Posted on 05/16/2009 2:28:40 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Strangely absent from the recent coverage of Pelosi's past knowledge of U.S. torture policies is any acknowledgement that this story is old news. Really old news. Way back in December, 2007, the Washington Post ran a piece headlined, "Hill Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002." It hit Pelosi with the exact same allegations that have been so breathlessly reported as of late:
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.
So what's new? For one, Republicans are under intense moral and political threat and see a chance to divert responsibility for their misdeeds back to Democrats.
To be sure, Pelosi should have taken action against U.S. torture policies as soon as she was briefed on them. And she's now paying the price for being too politically cowardly—or opportunistic—to address this issue head-on when the Post broke the story back in 2007. But it's disingenuous for the press and Pelosi's political rivals to feign outrage over what Pelosi knew and when. What did they know and when? Assuming they read the news, why didn't they make an issue of this back in 2007?
One politician did make an issue of the Post story at the time. Cindy Sheehan, the Peace Mom, ran a quixotic campaign against Pelosi for her House seat last year, and garnered 16 percent of the vote and very little press. Key to her electoral strategy was capitalizing on liberal outrage—surprisingly tepid outrage, it turned out—over what Pelosi knew. She even called for Pelosi to be stripped of her leadership post over the news. "I was appalled and really saddened," Sheehan told me at the time. "We can't be represented by a person like this."
Seventy two percent of San Francisco voters thought otherwise.
With Sheehan's failed challenge in mind, it's hard to put credence in today's New York Times story on Pelosi's political fate, which quotes Bay Area resident Delphine Langille of San Ramon: "I'm very skeptical of what she's saying, Langille told the Times on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, "and when she goes to get re-elected, this could really damage her credibility." Yeah right. There's simply no way a Republican could ever mount a viable challenge in San Francisco, no way the Democratic establishment would ever try, and no way--as we've seen--that a third party outsider will take her down.
Politics is morally mushy business. The political climate was clearly more pro-torture back in 2002 than it is now. A braver politician might have spoken out sooner, but also might not have risen to the Speaker post. The interesting thing about San Franciscans is that they are politically sophisticated enough to entertain a race like Sheehan's while also voting for a pragmatist like Pelosi. And they can certainly distinguish between the moral clarity—or absolutism—of someone like Sheehan, and the immoral opportunism of liberal-come-lately Republicans. Let's hope the press and the rest of the nation eventually figure this out too.
December 2007 was still the “Hate Bush Era” as Zero hadn’t usurped the office yet.
The press is basically playing a giant game of “Kill the man with the ball”. In this case the Man is Pelosi. Zero is still on his honeymoon.
A few more months and the press might start reporting that Obama has never proven his eligibility to take office.
“...imagine Cindy Sheehan as a congresswoman?”
I never would have imagined al franken as having a chance either.
I don’t buy anything from anyone named Josh.
The Democrat Party is the party of convenience and inconvenience...
Standard Democratic Tactic #1: This Is Old News. It is time to move on, we need to get past this, there are many important things facing our country.
Standard Demcratic Tactic #2: Accuse your opponent of doing exactly what you are doing. The question is asked: why didn't they (meaning Repubs) make an issue of this back in 2007? Not asked is why didn't Pelosi make an issue "back then" 'o2, when she first learned of it? It's obvious Pelosi did know, and had no problem with it then. That is why the Repubs didn't "make an issue of it" then.
See how the Demos and their lackey press turn things around to make Repubs look bad? We Must k eep hammering this on the media with daily leaks, or they will eventually get the sheeple to say "enough already!". Include the media in the Pelosi scandal. Tie them into her as much as possible. This will make them fight back and keep the story alive through to the next elections, which is what we want.
Notice the media are not using the phrase "what did she know and when did she know it?". It's too reminiscent of Watergate, and the media do not want the sheeple to remember that as it is now a Demo in the crosshairs.
“December 2007 was still the “Hate Bush Era””
Yep and 2002 was the “Love Bush Era” with poll numbers in the 70% range. This was when the people would have said, “What do you mean waterboarding? That isn’t torture, cut those bastard’s head off.” Pelosi and crew knew it and that is why they remained silent. Then they worked the ropes for six years, lying, and creating innuendo. Unfortnately, the only thing that will remind America of what torture should be is another attack. The American people are to blame here, pure and simple because they are fickle.
That’s why she was tap dancin and squirmin in front of the press.
On Sept. 4, 2002, less than a year after 9/11, the CIA briefed Rep. Porter Goss, then House Intelligence Committee chairman, and Mrs. Pelosi, then the committee’s ranking Democrat, on EITs including water boarding. They were the first members of Congress to be informed.
So, who was the director of the CIA, from 9/11 to 2004?
George J. Tenet was the Director of CIA, from 1997–2004 .
Tenet was appointed by President Clinton and approved by Congress. Tenet then became the CIA director in August of 1997.
So, Pelosi is now saying that George Tenet lied to her or ordered his congressional briefers to lie to Nancy.
http://www.motherjones.com/files/resized/files/photo/authorsHarkinson.300wide.357high.jpg
Josh Harkinson
Reporter
As Mother Jones’ West Coast reporter, Josh keeps a close eye on natural resource issues, digital democracy, and the environment. Before joining Mother Jones as an investigative fellow in 2006, Josh spent three years as a staff writer at the Houston Press.
In Harry Reid’s hometown, Mother Jones reporter Josh Harkinson slept in a former whorehouse, where the owner used to let young Harry swim in the pool.
When the Democrats step in it up to their knees, the brown stuff on their boots and pants never stinks.
Sounds like Josh is a little off his beat...
Mother Jones is whining like a working girl that hasn’t been paid yet.
You mean a working boy don't you?
Well, technically, a Lib working boy is a working girl.
Never mind.
I think you get the sentiment I was trying to express.
That of Mother Jones as unseemly paid-for “entertainment.”
Complete with the STDs.
This “Mother Jones” story is disingenuous in that it attempts to isolate the “old news” factoid of Pelosi’s past knowledge of EIT from the real purpose Pelosi’s new found phony “outrage” over Bush approved CIA “torture” policies.
There was no mention in the posted article of Democrat plans for show trial prosecutions of Bush Administration and CIA operatives. Unbelievably, the lightweight Obama Administration was late in recognizing the risk of CIA agents running for cover when they were to be made the objects of a witch hunt. Now that he might be held responsible for another 9-11, Obama is backing off to reassess things.
- News:
- A report which promotes the idea that criticism is more important than performance.
- Old news:
- A report which embarrasses a Democrat.
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