.
Many,like Pelosi are no where near in touch with the common man and only represent themsevles and survive with Lies, lies, lies. Sorry carried away, Blitzzz

[greenberetTFS]

I do not find it hard to believe someone with pelosi's character lies like a snake, what I find difficult to understand how millions of "Americans" accept the blatant and deliberate lies???

You men and women of the US Secret Service would give your lives to defend individuals such as this???? And the "American" people think some in the US Military are "brain-washed"????

This is not the country or people I defended for 20 years.

Disgusting.

Team Sergeant

TS,

It's the same people and the same country you protected for those many years.....:D The problem is they've been mislead by the MSM and elected a man who truly believes he's their "Messiah". What's really funny is that he's the first POTUS that had purposely missed the National day of prayer meeting outside the WH stairs ,since it's been declared a National holiday.......If he's anything at all, he maybe the "anti-christ"!:eek:
We can't give up on the people,eventually they will catch on and dump his ass. Like Abe said,you can fool some of the people some of the time,but not all of the people all of the time ...............:(

GB TFS :munchin

[ZonieDiver]

TS,

It's the same people and the same country you protected for those many years.....:D The problem is they've been mislead by the MSM and elected a man who truly believes he's their "Messiah". What's really funny is that he's the first POTUS that had purposely missed the National day of prayer meeting outside the WH stairs ,since it's been declared a National holiday.......If he's anything at all, he maybe the "anti-christ"!:eek:
We can't give up on the people,eventually they will catch on and dump his ass. Like Abe said,you can fool some of the people some of the time,but not all of the people all of the time ...............:(

GB TFS :munchin

So true... however, to quote James Thurber, "You can fool too many of the people too much of the time"? That seems to be where we are today, and it appears to be getting worse.

[Box]

you dont have to fool ALL of the people...

...you only have to fool ENOUGH of the people.

[Defender968]

Mrs POSlosi's story has changed again, now the CIA lied to her, :rolleyes:. maybe if we're lucky she'll keep misremembering and lie err.....I mean misremember her way out of office.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/pelosi-reiterates-didnt-know-waterboarding-use/

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday accused the CIA of misleading Congress about its use of enhanced interrogation techniques used on terror detainees.

"Yes I am saying the CIA was misleading the Congress and at the same time the (Bush) administration was misleading the Congress on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, to which I said that this intelligence doesn't support the imminent threat," Pelosi said at her weekly news conference.

"Every step of the way the administration was misleading the Congress and that is the issue and that's why we need a truth commission," she added.

Under a barrage of questioning, Pelosi also again adamantly insisted that she was not aware that waterboarding or other enhanced interrogation techniques were being used on terrorism suspects and

"I am telling you they told me they approved these and said they wanted to use them but said they were not using waterboarding," she said.

Growing increasingly frustrated throughout the briefing, Pelosi slowly started backing away from the podium as she tried to end the questioning. As she backed out, she continued to accuse the CIA of not telling Congress that dissenting opinions had been filed within the administration suggesting the methods were not lawful.

Pelosi said she was only briefed once on the interrogation methods in September 2002 and acknowledged that her intelligence aide, Michael Sheehy, informed her about another briefing five months later in which Bush officials said waterboarding was being used on CIA terror detainee Abu Zubaydah.

Pelosi said she supported a letter drafted by Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who also attended the briefing in February 2003, and sent to the Bush administration, raising concerns over the technique.

Pelosi's account has changed several times in recent weeks as she has sought to clarify what she did or didn't know about these interrogation methods that she is pushing to investigate.

Pelosi said last month that she was never told that the controversial interrogation methods were being used. But a national intelligence report showed that she was briefed seven years ago on the tactics while she was on the House Intelligence Committee.

Her spokesman then said the speaker thought the techniques were legal and waterboarding was not used.

Democrats will hold a series of hearings on Justice Department memos released last month that justified rough tactics against detainees, including waterboarding, simulated drowning, and sleep deprviation.

While Democrats want the hearings to focus on what they call torture, Republicans have tried to turn the issue to their advantage by complaining that Pelosi and other Democrats knew of the tactics but didn't protest.

[armymom1228]

Mrs POSlosi's story has changed again, now the CIA lied to her, :rolleyes:. maybe if we're lucky she'll keep misremembering and lie err.....I mean misremember her way out of office.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/pelosi-reiterates-didnt-know-waterboarding-use/

Perhaps Ms Pelosi got her inspiration from Today, 5/14, issue of Non Sequitur.

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/

[longrange1947]

Perhaps Ms Pelosi got her inspiration from Today, 5/14, issue of Non Sequitur.

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/

No, I believe it is the other way around. :munchin

[Richard]

IMO this issue is going to do NP in - she's picked a political fight with the CIA which she can't win. Next stop for Nancy - the always shady underside of the bus for those who commit such political suicide amongst the O'bee crowd. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

[Defender968]

IMO this issue is going to do NP in - she's picked a political fight with the CIA which she can't win. Next stop for Nancy - the always shady underside of the bus for those who commit such political suicide amongst the O'bee crowd. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

Richard I hope you're right, that would be a very good step in the right direction for this country IMHO.

