Question:
Who do you think we should believe in the Pelosi/CIA flap?
?
2009-05-22 07:53:56 UTC
Links with info on Pelosi and Panetta:

Leon Panetta:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Panetta#Congressional_work

Nancy Pelosi:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi
Thirteen answers:
buffytou
2009-05-22 08:01:33 UTC
Let's see. Three Representatives and Senators have already stated that they were misinformed and the CIA notes are wrong. The CIA notes states that they met with some of the Congressmen on days that the Congressmen were out of town and the CIA has admitted that their notes are incorrect. The CIA notes claim that they briefed some Congressmen after they ceased being Congressmen and 5 Republican Senators (including *****) have publically accused the CIA of lying to them over the last three years. Even Bush thought the CIA was lying to him when the CIA said that there were no WMDs in Iraq and no link between Iraq and 9/11. The head of the CIA has admitted that the notes are inaccurate.



Come on, these notes are the recollection of people written down 5 years after the event. Why would anyone in their right mind think that they were 100 percent accurate?
byhisello99
2009-05-22 15:27:29 UTC
What I believe is probably irrelevant. What I know, however, is not.



Nancy Pelosi grew up in a politicl household - her father was Mayor of Baltimore and a big time player in the Democratic machine politics of Maryland. She has continued the machine ethic of divide and conquer in her own political life. This ethic rests on the assumption that everyone has a political agenda and that all groups have political agendas as well. When an individual or group presents a position that is inconvenient to the machine, the machine works to undermine the group rather than the position.



The Central Intelligence Agency shares many characteristics with the U.S. military. Some individuals have a political agenda, but the larger organization does not and cannot. The larger organization must always deal in facts. When the organization must interpret these facts, it has no choice but to let the chips fall where they may. Sometimes the larger organizationn gets the conclusion wrong, but that is far from intentional deception. Sometimes an individual within the institution goes off the deep end - e.g., Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North - but the larger institution eventually corrects the individual and itelf. Speaker Pelosi's apparent belief that the CIA is just another special interest group with its own domestic political agenda is at best misinformed, just as Vice President Biden's apparent identical belief about the U.S. military.



Throughout history, any country with a politicized military wound up under military rule, quicker rather than slower. Any country. No exceptions. Ever. And, throughout history, any country with a politicized intelligence organization wound up in terror and tyrrany. Any country. No exceptions. Ever. For a view of what terror and tyrrany involve, see Zimbabwe. For a view of what military rule involes, see Myanmar. Anyone who states we are under either military rule or controlled by a politicized intelligence organization is a fool.



Members of the CIA and of the military generally view lying to Congress and its members on substantive issues as a form of treason. Congress has oversight authority under the Constitution which CIA and military members are sworn to uphold. The lie violates that oath.



Representative Pelosi states that, when briefed several years ago, she was told that waterboarding could be used but there was no statement that it had been used. Then, and every moment since then, she has had the authority to demand an answer to the logical question "Have you used waterboarding?" If she failed to ask that question then her level of intellectual curiosity is insufficient to her position. If she asked the question and received a lie in response, then the liar and all who facilitated the lie should be charged and tried.



Representative Pelosi has led a charmed life to this point. She has been able to attack any individual or group whose positions are inconvenient to her, with complete impunity. When she accused the CIA and its employees of lying - treason, really - she crossed the line from impunity into needing to substantiate her accusation.



What I believe is not relevant. What I know is relevant: Speaker Pelosi must either substantiate her accusation or resign.
anonymous
2009-05-22 15:09:39 UTC
You should believe that this is all a distraction from the real issues of who ordered the waterboardings, and why. At least one of the detainees had already confessed his crimes, so what was the point, what was the real point of torturing him?Were "enhanced interrogations" done to punish or were they done in order to extract false confessions that connected Al Qaeda to Saddam Hussein.



At this point there is no reason to doubt Pelosi when she says she was not informed that waterboarding was being done. But there are many reasons why there should be an investigation of this entire matter, and all parties should be called in to testify, including Cheney and Bush. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
mommanuke
2009-05-22 15:02:40 UTC
I don't like Nancy Pelosi, but whenever the CIA is involved, I accept that we will never know the truth. Pelosi may be lying, but the CIA has done that so many times they have no credibility. Check Bob Graham, who keeps meticulous diaries of every day, including what he ate for breakfast. The CIA told him they had briefed him 4 times. His diary showed absolutely no meeting for three of the days. Then they said well they had briefed him on the other one, but his diary didn't show that either.
bwlobo
2009-05-22 15:02:07 UTC
Now, aside from the fact that Pelosi thinks something's wrong with shaking as much information as possible out of a mass murderer with new plots against Americans, Pelosi's utterly false allegations are unlikely to succeed — and in fact will likely backfire.



For one thing, they're easily disproved. Congressmen attending the same intelligence briefings as Pelosi, like Sen. Joe Lieberman, say the agency did inform Congress, and briefing memos prove it.



The agency is also unlikely to appreciate Pelosi playing innocent. The CIA's a political animal now, and having endured prosecution threats for keeping America safe, it will defend itself vigorously. It will release the notes and expose Pelosi's whopper.
Griggnax
2009-05-22 15:06:39 UTC
This is nothing but an irrelevant distraction. It doesn't matter.



The REAL issue should be the authorization and use of ILLEGAL TORTURE by the Bush administration; and NOT what Pelosi knew about it and when.



I do believe the CIA briefed Congress, to include both Republican and Democratic leaders. If the issue is "what did Pelosi know about illegal waterboarding", then why aren't Repubs pointing the finger at their own members, who controlled the committees, and were also briefed about it?!?!



The Republican spin on this boggles the mind.
The Scorpion
2009-05-22 15:02:41 UTC
I think it's fairly clear that Pelosi is lying. No other members of Congress that I'm aware of are making that same claim, only her, which is suspicious. I'm sure she regrets taking this so far, because in the end she will lose.
anonymous
2009-05-22 15:03:55 UTC
I shudder at the mental images I get when I see "Pelosi" and "flap" in the same sentence.
Keep Your Damn 'Change'
2009-05-22 15:07:03 UTC
Anyone but Pelosi.
anonymous
2009-05-22 14:59:38 UTC
I believe the CIA, anytime up against a liar & inept politician like Nancy Pelosi..
?
2009-05-22 15:00:12 UTC
Clearly Pelosi is lying so I will go with the CIA on this one..
63vette
2009-05-22 15:06:48 UTC
The CIA.
wellington
2009-05-22 14:59:28 UTC
i think there are "jobs" at stake here ...No one is gonna give the full truth

everyone is trying to save his as*s !


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