Agreed. Assuming what was done was illegal. If not, the hypocrisy of all those Democrats who knew about ETI and supported but are NOW screaming it was illegal is well noted.
On May 10, 10:46 am, Hollywood <[email protected]> wrote: > chirp, > > That would mean the Republicans would also be guilty. Fine by me, > throw them ALL in jail for failure to report a crime, indict them as > accessories. You can place one Republican and one Democrat in each > cell so they can entertain themselves arguing politics. Sounds like a > great idea. > > On May 10, 9:14 am, chirpinginnc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Hollywood, > > > If it IS a crime, or at the VERY least highly unethical, what does > > that say about those who said nothing, did nothing, opposed nothing? > > > That they DID support it? That they were accessories to the fact? > > > Which is it? Pelosi and her fellow Democrats knew and supported it > > while now claiming it was illegal? Or that it WAS legal and Pelosi > > and her fellow Democrats are now lying? > > > On May 10, 1:06 am, Hollywood <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > dick, > > > > If it's NOT a crime, or at the VERY least highly unethical, what would > > > be the big deal about not reporting and/or publically opossing it? > > > You do realize that everything you are saying about the Democrats > > > holds equally true for the Republicans that were also informed at the > > > same time don't you? > > > > I'm sorry, are we in junior high school? What's with the "loser" > > > label? > > > > On May 9, 11:00 pm, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Given the position of the people involved and the actions they could > > > > have taken on the issue, it is more than their not reporting what you > > > > choose to call a crime. It is that their not reporting it implied > > > > strongly that they did not consider it a crime at all. Now they choose > > > > to say I never got the briefing or since that option has been shown to > > > > be a lie that they assumed it to be a future option rather than it > > > > having been already done. That they were told it had been done to the > > > > people we know were given waterboarding puts that to a lie as well. I > > > > just wonder what else they will attempt to do to make it seem that they > > > > were lily white on the issue. Everything they have said so far has been > > > > shown to be a lie. > > > > > The other problem is that at the time all these "terrible" things > > > > happened this was not a crime and since waterboarding is a natural part > > > > of the training of the Navy Seals that one looks to be a loser as > > > > well. The congressmen are trying to twist the stories even more than > > > > Clinton with his "depends on the definition of what is is" bit of > > > > nonsense. Doubt that that will sell either. It appears that the public > > > > is behind the CIA on this one and the crown princess of Botox looks to > > > > be past her sell by date on the issue. > > > > > Hollywood wrote: > > > > > bruce, > > > > > > Sorry, but I don't get your point here. > > > > > > You want to condemn people for NOT reporting a crime but you do not > > > > > want to condemn or punish the people who actually committed the > > > > > crime???? > > > > > > On May 9, 10:00 pm, bruce majors <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> CIA memo cites 40 Congressional briefings on torture By Bill Van > > > > >> Auken > > > > > >> A memo released Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence > > > > >> Dennis Blair > > > > >> lists 40 separate briefings beginning in September 2002 in which > > > > >> leading > > > > >> members of Congress were briefed by the CIA on the agency’s use of > > > > >> “enhanced > > > > >> interrogation techniques”—in plain words, torture. > > > > > >> Before the revelations about the employment of such methods as > > > > >> waterboarding > > > > >> appeared in the media, none of these legislators, including leading > > > > >> Democrats, objected to or publicly protested against what amounted > > > > >> to war > > > > >> crimes. > > > > > >> Blair’s release of the document compiled by the CIA came in response > > > > >> to a > > > > >> request from Representative Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top > > > > >> Republican on > > > > >> the House intelligence committee. In a letter to Hoekstra, Blair > > > > >> stated that > > > > >> the memo “provides a straightforward account of the extent of > > > > >> interaction > > > > >> with the Congress on this issue.” > > > > > >> Much of the media attention has focused on the role of House Speaker > > > > >> Nancy > > > > >> Pelosi (Democrat, California), who as the ranking Democrat on the > > > > >> House > > > > >> intelligence committee was, together with Republican Representative > > > > >> Porter > > > > >> Goss, who went on to become director of the CIA, one of the first > > > > >> members of > > > > >> Congress to be briefed on the CIA’s torture tactics. > > > > > >> The memo’s description of the briefing reads: “Briefing on EITs > > > > >> [enhanced > > > > >> interrogation techniques] on Abu Zubaydah, background on > > > > >> authorities, and a > > > > >> description of the particular EITs that have been employed.” > > > > > >> Zubaydah, captured by the CIA in Pakistan in March 2002, was one of > > > > >> the > > > > >> first “high-value” detainees subjected to waterboarding and other > > > > >> forms of > > > > >> torture. While the Bush administration grossly