House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now claiming that intelligence officials misled her about the use of waterboarding when she was briefed in 2002. Previously, it was reported that she, as the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee at the time, had been told about waterboarding as an interrogation technique and had raised no objections to it — a claim that obviously called into question the speaker's support for a "truth commission" to find out who (else) took that position.
"We were told that they had legal opinions that it was legal and were not told about other legal opinions to the contrary," Pelosi told reporters this week, describing the briefing. "We were told specifically that waterboarding was not being used." Pelosi claimed that she learned about CIA waterboarding later from other members of Congress. "I wasn't briefed. I was informed that somebody else had been briefed about it," she said.
I'm not sure I would have asked to see the opposing legal opinions if I'd been told about waterboarding in 2002, and I teach this stuff. Like most Americans, I was still sufficiently shell-shocked and terrified in 2002 that if you caught me on a day I had to fly, I probably would have nodded encouragingly upon hearing of enhanced interrogation, and encouraged whoever was telling me about it to let the frontline folks do whatever they needed to do to protect our children.
And I'm not embarrassed to admit it, even though, seven years later, I think President Obama rightly banned torture.
For an intelligence official to mislead a senior — or any — member of Congress in a briefing on critical issues of national security is a very serious charge.
If substantiated, I expect it would and should be grounds for dismissal of that individual, as well as any others who heard what was said or knew what was done and remained silent.
It seems to me that the charges Pelosi has now leveled against the CIA are far more serious than those aimed at Pelosi herself. In choosing this route to defend herself, Pelosi has also dramatically increased her own vulnerability.
Most people could forgive Pelosi for feeling as so many of us did in 2002. We were a terrified nation. Who was ready to say stop when doing so might bring down another airplane or building? Reasonable people can and do disagree as to what counts as "torture" and when coercion becomes unproductive, as well as unjustifiable. Claims that waterboarding, in fact, produced useful information need to be examined to determine whether that information could also have been secured by other means.
But there's nothing to agree or disagree about when it comes to intelligence officials misleading Congress. Pelosi didn't say she might've misunderstood. She isn't saying things have changed. As I understand it, she is claiming that intelligence officials lied to her. That needs to be investigated. If Pelosi was misled, those responsible should step aside. If she wasn't — if she is pointing at others to avoid taking responsibility for herself — then she will face loud calls to do so herself.
To find out more about Susan Estrich and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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8 Comments | Post Comment
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Her story keeps changing, but in the end, she is admitting that if she knew, or when she knew, she did not do anything about it. The fact that cheney and bush made torture a policy of the American government and that the cia, fbi, congress, and others in the administration knew this, worked to defend it and justify it, or looked the other way for political purposes has weakened America. Any other country with a policy of torture would be condemned by moral people. The arguements presented by fox news and other right wing pundits are based on the grey area issues that they so strongly objected to when used by liberals to justify less harsh sentencing laws--depending on the circumstances of a crime or background of an offender-and are just as weak now as when used in the past. Torture done as a policy is wrong--always. Cheney, bush, Pelosi and other congressional leaders who knew of it, no matter how they learned of it at the time, should be prosecuted for war crimes, just like we did the Nazi leaders and later the balkan leaders.
I wish that we could replace pelosi and reid and the other dems who cannot stand for our country without putting their political futures first.
Comment: #1
Posted by: canoefun
Fri May 15, 2009 7:02 AM
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Quite a bit of what canoefun is saying about torture depends on what torture is. Pelosi's lies do not distinguish nor define "torture", rather they merely make her look like the liar she is. Whether President Bush, Vice President Cheyney, and the CIA allowed, supported, encouraged, or tolerated "torture" seems to be the left's oft trotted out distraction to lure the public away from the FACT that Pelosi is a serial liar who is about as trustworthy as a perforated prophylactic. Please, canoefun and the rest of you liberal lemmings, stop with the BDS and get yourself a Speaker of the House who is less truth challenged than Pelosi. I know you will not find one who has a nodding acquaintance with reality because I see who your president is, but give it a shot anyway.
