ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist&reg;.com: Duke's Damage Control</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style1 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> <table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="116" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="24" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="465" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="18" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="283" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr height="26"> <td width="624" height="26" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#149; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#149; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#149; <a href="teflon.html">THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#149; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">REACTIONS</a> &#149; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="1"> <td width="116" height="2574" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="489" height="1" colspan="3"></td> <td width="18" height="2574" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> <tr height="2573"> <td width="489" height="2573" colspan="3" align="left" xpos="116" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="5"><b> <br /> Pelosi&#39;s CIA Salvo</b></font><p><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b>by John M. Curtis<br> (310) 204-8700</b><br> </font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright May 18, 2009<br> All Rights Reserved.</i></font></p> <p><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style1">&nbsp;</span></span><span class="style1">H</span>ouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) caused quite a stir telling the press May 7 she was not apprised by the CIA or Bush administration about waterboarding or  enhanced interrogation techniques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&quot;&nbsp; </span>Pelosi insisted she was briefed only once in Sept. 2002, later finding out that terror suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times in Aug. 2002.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She made some outrageous accusations last week where she said that the CIA lied to her and lied systematically over a period of years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>That is a very, very serious charge, said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hoekstra may be technically correct that the House Speaker learned more than once about the CIA or military s enhanced interrogation techniques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Despite the technicality, the Bush White House kept watereboarding and  enhanced interrogation techniques close to the vest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>When President Barack Obama authorized his Justice Dept. to declassify and release Bush White House  torture memos April 16, the public and members of Congress were stunned by revelations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Finding out that Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times shocked many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Hoekstra and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) lead the current GOP attack on Pelosi, diverting attention from their Party s chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Lying to the Congress of the United States is a crime, Boehner told John King on CNN s  State of the Union, insisting that Pelosi offer evidence for her allegations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Boehner and Hoekstra know that the Bush White House, CIA and Pentagon don t make a habit of loudly advertising the use of  enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Intelligence agencies do their utmost to operate discreetly.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Pentagon and CIA officials, rightfully so, kept a tight lid on the use of  enhanced interrogation techniques. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Obama made the Bush memos public to emphasize that his administration prohibited interrogations techniques banned by the Geneva Convention and regarded as  torture by most, if not all, human rights organizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whether or not Pelosi was briefed more than once on  enhanced interrogation techniques doesn t contradict either her recollection or perception that she was briefed only once in Sept. 2002.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> I believe in the integrity of the men and women who sacrifice to keep us safe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Not the woman who has been caught flat-footed, lying to our face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>I say it her and I say it rather clear It s time for Nancy Pelosi to resign and get out of here, wrote former Arkansas Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Huckabee is likely to run again in 2012.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Since Obama released the State Dept. memos, former Bush administration officials have been on the defensive, blaming the White House for damaging U.S. national security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Former Vice President Dick Cheney has led the GOP charge to justify  enhanced interrogation techniques, urging the CIA to declassify more memos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>CIA Director Leon Panetta, President Bill Clinton s former chief of staff, responded vaguely to Pelosi s charges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Let me be clear:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>This is against our laws and our values, said Panetta, not denying Pelosi s key allegation that the CIA mislead her, Congress and the American people on the extent of controversial interrogation techniques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Whatever the CIA policy, it s only reasonable that a spy agency wouldn t publicly advertise its secret intelligence-gathering techniques and methods.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Republican strategist and former Reagan aid Ed Rollins blasted Pelosi for raising CIA deception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> This is a self-inflicted wound . . . She brought the whole subject up, Rollins insisted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> She started this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>I think it was the worst week she s had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>I m not accusing her of lying or any of the rest of that, but I think she certainly doesn t have her facts correct, scoring as many political points as possible at a time of chaos in the Republican Party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Only a week ago, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, representing the  new GOP, asked his fellow Republicans to toss the late President Ronald Reagan out as the Party s icon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Rollins and other Republicans hope that Pelosi s faux pas carries over to the White House, damaging Barack s approval ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> Pelosi s remarks, while not politically correct, meet the test of plausible deniability, since the CIA is a spy agency known for secrecy.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Republican attempts to discredit Pelosi seek to regain some momentum heading into next year s midterm elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Rollins talks about Pelosi s  self-inflicted wounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>But nothing hurts the Republican Party more than the internecine warfare between conservatives and moderates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Jeb Bush s attempt to distance the GOP from Reagan directly relates to the battle between conservative talk show icon Rush Limbaugh and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, the new face of the Republican Party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No one alive today articulates the conservative manifesto and parrots the Reagan talking points better than Limbaugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> My criticism of the manner in which the Bush administration did not appropriately inform Congress is separate from my respect for those in the intelligence community who work to keep our country safe, wrote Pelosi in a veiled mea culpa.</p> <p><u><b>About the Author</b></u></p> <p><b>John M. Curtis</b> writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.&nbsp; He&#39;s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet </a>and <a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a>.<u><br> </p> <p></p> </td> <td width="1" height="2573"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2573"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="116" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="116" height="1"></td> <td width="24" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="24" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="283" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="283" height="1"></td> <td width="18" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="18" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong>Home</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> || <a href="articlesindex.html">Articles</a> || <a href="books.html">Books</a> || <a href="teflon.html">The Teflon Report</a> || <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com">Reactions</a> || <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">About Discobolos</a></strong></font> <div align="left"> <p><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">This site designed, developed and hosted by the experts at</font><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"> <a href="http://www.cmeonline.net" target="_blank"><img height="30" width="138" src="images/cmelogoANIM.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></a></font></p> </div> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">&copy;1999-2002 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>