Posted on 04/24/2009 4:39:54 AM PDT by kellynla
In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody. For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was given a virtual tour of the CIA's overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk.
Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said.
"The briefer was specifically asked if the methods were tough enough," said a U.S. official who witnessed the exchange.
Congressional leaders from both parties would later seize on waterboarding as a symbol of the worst excesses of the Bush administration's counterterrorism effort. The CIA last week admitted that videotape of an interrogation of one of the waterboarded detainees was destroyed in 2005 against the advice of Justice Department and White House officials, provoking allegations that its actions were illegal and the destruction was a coverup.
Yet long before "waterboarding" entered the public discourse, the CIA gave key legislative overseers about 30 private briefings, some of which included descriptions of that technique and other harsh interrogation methods, according to interviews with multiple U.S. officials with firsthand knowledge.
With one known exception, no formal objections were raised by the lawmakers briefed about the harsh methods during the two years in which waterboarding was employed, from 2002 to 2003, said Democrats and Republicans with direct knowledge of the matter.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
So we have a lot of liars in congress...surprise, surprise...
That’s quite a group to throw under the bus, Gus.
If true this will quickly be swept away as a story by the Omama media. It was just a useful sideshow to appease the far left nut jobs who do not see the big picture. A little diversion to take eyes off the ball of what is really going on.
Pelosi has a built in excuse, she is a numbskull.
Too bad the meetings weren’t filmed. I’ll bet Pelosi was the one urging them on.
You know it. She’s a ruthless witch. She didn’t make it to the top of the party by being nice.
Who said they were not filmed or recorded?? Where is that guy who brought this up during Watergate (the playbook developed to finish off the GOP whenever things go against the dems).
Vince
There are detailed and exact minutes kept.
LLS
Republicans need to hold a series of unofficial hearings like the Democrats used to do. Invite the press and start pummeling Pelosi and the Democrats on a daily basis. What have they to lose?
Since many of our own armed forces were waterboarde in training, going back to General Marshall at VMI, are folks saying we torture our serviceman, a much more serious offense than waterboarding three terrorists?
I’ve been saying for months now that someone ANYONE in Congress should be on the floor of the House and Senate proclaiming for the Congressional Record that the “Culture of Corruption” is open under new mangement.
So far, no one has the cojones to do it. They are too afraid that they won’t be invited to the next dinner party.
Exposing obvious things like this will apparently be left to the campaign of the next GOP Presidential candidate, whoever that may turn out to be. No incumbent wants to upset the applecart.
Levin used your same analogy... he is going to destroy these dims.
LLS
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