[The Reaper]

IMO this issue is going to do NP in - she's picked a political fight with the CIA which she can't win. Next stop for Nancy - the always shady underside of the bus for those who commit such political suicide amongst the O'bee crowd. ;)

Richard's $.02 :munchin

I don't think so.

She will refuse to step down, and has not done anything illegal.

And her constituents do not really care what really happened.

She will survive and continue to be Speaker through the elections next year.

TR

[longrange1947]

I further predict that the air heads and morons of her constituency will re-elect her, as she will become the darling of the pink moron crowd for taking on the CIA. :munchin :(

[swpa19]

It should prove to be interesting. Keep in mind that Steny Hoyer had already chastised Ms. Palosi for her prior comments, before he changed his view. Mr. Hoyer also felt that HE should have been Speaker of the House.

I look for Mr. Hoyer to quietly prepare the bus for its next mission.

[Red Flag 1]

It should prove to be interesting. Keep in mind that Steny Hoyer had already chastised Ms. Palosi for her prior comments, before he changed his view. Mr. Hoyer also felt that HE should have been Speaker of the House.

I look for Mr. Hoyer to quietly prepare the bus for its next mission.

Since it is Pelosi, perhaps an ECO friendly bus...............

RF 1

[The Reaper]

Since it is Pelosi, perhaps an ECO friendly bus...............

RF 1

More likely an US Air Force executive bus that will seat 30 and can cross the country non-stop without stopping to refuel, available 24/7 for Her Highness's exclusive use.

TR

[Box]

I further predict that the air heads and morons of her constituency will re-elect her, as she will become the darling of the pink moron crowd for taking on the CIA. :munchin :(

I agree.
People would do well to remember that the CIA is being run by a man named Leon Panetta. Panetta may be an ok guy, but he is a "party man" not a "company man". His loyalty lies with the administration not with the reputation and good name of the 'agency'. I doubt he will be at the head of any CIA lynch mob coming to string up the speaker for her assault on the "Liars from Langley" It will be politics as usual... the administration will do its best to help Mr panettas name OUT of the news while the good speaker bows her chest in defiance at the evil spooks from the CIA. Meanwhile loyal party-man (and CIA director) Leon Panetta keeps just enough pressure on the CIA puppet strings to let any REAL fangs from sinking into the good speakers delicate flesh.

just my two cents, I hope I am wrong.

[Abu-Shakra]

Of course! It's everyone's fault but mine. Baghdad Bob thinks Pelosi is FOS.

Maybe Pelosi needs to be waterboarded to get her story straight.

[Sigaba]

I agree.
People would do well to remember that the CIA is being run by a man named Leon Panetta. Panetta may be an ok guy, but he is a "party man" not a "company man". His loyalty lies with the administration not with the reputation and good name of the 'agency'. I doubt he will be at the head of any CIA lynch mob coming to string up the speaker for her assault on the "Liars from Langley" It will be politics as usual... the administration will do its best to help Mr Panetta's name OUT of the news while the good speaker bows her chest in defiance at the evil spooks from the CIA. Meanwhile loyal party-man (and CIA director) Leon Panetta keeps just enough pressure on the CIA puppet strings to let any REAL fangs from sinking into the good speakers delicate flesh.

just my two cents, I hope I am wrong.

Looks like Panetta may be trying to split the difference.

Source is here (http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0509/Panetta_to_CIA_employees_We_told_Pelosi_the_truth. html?showall).

Panetta to CIA employees: We told Pelosi the truth

CIA Director Leon Panetta just sent a stern message to his employees defending the agency against Speaker Nancy Pelosi's criticisms.

His message: We didn't mislead Congress; stay focused on your job.

Panetta's note was sent to reporters via the CIA press office. Here's the key graph:

"Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.” Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened."

In some ways, Panetta is doing what any executive would do: He's protecting his people and trying to boost morale for an agency that's under fire. But the political message is much stronger, as you have the a [sic] serious rift now between the most powerful congressional Democrat and one of the top officials in the Obama administration.

Message from the Director: Turning Down the Volume

There is a long tradition in Washington of making political hay out of our business. It predates my service with this great institution, and it will be around long after I’m gone. But the political debates about interrogation reached a new decibel level yesterday when the CIA was accused of misleading Congress.

Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing “the enhanced techniques that had been employed.” Ultimately, it is up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened.

My advice — indeed, my direction — to you is straightforward: ignore the noise and stay focused on your mission. We have too much work to do to be distracted from our job of protecting this country.

We are an Agency of high integrity, professionalism, and dedication. Our task is to tell it like it is — even if that’s not what people always want to hear. Keep it up. Our national security depends on it.

