Nancy Pelosi. Reports, Lies and Videotapes, Torture Inquiry, Destruction Through Idealogy
Mon/Tues May 18,19 2009
Today's Zinger:
A Lie Is Not A Lie When It Is Witnessed, Documented And Videotaped.
Then It Is Self-Destruction.
Morning Briefing:
Nancy Pelosi has gone to war with the CIA over her knowledge of interrogation techniques in 2002. Russia, the Contras in Nicaragua, Cuba, Vietnam and many others have been been at war with the CIA, but these were covert operations This war is quite different. Nancy Pelosi is firing in public and she is standing alone. Unfortunately, she may be shooting blanks at an organization known for killing with one shot.
No one has shown up to support her battle. Her Congressional colleagues are silent, the President is silent. Leon Panetta, a Democratic partisan appointed by President Obama to lead the CIA has even lined up against her stating that her story is not true (that's political speak for she is lying).
I don't want to spend this article worrying about what Speaker Pelosi knew and when she knew it. What she knew does not change the broader conversation about torture. I believe the real question is whether we can trust Nancy Pelosi and the implications that has to her ability to be Speaker of the House, or even a Representative of the People of California. If she lied, this implies she is more concerned about power and ideology than she is about what is right for America. Additionally, if the Democratic leadership was briefed on enhanced interrogation techniques used on high value detainees and continue to focus on the Bush Administration and the contention that they broke the law, this is more politics for Democratic positioning and not for the benefit of Americans. The Democrats are driving the getaway car claiming not to be guilty of the robbery. Barack Obama is standing on the sidewalk watching the robbery and getaway.
Ideologues, like Nancy Pelosi, are destroying our country. They are more concerned about their parties political power and position than they are about America. Ken DeLay was the Republican counterpart to Nancy Pelosi. Ken DeLay was pushed out of Congress. My opinion is Nancy Pelosi should be pushed out of Congress as well. If you can't trust the Speaker, either because she lied or she is stupid and can't remember, she should be silenced.
Her demise may be welcome news to President Obama. Two strong-willed, egocentric people have a very difficult time sharing leadership situations. I think one of them is about to be drained from the Congressional swamp. Steny Hoyer should take notes.
The Discussion:
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, is one of the most polarizing figures in politics today. As a strong ideologue, the party faithful acknowledge her her role in getting a Democratic President elected and the strong showing of the party in the 2008 general election. As one of the architects of the Democratic party and in her role as Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has played a major role in defining the opposition and crafting the message of the Democrats. To the majority of Republicans, Nancy Pelosi is not respected and even vilified. Wikipedia biography of Nancy Pelosi.
Recently, Speaker Pelosi has become outraged at the use of "torture" on high value detainees after the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Speaker Pelosi has been pushing for a truth commission on the Bush administration's illegal use of torture. We have now learned that she may have known all along about the enhanced interrogation techniques and essentially agreed through her silence or lack of response.
The media is in a feeding frenzy and Nancy Pelosi is the bait. They have found a news story that is timely, intriguing and potentially damaging to a key political figure currently in office. This isn't the old Bush stuff rehashed for more drama, but rather a story that has significance today.
Much is being written, and more said, about Speaker Pelosi and her knowledge of enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA on high value detainees shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The great controversy of what she knew and when she knew it is only important in that Speaker Pelosi is leading the charge to punish all those involved in these techniques now that there is public outcry over the harsh treatment. Zinger wrote about the torture controversy on April 23 and can be found by Clicking Here.
As noted in the April 23, 2009 ZingerKing article, key members of Congress, including Speaker Pelosi, were briefed about the interrogation techniques and there were no objections. Now that six years has elapsed, and things are calmer and Americans feel safe again, we can look back and say, we should not have done that. Fear for national security and American safety resulted in decisions being made that we may not be proud of today but most, including the leadership in Congress, felt were acceptable given the situation. Carl Rove wrote an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday May 14, 2009 looking at the facts of the situation. I highly recommend the article. Here is a link to Carl Rove's Wall Street Journal Article "Congress and Waterboarding".
It would be easy to throw a match on the current situation with Speaker Pelosi. There is plenty of fuel to ignite this controversy, but many of other people are doing just that. I would rather look at Speaker Pelosi, our political process and how today's politics and politicians are putting our country at risk.
For centuries, American politicians have fought along ideological lines. These differences are important to Americans as we have differences of opinion on many critical issues. Our political parties are branded with the extremes of these views. The contention is healthy for our country. However, the ideological lines have turned into battle lines where each side has lined up using weapons of political destruction to weaken the other party. Destruction of key party generals is celebrated (like George Bush, Tom Daschle, Carl Rove, Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich). The political generals typically see their role as the success of the party or domination of policy with their point of view. They lose their perspective about America and the success the country. They see the only success as their success. This of course brings great power from their colleagues and puts them in the sights of the other party.
