While it remains unclear what Pelosi knew and when she knew it, it should not be forgotten that Pelosi did not write the memos authorizing the use of torture or carry that torture out; the Bush administration did. Further, the CIA briefed Pelosi without staff, told her their practices were legal, and forbade her from discussing the meeting with colleagues. As such, Pelosi could not work to “outlaw the practices.” Marc Ambinder notes that the only way Pelosi could have registered her objections at that time was to “walk out of the briefing, telling those CIA officials who came that what she just heard did not constitute a formal briefing.” The result? The CIA would have simply tried to re-brief her at a later date, but the Bush administration would have continued to carry out torture anyways.The scandal that's brewing isn't just over what she knew and when she knew it, but it's also about the fact she's lied about what she knew (from "I wasn't told" to "I was just briefed") and if she supported enhanced interrogation before being against it. Also, the legality of "torture" (read: waterboarding) is still up in the air. To bemoan that the CIA told her it was legal means absolutely nothing.
Democratic PACs at their best. Which doesn't say much.
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1 comment:
Who knows how many lies she hasn't been caught in.
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