Is Panetta telling his people to stop rolling around in the mud with Pelosi, knowing that others are going at her or he's trying to protect the embattled speaker's reputation by not weighing in more fully?:munchin

[Defender968]

Let me be clear: It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress.

Hmmmm......who else says that, sounds so very familiar....wonder why :rolleyes:

If I were a betting man, I'd say that was yet another great political move by the one. Say what you want he is a brilliant political animal.

[Box]

I am truly surprised at the response from Mr Panetta. He may actually be the small glimmer of light that shows there are still a few good eggs left.
Even if it is just administration politics... good on you Mr Panetta for being one of the few people in DC willing to say out loud that essentially "Madam speaker is full crap"

I withdraw my previous comments towards Mr Panetta, again, good on you Mr Panetta, thanks for standing up for your men.
Have a good weekend sir.

[ZonieDiver]

There is a long tradition in Washington of making political hay out of our business. It predates my service with this great institution, and it will be around long after I’m gone. But the political debates about interrogation reached a new decibel level yesterday when the CIA was accused of misleading Congress.

I don't know his motives, or if he is representing his boss in some "agenda" or whatever. All I know is that words DO have meaning, and these words speak volumes to me. There is much to learn from public records about the dereliction of duty of Congress-critters in the run-up to the Iraq war.

When it was popular to be tough...they feined toughness. When that aspect waned, many of them reverted to their natural tendencies. A pox upon them all - those who lie and equivocate - and those colleagues of theirs who refuse to provide date and time that would prove their equivocation and prevarication.

[Defender968]

I am truly surprised at the response from Mr Panetta. He may actually be the small glimmer of light that shows there are still a few good eggs left.
Even if it is just administration politics... good on you Mr Panetta for being one of the few people in DC willing to say out loud that essentially "Madam speaker is full crap"

I withdraw my previous comments towards Mr Panetta, again, good on you Mr Panetta, thanks for standing up for your men.
Have a good weekend sir.

Personally I lean more towards this being a savvy political move rather than a glimmer of a good egg.

The way I see it he had three options. First if Mr. Panetta comes out completely soft and folds to the speaker, he would significantly degrade the credibility of the CIA, he'd personally have even less credibility with his people than he already has, and those who are actually watching would scream politics and the discussion would continue. Conversely if he comes out playing hardball, brings the truth showing that the speaker is lying, she looks real bad, and the discussion continues and is a distraction to the administration, while the agency would come out smelling like roses the Dims would take a pretty big credibility hit as their leader would be proved a liar, I don't think the one would allow that. The last and only other option is to throw this type of semi tough statement out, not really calling Nancy on the carpet while maintaining some semblance of credibility with his people. So he tries to blow a little sunshine up their asses while diffusing the situation the best he can, damage control is all he did IMO.

The fact that “let me be clear” was in the statement leads me to believe the presidents people actually drafted the response, how many times has the one uttered those exact same words, I think the only phrases he’s used more are hope and change!

Just my .02 though, and I’ve been known to be a little bit of a cynic.

[Sigaba]

....There is much to learn from public records about the dereliction of duty of Congress-critters in the run-up to the Iraq war.

When it was popular to be tough...they feined toughness. When that aspect waned, many of them reverted to their natural tendencies. A pox upon them all - those who lie and equivocate - and those colleagues of theirs who refuse to provide date and time that would prove their equivocation and prevarication.
IMO, decades from now, I think the failure of federal legislators to do their jobs and to ask tough questions of the Bush administration will be the third leg to the three legged stool that answers the question "What went wrong?"

[Red Flag 1]

IMO, decades from now, I think the failure of federal legislators to do their jobs and to ask tough questions of the Bush administration will be the third leg to the three legged stool that answers the question "What went wrong?"

Those who win write the history. IMHO, this should include events well before 9/11. I pray the USA writes this history.

My $.02.

RF 1

[Sigaba]

On what planet was this article written? "Rare stumble"? As Roger Smith (http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/57/38/0000035738_20061114171419.jpg) would say, "Really?"

Source is here (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/us/politics/16cong.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print).
May 16, 2009
In Detainee Furor, a Rare Stumble by Pelosi
By CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON — After many failed efforts, Republicans have finally found a weak spot in Nancy Pelosi’s political armor as a fight over detainee interrogations engulfs Ms. Pelosi, Republicans and intelligence officials.

The furor was heightened on Friday when the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, pushed back against an assertion by Ms. Pelosi, a Democrat who is the House speaker, that she had been misled by agency representatives seven years ago about harsh treatment of terrorism suspects, a claim that struck a raw nerve at the spy headquarters.

Mr. Panetta, a former Democratic congressman from California and a longtime associate of Ms. Pelosi, issued a statement that said the agency’s “contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that C.I.A. officers briefed truthfully,” a rebuttal of Ms. Pelosi’s claim on Thursday that intelligence officials had lied to her.