Nancy Pelosi is such a high value target. Nancy Pelosi is a staunch partisan. She has voted 100% of the time with the Democrats in 2009. Here is a link to the Washington Post's review of her voting record versus Republicans and Democrats on major issues. Voting Record of Nancy Pelosi
Here is a summary of some of her more controversial stands:
On Illegal Immigrants:
Today's Congress seems to be a shooting gallery. Each side taking pot shots at the other side. Sometimes these shots are lethal. The Republicans shot down the Democrats in the 80's, part of the 90's and early in the turn of the Century. The Democrats have done the same when power came to them in the late 90's and in the past three years. Many of us remember Nancy Pelosi's constant mantra for the two years leading up to the 2008 election, "the failed policies of the Bush administration". We remember Nancy Pelosi tried to sabotage bipartisan legislation in 2008 incorrectly blaming the Bush administration for the need to spend billions of dollars on TARP. We remember Nancy Pelosi jumping up and down leading the cheering section during President Obama's address to Congress and during the Democratic convention. Her abusive attacks on Republicans and Bush, back room strong-arming of her colleagues and her high profile cheer leading has left her alone to fight the battle of her political life, this time against the CIA.
The United States is at a tipping point in its history. With significant social and economic problems we need a political system and elected officials that work for America and are not focused on their own power and party. As voters we must demand more from our elected officials. Term limits is the best solution to this problem. Members of Congress see their future in Congress. Long term careers work against the American interest. They become too powerful, too political and too cemented in their ideology and relationships.
In 2008, Nancy Pelosi promised to "drain the swamp" of Congress within the first 100 hours after a Democratic President was in office. She promised the most honest Congress. Who knew she would be caught in her own suction going down the drain.
Today's Zinger:
A Lie Is Not A Lie When It Is Witnessed, Documented And Videotaped.
Then It Is Self-Destruction.
Morning Briefing:
Nancy Pelosi has gone to war with the CIA over her knowledge of interrogation techniques in 2002. Russia, the Contras in Nicaragua, Cuba, Vietnam and many others have been been at war with the CIA, but these were covert operations This war is quite different. Nancy Pelosi is firing in public and she is standing alone. Unfortunately, she may be shooting blanks at an organization known for killing with one shot.
No one has shown up to support her battle. Her Congressional colleagues are silent, the President is silent. Leon Panetta, a Democratic partisan appointed by President Obama to lead the CIA has even lined up against her stating that her story is not true (that's political speak for she is lying).
I don't want to spend this article worrying about what Speaker Pelosi knew and when she knew it. What she knew does not change the broader conversation about torture. I believe the real question is whether we can trust Nancy Pelosi and the implications that has to her ability to be Speaker of the House, or even a Representative of the People of California. If she lied, this implies she is more concerned about power and ideology than she is about what is right for America. Additionally, if the Democratic leadership was briefed on enhanced interrogation techniques used on high value detainees and continue to focus on the Bush Administration and the contention that they broke the law, this is more politics for Democratic positioning and not for the benefit of Americans. The Democrats are driving the getaway car claiming not to be guilty of the robbery. Barack Obama is standing on the sidewalk watching the robbery and getaway.
Ideologues, like Nancy Pelosi, are destroying our country. They are more concerned about their parties political power and position than they are about America. Ken DeLay was the Republican counterpart to Nancy Pelosi. Ken DeLay was pushed out of Congress. My opinion is Nancy Pelosi should be pushed out of Congress as well. If you can't trust the Speaker, either because she lied or she is stupid and can't remember, she should be silenced.
Her demise may be welcome news to President Obama. Two strong-willed, egocentric people have a very difficult time sharing leadership situations. I think one of them is about to be drained from the Congressional swamp. Steny Hoyer should take notes.
The Discussion:
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, is one of the most polarizing figures in politics today. As a strong ideologue, the party faithful acknowledge her her role in getting a Democratic President elected and the strong showing of the party in the 2008 general election. As one of the architects of the Democratic party and in her role as Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has played a major role in defining the opposition and crafting the message of the Democrats. To the majority of Republicans, Nancy Pelosi is not respected and even vilified. Wikipedia biography of Nancy Pelosi.
Recently, Speaker Pelosi has become outraged at the use of "torture" on high value detainees after the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Speaker Pelosi has been pushing for a truth commission on the Bush administration's illegal use of torture. We have now learned that she may have known all along about the enhanced interrogation techniques and essentially agreed through her silence or lack of response.