inflated Zubaydah’s > > > > >> importance, the torture methods served to extract from him a false > > > > >> statement > > > > >> that Iraq was training Al Qaeda terrorists in the use of chemical > > > > >> weapons. > > > > >> The Bush administration had ordered the torture in large part to > > > > >> obtain such > > > > >> a phony confession in order to bolster its key pretext for launching > > > > >> its war > > > > >> of aggression against Iraq. > > > > > >> The memo’s description of this initial briefing of Pelosi and Goss > > > > >> contradicts Pelosi’s own account. Just last month, she claimed that > > > > >> the CIA > > > > >> “did not brief us that these enhanced interrogations were being > > > > >> used,” but > > > > >> merely informed the two intelligence committee leaders about “an > > > > >> array of > > > > >> interrogations that they might have at their disposal.” > > > > > >> This claim is hardly credible. Why would the CIA brief two leading > > > > >> members > > > > >> of Congress on methods of torture in the abstract? And if they had > > > > >> done so, > > > > >> why didn’t Pelosi ask them whether these “techniques” were in fact > > > > >> being > > > > >> used on detainees captured on the “global war on terrorism”? > > > > > >> Other briefings listed in the memo included one in February 2003 in > > > > >> which > > > > >> Republican Senator Pat Roberts and Democratic Senator John > > > > >> Rockefeller had > > > > >> the EITs “described in considerable detail,” including “how the > > > > >> water board > > > > >> was used.” > > > > > >> In briefings held in September 2003, Roberts and Rockefeller, as > > > > >> well as > > > > >> Republican Congressman Goss and Pelosi’s successor on the House > > > > >> intelligence > > > > >> panel, California Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harmon, were given > > > > >> slide > > > > >> shows in which “non-enhanced and enhanced interrogation techniques > > > > >> were > > > > >> named, described and compared on the same slide.” > > > > > >> Subsequent briefings, which included Senator Harry Reid, now the > > > > >> Democratic > > > > >> Senate Majority Leader, and the other Democratic members of the > > > > >> Senate > > > > >> Select Committee on Intelligence—Senators Carl Levin, Dianne > > > > >> Feinstein, Evan > > > > >> Bayh, Barbara Mikulski and Russ Feingold—heard presentations on > > > > >> “waterboarding, diet manipulation, nudity, walling and stomach slap.” > > > > > >> The content of the memo is hardly a revelation. In December 2007, the > > > > >> *Washington > > > > >> Post* reported that in 2002 briefings Pelosi and three other members > > > > >> of > > > > >> Congress were “given a virtual tour of the CIA’s overseas detention > > > > >> sites > > > > >> and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to make prisoners > > > > >> talk,” > > > > >> including waterboarding. The *Post *added that while leading > > > > >> Democrats > > > > >> subsequently denounced waterboarding as torture, “on that day, no > > > > >> objections > > > > >> were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the > > > > >> CIA to > > > > >> push harder.” > > > > > >> The patent aim of the congressional Republicans in requesting the > > > > >> public > > > > >> release of the record of these briefings is to intimidate Democrats > > > > >> into > > > > >> dropping the issue of torture, by threatening to focus public > > > > >> attention on > > > > >> Democratic complicity in the implementation of the criminal methods > > > > >> introduced under the Bush administration. > > > > > >> The issue has divided Washington since President Barack Obama last > > > > >> month > > > > >> released Justice Department memos authorizing the use of these > > > > >> illegal > > > > >> methods, while simultaneously announcing a blanket amnesty for those > > > > >> in the > > > > >> CIA who carried them out. > > > > > >> Obama has since informed Democratic leaders in Congress that he is > > > > >> opposed > > > > >> to any independent investigation of the torture carried out under > > > > >> the Bush > > > > >> administration, while publicly stating that the matter is in the > > > > >> hands of > > > > >> his Attorney General Eric Holder. The administration and the > > > > >> majority of the > > > > >> Democratic leadership in Congress have also deferred to an inquiry > > > > >> being > > > > >> conducted by the Senate intelligence committee, which will not be > > > > >> completed > > > > >> until the end of the year. The probe will be conducted behind closed > > > > >> doors, > > > > >> and it is uncertain how much of its findings will be made public. > > > > > >> In an appearance on Capitol Hill Thursday, Attorney General Holder > > > > >> dealt > > > > >> with the issue of the torture memos. His testimony before the Senate > > > > >> Appropriations Committee came just a day after the *New York Times* > > > > >> reported > > > > >> that a draft report issued by the Justice Department’s Office of > > > > >> Professional Responsibility had concluded that the government > > > > >> attorneys who > > > > >> wrote memos declaring specific methods of torture to be legal were > > > > >> guilty > > > > >> only of poor judgment and should not be criminally prosecuted. > > > > >> Holder, > > > > >> however, claimed not to have read the document. > > > > > >> Republican Senators > > ... > > read more » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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