The deepening dispute over what Ms. Pelosi was told in September 2002 has challenged her credibility and raised new questions about whether she passed up an early opportunity to expose the Bush administration’s harsh treatment of detainees.

Lawmakers and senior government officials say the public furor could also give momentum to the push for an inquiry into the Bush administration’s interrogation policies as well as into what senior members of Congress knew about the treatment of detainees. In his statement, Mr. Panetta said it would ultimately be “up to Congress to evaluate all the evidence and reach its own conclusions about what happened.”

As for the speaker, she no doubt faces a difficult period. But few think the sharp focus on the interrogation matter is a serious threat to the authority of Ms. Pelosi, a powerful figure who weathered previous Republican assaults with hardly a scratch.

“It is an embarrassment,” said Ross K. Baker, an expert on Congress at Rutgers University, “and clearly nobody wants to be embarrassed, particularly a speaker of the House. But other than that, there is nothing here that threatens her job.”

Ms. Pelosi is not the only one with political exposure. Should any investigation determine that the C.I.A. misled members of Congress, the result could be severely damaging to the agency and to the Republican leaders who have relentlessly pressed the issue against Ms. Pelosi.

Bob Graham, a former Democratic senator from Florida, who as the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee underwent a briefing similar to Ms. Pelosi’s about three weeks after hers, sides with the speaker. He said he recalled a “bland” session.

“I do not have any recollection that day of there being a discussion of something that would have been as neon as waterboarding or other torture techniques,” Mr. Graham said.

He said his confidence in the C.I.A.’s account of the briefings had also been shaken by what he said was an incorrect assertion by the agency that he had been briefed on four dates. Mr. Graham, who famously keeps a detailed record of his daily activities, checked and determined that the agency was wrong about three dates and that he had attended only one session before leaving the Intelligence Committee.

“This is just a small chapter of a long, long book of C.I.A. inaccuracies, particularly in the early part of this decade,” he said.

But Mr. Graham was not present for the briefing with Ms. Pelosi. The only other lawmaker present, Porter J. Goss, then a Republican congressman from Florida who was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and later became the C.I.A. director, has contradicted her account. He said he and Ms. Pelosi were told that the agency intended to use the harsh methods.

Republicans on Friday continued to dispute Ms. Pelosi’s assertion that at her sole 2002 briefing as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, she was told that the Bush administration had determined waterboarding was legal but that it was not being used.

Senator Christopher S. Bond, Republican of Missouri, a member of the Intelligence Committee, said on the “Today” show on NBC: “I have looked at the underlying materials, not only the records they kept but the cables they sent out to the field. From what was apparently contemporaneous documents, it’s clear that they did tell her.”

The furor surrounding Ms. Pelosi’s claim that she was misled has obscured one undisputed fact about the briefings. The Sept. 4, 2002, session, the first given to anyone in Congress on the so-called enhanced interrogation methods, came weeks after the C.I.A. had started to use the methods. Even if Ms. Pelosi had taken action, it is doubtful it would have averted the firestorm about torture that was to come.

Fellow Democrats say they support the speaker, and they will probably become more united as she faces attacks from polarizing opponents like Newt Gingrich, who lashed out at the speaker on Friday, or faces calls from the right to step down. The Democrats say her predicament shows the perils of classified briefings, which can handcuff those who attend if they hear something objectionable.

Since Ms. Pelosi became speaker in 2007, Republicans have repeatedly sought to undercut her, questioning her use of government aircraft and accusing her of aiding pet interests and of acting high-handedly. But the assaults had gained little traction before this latest episode, and with their fortunes down, Republicans are doing what they can to keep the issue alive.

In Ms. Pelosi’s home state, California, residents say they are having a hard time accepting her account. “I’m very skeptical of what she’s saying, and when she goes to get re-elected, this could really damage her credibility,” said Delphine Langille of San Ramon, one of several people interviewed Friday outside of City Hall in San Francisco.

Mr. Panetta’s message to C.I.A. employees, under the heading “Turning Down the Volume,” appeared to be an effort to calm the dispute between the speaker and the agency and show that despite his outsider status he would stand up for his employees.

In a statement issued Friday evening, Ms. Pelosi also sought to quiet matters.

“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,” she said. “What is important now is to be united in our commitment to ensuring the security of our country.”

Scott Shane contributed reporting from Washington, and Malia Wollan from San Francisco.

The weak spot remains where it has always been: between Ms. Pelosi's ears.

"Credibility" is not a word I've ever associated with Ms. Pelosi.

[alright4u]

Make no mistake, she is lying.

