Waterboarding: What Did She Know & When Did She Know It?
EmailHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she wasn’t given the whole deal. Today the Speaker said intelligence officers gave her an incomplete briefing when it came to the Bush administration’s harsh interrogation program including waterboarding. Pelosi is talking publicly about a high level briefing she participated in back in 2002 when the CIA talked to select leaders of Congress. She has taken heat for being critical of the interrogation techniques while all the while having been aware of them. Here is Rick Kline from "The Note" In her first public comments on the matter since an intelligence report contradicted her recollections, Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters today that she was never told about the fact that waterboarding had been used on a terrorist suspect, even though terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah had been waterboarded a month before she was briefed on the subject in Sept. 2002. "The only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed," Pelosi said, reading from a prepared statement. "Those briefing me in Sept. 2002 gave me inaccurate and incomplete information." "At the same time, the Bush administration was misleading the American people about the threats of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," she added. "The CIA was misleading the Congress. At the same time, the administration was misleading the Congress on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
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Shut up Nancy it’s time to resign!
Posted by: Don't waterboard me Bro! | May 14, 2009, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm
Poor Nancy, soon she will be saying they waterboarded her…….
Posted by: Nancy Pelosi, accomplice to torture | May 14, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
Lets see the proof the CIA lied to her. You can’t just release memos that make the Bush administration look bad.
Posted by: Ken | May 14, 2009, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
Pelosi is an embarrassment to the country and “even” to California. Way this administration is moving wouldn’t be surprised to see Maxine Waters on the supreme court.
Posted by: longawaiting | May 14, 2009, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
*** “As a member of the House Intelligence Committe, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.
“The responsibility of the United States in this conflict is to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, to minimize the danger to our troops and to diminish the suffering of the Iraqi people. The citizens of Iraq have suffered the most for Saddam Hussein’s activities; sadly, those same citizens now stand to suffer more. I have supported efforts to ease the humanitarian situation in Iraq and my thoughts and prayers are with the innocent Iraqi civilians, as well as with the families of U. S. Troops paricipating in the current action.
“I believe in negotiated solutions to international conflict. This is, unfortunately, not going to be the case in this situation where Saddam Hussein has been a repeat offender, ignoring the international community’s requirement that he come clean with his weapons program. While I support the President, I hope and pray that this conflict can be resolved quickly and that the international community can find a lasting solution through diplomatic means.” — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Dec 16, 1998 concerning a U.S.-led military strike against Iraq.
*** “Yes, he has chemical weapons. Yes, he has biological weapons. He is trying to get nuclear weapons.” — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Oct. 10, 2002
*** “Saddam Hussein certainly has chemical and biological weapons. There’s no question about that.” — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Meet the Press on Nov. 17, 2002.
*** “Yes, I would support the president.” — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Meet the Press on Nov 17, 2002 when asked, by Tim Russert: “But if the president decides to go it unilaterally or with the British and the Turks, without U.N. approval, you would support the president?”
*** “The president led us into the Iraq war on the basis of unproven assertions without evidence. He embraced a radical doctrine of pre-emptive war unprecedented in our history, and he failed to build a true international coalition.” — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Jan 20, 2004. OBVIOUSLY A CASE OF SHORT TERM MEMORY! IT SEEMS TO BE A PATTERN!
Posted by: James Danley | May 14, 2009 3:28:32 PM
GREAT POST FROM SIMILAR BOARD
Posted by: Don't waterboard me Bro! | May 14, 2009, 5:37 pm 5:37 pm
No error occurred….
You are simply “Propagandists”, Censoring Comments for political effect.
Posted by: Da Truth | May 14, 2009, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
Well Now, If the CIA lied (which I doubt) then that would have been George Tenet. George Tenet is a ‘Billy bob Clintonian’ appointment that George Bush kept in office (showing that he was not the Partisan that the Dems & the Media made him out to be – showing their lack of objectivity and willingness to lie).
George Tenet was as respected as much by the Dems as by Republicans. Is she calling Tenet a liar !!???
Also, it was Tenet who made the “Slam Dunk” comment about Iraq having Nuclear Weapons. Most people think that it was Bush who made the Comment, partly because the media always kept it a bit confusing for that very purpose (to blame Bush as much as possible). The media was perfectly content to only tell the full truth ‘Occasionally’ and let the public think it was Bush.
Posted by: Da Truth | May 14, 2009, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
Pelosi knew. She had sources and resources at her fingertips. She knew.
Now she’s playing the innocent.
She’s also trying to change the subject. She’s wants to talk about health care instead. She stated that raising taxes ‘is not off the table’. All of a sudden she’s pushing people’s buttons to get everybody focused on another subject.
Well, it won’t work.
You have to go with what makes more sense: She may not have known immediately, but she knew shortly after and said NOTHING. She kept her mouth shut. She’s just as guilty for NOT speaking up at THAT time.
That is why Pelosi is guilty.
Posted by: ddg | May 14, 2009, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm
Sometimes journalists are really good at missing the big story right under their noses:
“(…) even though terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah had been waterboarded a month before she was briefed on the subject in Sept. 2002.”
First they waterboarded, THEN told congress?!?
How is that legal – torture debate and Pelosi aside???
Posted by: El_Pajaro | May 14, 2009, 8:12 pm 8:12 pm
We know that when a Republicans mouth is moving,it’s spinning a web of lies.Spewing treasonist statements about seceding.Psychotic actions and speech,heeding only the Conservative base,not the constituents who elected them,and refusing to leave political office,despite court orders,and election tallies.What’s left to understand? They’re still trying to KILL this country,by any means necessary!Cheney can’t spin his absurdities fast enough.
Posted by: Sharon W | May 14, 2009, 8:24 pm 8:24 pm
The point of the story is this: Pelosi knew after the waterboarding happened -
however, she did NOT say anything at that time.
She’s now acting as IF she had no idea that waterboarding ever went on.
It’s Pelosi that is doing the spinning of the facts.
Posted by: ddg | May 15, 2009, 6:05 am 6:05 am