Comment: #2
Posted by: Jobe
Fri May 15, 2009 8:43 AM
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Let's say there's a contest to determine whether Clinton or Pelosi is the more rabid liar. I'd have to flip a coin.
Comment: #3
Posted by: Juanito Verde
Fri May 15, 2009 8:55 AM
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The Republicans have been successful with a complete OBFUSCATION CAMPAIGN. They are trying to make this issue about Speaker Pelosi instead of the war criminals who set the torture policy in motion. Thats like blaming Cleveland Browns fans for all their consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The guilty party is , of course, the poor team play by the Browns. Not some Browns fan who forgot to wear his dog pound mask to ONE game.
Let's get back to the real issue. Who authorized the torture and who set the policy in motion. The American public is not fooled by this created sideshow. One reason people are leaving the Republican party in droves is that the Republican Party used to stand for morals and principles. That is no longer the case as various current Republican leaders jump through smantical hoops to justify a series of war crimes simply because one of their own set in motion a series of criminal actions. All to cover up that administrations ineptitude in keeping America safe and allowing 9/11 to happen, They were given plenty of Warning. Don't think so?? Read MAXIM magazine article published one year BEFORE 9/11 which lays out an attack on New York CITY and names Osama Bin Ladin as the potential perpetrator. Rudy G. was too busy with his mistress, to pay this warning any mind. George Bush repeatedly ignored Intelligence reports and Daily IntSums placed on his desk. No Susan we know who the real culprits are and it is not Nancy Pelosi. She was not in charge of the White House.
Comment: #4
Posted by: robert lipka
Fri May 15, 2009 9:09 PM
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Remember when you were little and something in the house got broken? You either lied outright to your parents, or you told them only enough truth to claim that you did not lie but made your part in the mischief seem less culpable. That is what happens in the briefings. Congress is told what the reporting agency (or the administration) wants it to hear at the time of the briefing. Now that more is coming out, the Pelosi-haters seem to be trying to blame her for condoning criminal activity. The spin is already making me dizzy!
Comment: #5
Posted by: Paul M. Petkovsek
Sat May 16, 2009 4:32 AM
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Susan, Don't you believe Leon Panetta, when he said Nancy Pelosi was not lied to by anyone in the CIA?
Comment: #6
Posted by: vonnie bates
Sat May 16, 2009 5:40 PM
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Ma'am; I think it is too bad that as the price of election, and for a chance to change America or keep it on a true course that members of the government did not have to face certain death...It would certainly weed out the wannabees from the patriots... We could all vote for some one else to die, or for some one else to be tortured...Few enough have the courage for any good to put their own lives on the line, and people like Mrs. Pelosi are too common... In the aftermath of the attack... We hear about the aftermath, and are supposed to qualify the guilt of the torturers on the basis of feeling after the attack... Would that not have been the best time for calm minds to call for calm???Instead, every man and woman used what power they had to releave themselves of risk...What about protecting us??? What about all the heads that should have rolled because the attack was allowed to happen by intelligence officers who were everything but intelligent... We don't want snoops who can keep secrets even from themselves... We do not want leaders who will do more damage to this country with their revenge than suffered from enemy attacks...I was certain we would have called it even when we lost as many people in Iraq as in the attacks...No such luck; so to have revenge we have doubled our casualties and more...Cearly, our leaders are insane... And they are ambitious, and it is for that reason they are in office...They are not laying their lives on the line for us... That is what we are supposed to do for them...And if some one has to die or be tortured for these Heroes; then so be it...But then, why not choose our representatives with a painted bean as Athens did if we expect them to be no better than the rest of us???? Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #7
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Sun May 17, 2009 9:07 PM
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Good article. Finally something we can agree on, the truth. I hope you will be true to the ideals expressed in your article and use the position you have earned to put pressure on the Speaker of the House if indeed she did lie. Please write an article on how the opposing side should respond if she does turn out to be just another honest politician (can you tell that I am a little cynical about our ruling class in Washington?).
Calvin
Comment: #8
Posted by: calvin
Thu May 21, 2009 8:23 AM
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