[Utah Bob]

Who You Calling Debriefed?
Taunted by the GOP, Nancy Pelosi throws a punch—at the CIA.
By John DickersonPosted Friday, May 15, 2009, at 10:06 AM ET

Nancy Pelosi is tough. With Republicans already attacking her, she's picked a new, even bigger fight with the CIA. At a press conference Thursday, Pelosi said the CIA lied in the past, is lying in the present, and generally makes a habit of it. "They mislead us all the time," she said. The weaker among us would be content to fight just one foe.
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Pelosi is on the attack because she's been on the defensive. Republicans charge that she's a hypocrite. She wants a truth commission to examine the role of Bush officials who authorized enhanced interrogation techniques (some of which amounted to torture), but she was in the loop when those techniques were first discussed and didn't cry foul.

Pelosi has insisted she was not briefed by the CIA about the use of water-boarding or any enhanced interrogation techniques, but the CIA recently undermined her case. The agency released an account of a September 2002 meeting that the CIA says Pelosi attended and at which those harsh techniques were discussed. Pelosi said the CIA account was wrong and then went a step further. She said briefers in that meeting explicitly said water-boarding was not being used. We now know that at the time Abu Zubaydah had been water-boarded 83 times. Pelosi charged the agency with deliberately misleading Congress as part of the larger effort to mislead the nation in the run-up to the Iraq war.

The reason this new attack on the CIA is such a bold and perhaps very bad idea is that the CIA is very good at these battles. As a senior Bush administration official once put it after losing several rounds of Washington warfare to the CIA, "We brought a knife to a gun fight." Bush administration officials engaged in a protracted fight with the CIA over exaggerated claims the president made in a speech about Saddam Hussein's attempts to buy uranium in Niger. Every time an administration official would assert that it was the CIA's fault that Bush got it wrong, a contradictory piece of evidence would appear in the newspaper, leaked by people within the CIA. Dislike of the agency is perhaps the only thing Speaker Pelosi and Dick Cheney can agree on.

Who is telling the truth in the Pelosi matter? It's hard to know in what is now a classic Washington case of he said/she said. There weren't a lot of people in the key September 2002 meeting who can come forward to corroborate events, though former Democratic Sen. Bob Graham, who was then chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, has backed up Pelosi's criticism of the CIA in an interview with the Huffington Post.

Former Rep. Porter Goss, who attended the meeting with Pelosi, has taken the CIA's side. But he's a Republican who later went on to run the CIA. He's got political reasons to contradict her as part of the GOP's broader attempt to distract attention from a past where Republicans are in far more political and legal danger. And Goss has residual reasons to stick up for the guys who once worked for him.

Current CIA Director Leon Panetta, a Democrat from California who once served with Pelosi in Congress, released a statement that suggested that these techniques were discussed but that also said the agency couldn't be certain. Pelosi didn't help her credibility Thursday when she admitted that despite earlier denials, she did later know water-boarding was being used. Her explanation for the discrepancy: Her previous denials were about what she personally had been briefed on. She learned about water-boarding from a staffer. That kind of parsing is hard to sustain in a public fight. It also raises questions about why, if she was so adamant about torture, she didn't do more at the time. By contrast, when John McCain learned about water-boarding, he did get exercised about it and took measures to stop it.

Yesterday, administration officials and Democratic political veterans were puzzled by Pelosi's gambit. She's put the spotlight on herself and has given weakened Republicans a fight they can enjoy, engage in, and possibly win. They can't put a scratch on the popular president, but Pelosi and the Democratic Congress are not as popular. Normally a politician in Pelosi's position could say she's moving forward to do important business rather than picking at the past, but she and other Democrats are the ones advocating for rummaging through the past.

The escalating mess is exactly why President Obama didn't want a thorough look into the question of torture. Fights like these distract from his effort to get politicians to focus on other matters, and the arguments potentially weaken his party by either undermining its high-road position on torture or making leading Democrats look unsteady, as Pelosi looked during her halting and jittery press conference. As one former senior Bush official put it, "Their real political problem [with investigating torture] is when they look back, they will find many of their own there. This shit storm will leave everyone stinky. Or might just leave their side in deeper doo-doo for the worst political sin: hypocrisy."

At some point the president may be asked what his view of the Pelosi matter is. It's a tricky spot. He doesn't want to get in the middle of a he said/she said debate. If he defends Pelosi, he alienates the CIA. That relationship is already tender because Obama released Bush-era torture memos against the wishes of the CIA, whose agents participated in the torture. On the other hand, if Obama defends the CIA, he undermines his leader in the House and angers her liberal supporters.

At the moment, it looks as though the controversy has put more momentum behind the idea of a truth commission to sort out all of the competing claims. Pelosi renewed her call for one, as did her House counterpart, Minority Leader John Boehner. At the rate the debate is going, perhaps by the time such a commission has started its work Pelosi will have found a third fight to pick.

Source is Here (http://www.slate.com/id/2218392/)

[grog18b]

...that she really isn't lying, but just plain dumb? I mean really... Some of the things she has said over the years, like the 500,000 Americans that loose their jobs every month... I mean... That's just plain stupid. Watching the videos of her... She looks like she has some kind of mental disorder similar to a cross between Turrette's and Alsheimers. Ever see the one video of BO's speech, and her standing behind him jumping up and down like she had to take a really bad piss?

