Panetta to CIA employees: We told Pelosi the truth

Politico ^ | Glenn Thrush

[GOPinCa]

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."

The full Panetta memo is after the jump.

[Antoninus]

Interesting thought.... is there anything to suggest that this might actually be the case?

Panetta's a strange case. Recall that he was also on the board which investigated the sex abuse charges against the Catholic Church and which, in retrospect, did a good job identifying what the problem really was---homosexual sex abuse. I was shocked they they reached that conclusion and didn't weasel-word it too much.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well listen to Newt....you'll feel better this is happening....to Nancy:

Newt Gingrich Dumps on Nancy Pelsoi ( Panetta says the CIA told the truth ....)

[MayflowerMadam]

“Consider that the CIA may have a copy of Obama’s actual birth certificate.”

Good grief! You may be right.

[mainepatsfan]

If she leaves it will be kicking and screaming. I doubt it happens, but it would be better than a day at Disneyworld.

I hope she adopts the "If I'm going down I'm taking you bastards with me" attitude.

[r9etb]

But, Panetta didn’t even bring in a modicum of international experience, having been a domestic policy type guy all his political career.

I was surprised, too -- but maybe it does make sense if you consider Obama's psychology.

If the past few months have taught us anything at all about Obama's approach to the world, it's that he's big on ill-considered Grand Gestures.

I'm pretty sure that Obama's juvenile take on current events had pre-disposed him to want to go after the CIA, for all of the reasons that the loony-left hates the CIA.

His Grand Gesture in the case of the CIA would be some sort of very public and visible house-cleaning, reform, and show-trials.

So in choosing a DCI, Obama's first criterion was almost certainly that the DCI must be a reliable Party man. Panetta fits the bill admirably as a "Party man." To Obama the narcissist, "party man" would automatically translate into "Obama's man."

That does not mean that Panetta actually is a "reliable Obama man," however. In fact, I think Panetta most likely remains a loyal Clinton man ... whatever that actually means these days.

Supposing that to be the case, perhaps the more interesting place to watch is not the Pelosi charade, but rather Hillary Clinton's State Dept.

I can definitely see CIA and State having a commonality of interests against Obama's thrashings and bumblings.... One could actually imagine them working together against the POTUS.

[McGruff]

Only question is, who is Nancy's Brute?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

thanks....pinging for more viewers....

[Earthdweller]

"We forget that she’s a liberal woman."

A liberal woman is the least protected female on the planet. Do you seriously think the effeminate "guys" in the party like her twisted highness? Seriously?

Why are they scapegoated her rather than say McBarney clown or rector Reid or the Dodd pirate? Don't get me wrong...I'm loving it, but liberal men are much more sexist than conservative ones IMHO.

Just as I also believe they are more racist and just try to compensate for it and "balance" it with their votes.

This is a purely delicious gut level mobbing. Human nature is a force to behold.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Good question ...we were chewing the fat on that yesterday...may be Obama surgically removing Pelosi....

Newt is just trying to help.

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

liberal men are much more sexist than conservative ones

What is more misogynist than a male homosexual???

Look at the faggot jihad against Miss California...

[swarthyguy]

Yup, that’s workable too, BillandHillary wanted one of their own, Panetta, in there.

A juicy slot for a former political operative as well.

[schu]

I believe the real issue is lost in the entire affair of Nancy lying about the memos and torture. Yes, she is a slimy politician who does not know how to get herself out of a jam and has taken on the wrong folks, the CIA and Cheney. Neither likes to be messed with.

The real issue is the politicization of the war by the Demos with Queen Nancy leading the charge. Clearly, and this is but one example of it, the Demos used the war to demonize Bush and to gain power at the expense of our military and the best interests of the country. Haidatha (sp), Abu Grab (sp), WMD, torture, plus stuff I have long forgotten, were used to obtain the power the Demos wanted and would do anything to get. Nancy said as much the other day.

They are political opportunists of the worst sort, selling out their country and their souls to gain power. But the same thing happened with Vietnam, and look what happened, genocide, gulags, loss of US prestige/power, communism on the move and creation of the poorest country on earth in Vietnam.

I cannot decide who I hate more, the willing accomplices in the MSM or these self-serving Demo politicians.

schu

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

I cannot decide who I hate more, the willing accomplices in the MSM or these self-serving Demo politicians.

Flip a coin... works every time...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Oh man....getting very interesting....Obama has truly Machiavellian moves....

[Califreak]

“Let me be clear”

Is Obama the one who’s really driving this in order to replace the speaker of the mouse-er house?

[Bubba_Leroy]

Pelosi will resign by the end of June.

Nope. Democrats don't have to resign simply for being lying political hacks. The only way Democrats are ever forced to resign is if they are convicted of a felony and sentenced to prison.

I expect that Pelosi will still be representing the far left wing moonbats in her district for many years to come.

[Munz]

They are gonna cook Pelosi like a pig on a spit!
Obama will be next. One thing that they can do is manipulate media and I doubt that they will allow this administration to walk away free.

Obama will be ousted in 2012 by a landslide

[NCC-1701]

[Liz]

If I were Nasty Nancy (nee D’Alesandro) I'd be on the lookout for a bloody
horse head in my hosiery drawer or some dead fish wrapped in my girdle....

Panetta's first cousin.

"Lessee, where'd I put dem cement overshoes."

[Earthdweller]

"Look at the faggot jihad against Miss California..."

Yep...I can take being called baby and being protected to death any day over being a hated target for destruction for no sane reason.

Plus, all the liberal men I know expect me to work myself to death for them while they party and have their "open" relationships (see the the department of heath and human services for disease prevention information).