The media is in a feeding frenzy and Nancy Pelosi is the bait. They have found a news story that is timely, intriguing and potentially damaging to a key political figure currently in office. This isn't the old Bush stuff rehashed for more drama, but rather a story that has significance today.
Much is being written, and more said, about Speaker Pelosi and her knowledge of enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA on high value detainees shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The great controversy of what she knew and when she knew it is only important in that Speaker Pelosi is leading the charge to punish all those involved in these techniques now that there is public outcry over the harsh treatment. Zinger wrote about the torture controversy on April 23 and can be found by Clicking Here.
As noted in the April 23, 2009 ZingerKing article, key members of Congress, including Speaker Pelosi, were briefed about the interrogation techniques and there were no objections. Now that six years has elapsed, and things are calmer and Americans feel safe again, we can look back and say, we should not have done that. Fear for national security and American safety resulted in decisions being made that we may not be proud of today but most, including the leadership in Congress, felt were acceptable given the situation. Carl Rove wrote an excellent article in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday May 14, 2009 looking at the facts of the situation. I highly recommend the article. Here is a link to Carl Rove's Wall Street Journal Article "Congress and Waterboarding".
It would be easy to throw a match on the current situation with Speaker Pelosi. There is plenty of fuel to ignite this controversy, but many of other people are doing just that. I would rather look at Speaker Pelosi, our political process and how today's politics and politicians are putting our country at risk.
For centuries, American politicians have fought along ideological lines. These differences are important to Americans as we have differences of opinion on many critical issues. Our political parties are branded with the extremes of these views. The contention is healthy for our country. However, the ideological lines have turned into battle lines where each side has lined up using weapons of political destruction to weaken the other party. Destruction of key party generals is celebrated (like George Bush, Tom Daschle, Carl Rove, Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich). The political generals typically see their role as the success of the party or domination of policy with their point of view. They lose their perspective about America and the success the country. They see the only success as their success. This of course brings great power from their colleagues and puts them in the sights of the other party.
Nancy Pelosi is such a high value target. Nancy Pelosi is a staunch partisan. She has voted 100% of the time with the Democrats in 2009. Here is a link to the Washington Post's review of her voting record versus Republicans and Democrats on major issues. Voting Record of Nancy Pelosi
Here is a summary of some of her more controversial stands:
On Illegal Immigrants:
- Right to Social Security
- Right to citizenship
- Right to bring their families to the Untied States and become citizens
- Right to US health care
- Transfer of wealth to support poor illegal immigrants
- Stop the enforcement of current laws on worker verification to allow illegal immigrants to work in the US
- Voted against the Border Security Act
- Voted against a photo ID for voters to ensure voters are legal
- Redistribution of wealth to better equalize incomes in the United States
- Reduce the income of high income wage earners through caps on income
- Against tracking domestic terrorists
- Against military tribunals
Today's Congress seems to be a shooting gallery. Each side taking pot shots at the other side. Sometimes these shots are lethal. The Republicans shot down the Democrats in the 80's, part of the 90's and early in the turn of the Century. The Democrats have done the same when power came to them in the late 90's and in the past three years. Many of us remember Nancy Pelosi's constant mantra for the two years leading up to the 2008 election, "the failed policies of the Bush administration". We remember Nancy Pelosi tried to sabotage bipartisan legislation in 2008 incorrectly blaming the Bush administration for the need to spend billions of dollars on TARP. We remember Nancy Pelosi jumping up and down leading the cheering section during President Obama's address to Congress and during the Democratic convention. Her abusive attacks on Republicans and Bush, back room strong-arming of her colleagues and her high profile cheer leading has left her alone to fight the battle of her political life, this time against the CIA.
The United States is at a tipping point in its history. With significant social and economic problems we need a political system and elected officials that work for America and are not focused on their own power and party. As voters we must demand more from our elected officials. Term limits is the best solution to this problem. Members of Congress see their future in Congress. Long term careers work against the American interest. They become too powerful, too political and too cemented in their ideology and relationships.
In 2008, Nancy Pelosi promised to "drain the swamp" of Congress within the first 100 hours after a Democratic President was in office. She promised the most honest Congress. Who knew she would be caught in her own suction going down the drain.
Nancy Pelosi has been one of the most effective Speakers since Tip Oneal. She has guided the agenda of the Democrats and built a solid voting block. Newt Gingrich was a hypocrit. Trying to take down the president when he was engaged in the same unfaithful activities. The Bush CIA has probably planted documents that will try to incriminate her. She should fight this Republican railroading.
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But they all pale in comparison to majority leader Tom Delay.
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