She just isn't normal... Like when she had the hissy over Holder bringing up the AW ban, and she came out against it saying "It isn't the right time". Yeah, because SHE didn't bring it up... and she's what... 3rd in line for the big chair? God help us if there is an accident.

[monsterhunter]

I do not find it hard to believe someone with pelosi's character lies like a snake, what I find difficult to understand how millions of "Americans" accept the blatant and deliberate lies???

You men and women of the US Secret Service would give your lives to defend individuals such as this???? And the "American" people think some in the US Military are "brain-washed"????

This is not the country or people I defended for 20 years.

Disgusting.

Team Sergeant

This is about the best way I've heard it said. My frustration level goes through the roof over things of this nature. I fear it's like it was in the Clinton era when he told "less than the truth." Everyone knew he was a blasted liar. The sad thing is, not enough people cared.

Pelosi is just the new candy coated turd. Rather than outrage, the dems will try and go with her anyway because she's just a freaking mouth piece spewing up what they want to hear at any given moment. Facts be damned. It's a sad day when our nation's leaders are nothing but candy coated and morally corrupt turds.

[Ret10Echo]

...that she really isn't lying, but just plain dumb? I mean really... Some of the things she has said over the years, like the 500,000 Americans that loose their jobs every month... I mean... That's just plain stupid. Watching the videos of her... She looks like she has some kind of mental disorder similar to a cross between Turrette's and Alsheimers. Ever see the one video of BO's speech, and her standing behind him jumping up and down like she had to take a really bad piss?

She just isn't normal... Like when she had the hissy over Holder bringing up the AW ban, and she came out against it saying "It isn't the right time". Yeah, because SHE didn't bring it up... and she's what... 3rd in line for the big chair? God help us if there is an accident.

Her actions and attitude are typical of the D.C. elitists who believe they are intellectually superior to the rest of the world. (You commoners are unworthy of their presence and should sit back quietly). This same phenomenon can be encountered in Hollyweird, when an actor or actress suddenly becomes all-knowing of all things.

She and the other 500 + idiots that meet in the house with the clown-hat on it are so self-deluded that they do not see the issues that you, I or anyone else on this board sees.
Mz Pelluzi lives in a fantasy world, and those she interacts with daily are living in the same deluded world. They feed off one-another's arrogance.

But apparently THIS is what the American people want.

....oh, and the accident already occured.

R10

[longrange1947]

...that she really isn't lying, but just plain dumb? I mean really... Some of the things she has said over the years, like the 500,000 Americans that loose their jobs every month... I mean... That's just plain stupid. Watching the videos of her... She looks like she has some kind of mental disorder similar to a cross between Turrette's and Alsheimers. Ever see the one video of BO's speech, and her standing behind him jumping up and down like she had to take a really bad piss?

She just isn't normal... Like when she had the hissy over Holder bringing up the AW ban, and she came out against it saying "It isn't the right time". Yeah, because SHE didn't bring it up... and she's what... 3rd in line for the big chair? God help us if there is an accident.

She knew damn well that 500,000 were not losing their jobs. She also knew that the normal sheeple would eat that up and it becomes the big lie. The people see it as the truth, and only she can cure that problem. She announces a new program and suddenly "significantly" less than 500,000 people are losing their jobs a month. The problems was solved by the genius of Pelosi and the Dims!! The fact that it has actually gone up is unnoticed as the actual number is WAY less then the quoted 500,000.

Nope not stupid, political.

[greenberetTFS]

Yup. A lot of sanctimonious "Harrumphing" going on in Congress right now.
Reminds me of Casablanca, when Captain Renault shut down Rick's Cafe Americain for illegal gambling then collected his winnings.
"I'm Shocked to discover that gambling is taking place here!!"

UB,

I swear I was thinking that very same thought, it's exactly what they are doing.... :mad:

GB TFS :munchin

[grog18b]

She knew damn well that 500,000 were not losing their jobs. She also knew that the normal sheeple would eat that up and it becomes the big lie. The people see it as the truth, and only she can cure that problem. She announces a new program and suddenly "significantly" less than 500,000 people are losing their jobs a month. The problems was solved by the genius of Pelosi and the Dims!! The fact that it has actually gone up is unnoticed as the actual number is WAY less then the quoted 500,000.

Nope not stupid, political.

How about... Political AND stupid? :)

We can only hope, that voters across the land, pull their collective heads out of their asses in 2 years... and get rid of a lot of the REAL problems. She is one of them. There are a lot more, feeding her... "intelligence". Of course, the other side (or ANY other side for that matter) need to get some good people into position to run against the problem children. That's the second problem...

[6.8SPC_DUMP]

I think this is the CIA doc. detailing who was informed of what and when.
http://www.humanevents.com/downloads-pdfs/EIT%20Briefings.pdf

Sound to anyone like the Dem's saved the outrage for the 2008 elections, not 2004, and top brass is paying for it?

