Pelosi and Waterboarding

There is at least a bit of debate about whether or not Pelosi was informed that waterboarding was used by the CIA. Didn't the CIA admit yesterday that they did not actually used the word waterboarding when they talked with Pelosi. Yesterday I was watching a news story and the story claimed that the CIA said it spoke with Pelosi about tactics used, but did not use the word waterboarding.

Seems many here are very happy to accept the worst scenario and trust what the CIA claims, yet the report released by Panetta had a disclaimer on it that couldn't verify how "accurate" (translation: truthful) their report was. But for those who want to beat up on the Speaker, that's all well and good for them. Surely the CIA had it "right" in the run-up to the Iraq fiasco and we know that the booooosh regime would NEVER try to plant false information or embarass a political enemy (especially now that their corruption is bubbling to the surface). :sarcasm:

Again...in 2002, Pelosi was a ranking member on the House Intel Committee...not even in party leadership...not in the majority. The briefings were not a voluntary thing...booooshie didn't call her up and offer his some special insight...he was doing the bare mimimum to stay barely "legal"...nothing more or less. The hopes were (and seems to be working nicely) to compromise her and other Democrats through forced state secrecy...leaving her with the vague details (enough to indicate torture was being contemplated if not employed) and then try to make it appear she was either on board with this or could have done something to stop it. Teh Stupid hurts!!

The more people focus on Pelosi, the further they get from digging for the real truth and lets those who abused both the Constitution and International law to pass the buck.

I'm hoping the Speaker becomes a strong advocate for an independent commission as well as demanding a special prosecutor to look into who REALLY tortured, not those who were being blackmailed by it.

Ditto

All the expectations remind me of the early stumbles of the Cubbies. Many "online managers" are second guessing Lou Pinella/Barack Obama...they want to win and are not happy the team isn't ahead by 25 games.

Call it the netroots definition of politics having strange bedfellows. Pelosi has been an easy target for many here as if they expected her to be a Tom DeLay and ramrod an impeachment that would have failed in the Senate through the House. Thus when the red meat about her knowing about the torture program came to light, the chum was just too good to pass up.

For those of us who remember when this story first came to light, it was revealed then that Pelosi had been briefed on what was going on, but was handcuffed by "national security" and, in turn, it's now portrayed by some that she was a co-conspirator. This diversion is being aimed at those who want/need to believe this...both right and left.

Cheers...

those circumstances would have been foolhardy and counter-productive.

It was tough enough to try to increase the minimum wage without the deal-making and ill-will impeachment would have generated, let alone impeachment.

This is a flagrant diversion - a brilliant one, actually, as so many are falling for it.

torture. In a sane world the ones that are pro torture and admit to it would be the ones being hauled in to face the sentence.

It's madness and an enormous failure not only by Obama and his flunkie Holder, but by the entire MSM...as usual and goodbye to that "change" bullshit.

Distract, distract, distract. Get away from the real debate which is that Dick Cheney was possibly the most evil man to run the United States and was the point man for all the torture that took place. But lets throw Pelosi in there, just like what they did to the MPs who took the fall for Abu Ghraib. She may or may not have been complicit. She seems to be telling the truth imo. The Bush administration lied over and over again, why would anyone believe any official associated with what went on then? Its obvious to me that while Pelosi is not everyone's favorite person, she is being used to deflect the real blame. "If Dems agreed with it then we Rethugs won't look so bad".

I have seen NO evidence that shows she approved of any torture. As the timelines show, torture was going on before she was told...and then what she was told surely wasn't about KSM being waterboarded every 6 hours as our troops prepared to invade Iraq in a vain attempt to get that coerced confession linking Saddam to Al Queda. Even if told, who could she tell? State secrecy laws prevented her not only from discussing this with the public but from other congresscritters and even most of her staff. Jay Rockefeller wrote a letter and put it in his drawer...that's all one could have done.

The GOOP has been trying to tar Pelosi since she became speaker. If it wasn't her plane, it was pissing off Arab leaders and a long laundry list of attacks. They think they've got a winner here. They've learned the hard way they can't go directly at President Obama, thus Pelosi and all the hate she's engendered on the left is too good not to churn up. And there are those on DU who will gladly push this stuff thinking this somehow advances their agenda.

I want all Dems to be held accountable for their actions on all things but this is resembling a witch hunt. Why is the focus even on Pelosi? Because she is a controversial not very popular Dem? Who really honestly cares? She did not start the torture. One person could not have stopped them and she would have been scapegoated as a nut in the media circa 2003 to 2004. I mean the Dixie Chicks practically were run out of the country for just criticizing Bush. It was a very different time then. Bush and Cheney held the media in their hands and were able to manipulate it. I hate seeing people here being sucked in.

and lets a Republican bozo be the only guest to talk about it.......................... you know what you are Supposed To Believe.