[Sigaba]

At the rate things are going, threads will need cross referencing.

Source is here (http://thehill.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82629&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=70).

Specter defends Pelosi, questions CIA's honesty
By Reid Wilson
Posted: 05/20/09 03:10 PM [ET]

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) took the opportunity Wednesday to defend House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has come under fire in recent weeks over a controversy surrounding when she was told of the use of enhanced interrogation techniques being used by the CIA.

"The CIA has a very bad record when it comes to — I was about to say 'candid'; that's too mild — to honesty," Specter, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a lunch address to the American Law Institute. He cited misleading information about the agency's involvement in mining harbors in Nicaragua and the Iran-Contra affair.

"Director [Leon] Panetta says the agency does not make it a habit to misinform Congress. I believe that is true. It is not the policy of the Central Intelligence Agency to misinform Congress," Specter said. "But that doesn't mean that they're all giving out the information."

Because of leaks that have come from Congress, Specter said, he understands the agency's hesitancy to disclose all its information.

"The current controversy involving Speaker Pelosi and the CIA is very unfortunate, in my opinion, because it politicizes the issue and it takes away attention from ... how does the Congress get accurate information from the CIA?" Specter said. "For political gain, people are making headlines."

Specter and Pelosi have worked together on health and human services legislation, and the senator characterized the Speaker as "reliable and very able." He said he agrees with mounting calls that notes about the meetings should be publicly disclosed.

"Speaker Pelosi wants the notes disclosed. I think they ought to be, in the interest of transparency," Specter said. "The Speaker's entitled to have as much light shed on this as possible, and so [is] the public. The public is entitled to know what went on there."

<<SNIP>>

[Sigaba]

Source is here (http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D98AOBGO0&show_article=1).

House rejects probe into Pelosi CIA claims
May 21 12:48 PM US/Eastern
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Democrats on Thursday defeated a Republican push to investigate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claims that the CIA misled her in 2002 about whether waterboarding had been used against terrorism suspects.

The House voted 252-172 to block the measure that would have created a bipartisan congressional panel. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, sponsored the resolution.

"This is partisan politics and an attempt by the Republicans to distract from the real issue of creating jobs and making progress on health care, energy and education," said Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami.

Pelosi told reporters this month that she had not been told that waterboarding had been used against terrorism suspects, even though it had been. President Barack Obama and human rights groups have said waterboarding, which simulates drowning, is torture.

"To have this charge out there and not have it resolved I think is damaging to our intelligence efforts, and certainly will have a chilling effect on our intelligence professionals around the world," said House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney also stepped into the debate.

In a speech at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Cheney said Pelosi and other lawmakers had been briefed on the interrogation techniques on "numerous occasions."

"In my long experience in Washington, few matters have inspired so much contrived indignation and phony moralizing as the interrogation methods applied to a few captured terrorists," Cheney said.

Pelosi has asked the CIA to declassify information supporting her claims.

The CIA has sent lawmakers its notes and memos on 40 congressional briefings on the interrogation techniques. But that document has been found to include several errors.

CIA Director Leon Panetta acknowledged in a May 6 letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, that the CIA's list may not be completely accurate.

"In the end, you and the committee will have to determine whether this information is an accurate summary of what actually happened," Panetta wrote.

Democrats also are pointing out that Republicans too have accused the CIA of misleading them on intelligence matters. Boehner himself called into question the soundness of the intelligence community when it determined in 2007 that Tehran had halted its nuclear weapons program.

Boehner told reporters on Thursday that it was an unfair comparison because he never accused the men and women of the intelligence community of misleading Congress.
I'm glad that Democrats can be counted on to tell us what is important.:rolleyes:

[The Reaper]

"Pay no attention to the (wo)man behind the curtain, Oz has spoken...."

TR

[greenberetTFS]

Source is here (http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D98AOBGO0&show_article=1).


I'm glad that Democrats can be counted on to tell us what is important.

Sigaba,

It's so damn disgraceful how the Dims just keep getting away with this s**t......:mad: If the American sheeple don't get it by now,I wonder if they ever will.......:rolleyes:

GB TFS :munchin

[Sigaba]

Sigaba,

It's so damn disgraceful how the Dims just keep getting away with this s**t......:mad: If the American sheeple don't get it by now,I wonder if they ever will.......:rolleyes:

GB TFS :munchin

GB TFS--

As upset as I am with the Democrats, I'm more upset with the legislative branch of the federal government. Lawmakers failed to do their job by asking tough questions of the executive branch in 2001 and 2002 and have been playing catch up ever since.

How well Bush the Younger did his job will be a topic of lasting debate. Assessments of congress's performance during his presidency will be, I predict, generally unfavorable.

(If I'd had my druthers, President Bush would have called an emergency session of Congress after the two chambers recessed to campaign for the 2002 midterms. He would have thrown back at them their authorization of the use of force against Iraq and chided them publicly "You call that a debate? Get back here and do your fracking jobs: you're not leaving me out to dry." Yet, that is exactly what they did.)

[Sigaba]

Source is here (http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D98BCGD80&show_article=1).

Pelosi: Nothing more to say on her CIA allegation
May 22 11:43 AM US/Eastern
By ANNE FLAHERTY
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she won't talk any more about her charge that the CIA lied in 2002 about using waterboarding on terrorism suspects.

"I have made the statement that I'm going to make on this," she told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference. "I don't have anything more to say about it. I stand by my comment."

But Republicans aren't letting this one slide.

Ken Spain, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, issued a statement after the news conference calling Pelosi a political liability to the Democratic party.

"Her obsession with the previous administration and her disdain for America's intelligence officials has reduced her to cheerleader status within the far left wing of her party and a distraction to the substantive debate over how to best move our economy forward," said Spain.

Earlier this month, Pelosi told reporters that she had not been told that waterboarding had been used against terrorism suspects, even though it had been. When asked whether she was accusing the CIA of lying to her, she said "yes."

Pelosi has asked the CIA to declassify information supporting her claims. The CIA sent lawmakers its notes and memos on 40 congressional briefings on the interrogation techniques. But that document has been found to include several errors, leaving in question exactly what Pelosi was told.

The GOP has seized on her accusation that the CIA misled Congress, contending that the California Democrat's remarks have demoralized the intelligence community. House Republicans on Thursday demanded that a bipartisan panel investigate her allegations.

"To have this charge out there and not have it resolved I think is damaging to our intelligence efforts, and certainly will have a chilling effect on our intelligence professionals around the world," said House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Democrats beat back the proposal, calling it a political ploy. Republicans Ron Paul of Texas and Walter Jones of North Carolina joined Democrats in a 252-172 vote to block the resolution.

Upon leaving the news conference on Friday, Pelosi declined to answer a question about whether she had called CIA Director Leon Panetta to discuss the matter further.

Instead, Pelosi had stuck faithfully to her script, saying Democrats were making progress on other issues.

"We're going forward in a bipartisan way for jobs, health care, energy for our country," she said. Regarding the CIA's briefing of Congress on waterboarding, "I won't have anything more to say about it."
I understand that her new stance on this issue comes after consulting with her plastic surgeon. She was told that it is impossible to inject her with Botox when her feet are hip-deep in her mouth.

[Box]

...at least she has finally demonstrated that she is smart enough to know when to shut up.

[Abu-Shakra]

“This leadership team will create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history” – Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Riiight.....:rolleyes:

[greenberetTFS]

...that she really isn't lying, but just plain dumb? I mean really... Some of the things she has said over the years, like the 500,000 Americans that loose their jobs every month... I mean... That's just plain stupid. Watching the videos of her... She looks like she has some kind of mental disorder similar to a cross between Turrette's and Alsheimers. Ever see the one video of BO's speech, and her standing behind him jumping up and down like she had to take a really bad piss?

She just isn't normal... Like when she had the hissy over Holder bringing up the AW ban, and she came out against it saying "It isn't the right time". Yeah, because SHE didn't bring it up... and she's what... 3rd in line for the big chair? God help us if there is an accident.

grog18b,

Your last statement is the one that is really frightening....:rolleyes: 3rd in line for POTUS..:mad: You wonder some times whose side God is on........:(

GB TFS :munchin

[Richard]

Michael Savage's view of Madam speaker:

Leftus Irrationalis [Nancy Pelosi] - With its large beak and small head, the Distempered Rainbow Parakeet caws with great frequency and volume, yet lacks mental capacity to emit anything original or intelligent. fortunately, the bird has developed an adaptation that helps it to cope with this problem - the beak's large upper mandible is notched for its little bird foot to fit in. Decked with bright blue plumage, the female of the species mates for life, usually with strong and crafty males capable of building large nests and stashing surplus of fruits and nuts therein. Not only does this preserve the pair from want, but also frees the female to spend nearly all of its waking hours bobbing through the jungle screeching at any animals not of its flock and pretending to care about those that have no nests and food at all. Although its original habitat was Maryland, the breed has since migrated to the San Francisco Bay area where it aggressively climbed the political pecking order. Today it can be found both in California and Washington, DC, chirping away mindlessly in either environ. Curiously, aside from its lower-than-average intelligence, the parakeet suffers from one prominent congenital disability - it is only capable of flapping about in circles, primarily because it is born with only a left wing.

[grog18b]

Thanks Richard... He put it a lot better than I did... "Lacks mental capacity to emit anything origional or intelligent..." Yup... That's her. :D

GBTFS-- It only proves... God does have a sense of humor... Sometimes, all we can do is sit back, listen, and laugh. Then fix everything in 2-4 years. Meanwhile, I'll be :munchin

[incarcerated]

:munchin