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December 09, 2007

The Conventions Of Official Journalism

This is my favorite part of the Washington Post story today about how top congressional Democrats were briefed, early and often, on the CIA's torture programs:

Pelosi declined to comment directly on her reaction to the classified briefings. But a congressional source familiar with Pelosi's position on the matter said the California lawmaker did recall discussions about enhanced interrogation. The source said Pelosi recalls that techniques described by the CIA were still in the planning stage -- they had been designed and cleared with agency lawyers but not yet put in practice -- and acknowledged that Pelosi did not raise objections at the time.

I decline to comment directly on accusations I put no thought whatsoever into writing this. But a source familiar with my position on the matter says that I'm a great person who really, when you think about it, shouldn't be blamed for anything I've ever been criticized for.

—Jonathan Schwarz

Posted at December 9, 2007 03:00 PM
Comments

Just curious. If a representative in a closed intelligence committee meeting disapproved of waterboarding, could the person vote against it or say that it's illegal? If a representative did would anyone know? If, for ex, Pelosi said that "that's against the law and I'm going public with this," would she have been prosecuted for revealing state secrets? Is Goss violating any state secrets by saying what happened at those meetings?

And why should be believe anything in WaPo about the CIA?

Just asking...

Posted by: Bob In Pacifica at December 9, 2007 03:18 PM
Pelosi recalls that techniques described by the CIA were still in the planning stage...

Oh, by the way, Rep. Pelosi, we haven't done it yet, but we're planning to hook up wires and batteries to the genitals of some of our detainees. Our lawyers said it's OK!

Posted by: darrelplant at December 9, 2007 04:35 PM

Oh no! Who is Mike Meyer going to insist we call now about impeachment?!

See why you've been wasting your time, Mike?

Posted by: at December 9, 2007 06:34 PM
Oh no! Who is Mike Meyer going to insist we call now about impeachment?!

See why you've been wasting your time, Mike?

You're making baby Jesus cry with your meannes. Don't tell kids there's no Santa.


Posted by: Ted at December 9, 2007 06:51 PM

So much is lost in tranlation.
Take the CIA's "enhanced interrogation." Why, "enhanced" has an ethereal ring to it.
Then take the Gestapo term it's based on, "verschaerfte Vernehmung." Say it, crisply and sharply (as in "verschaerfte") and try not to goose-step to your wetbar.
As the late Fuehrer (may Allah bless his soul) said of the Czechs as he was about to initiate their surrender talks: "Sollen die Kerle Deutsch lernen."

Posted by: donescobar at December 9, 2007 07:02 PM

Posted: Make NO MISTAKE IMPEACH the president and vp, George W. Bush and Dick "Deadeye Cheney". The number is the same no matter what, as it is the SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE'S number. (1-202-225-0100) There will ALWAYS be a SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. (It's just their name may or may not be Pelosi, I don't care one way or another.)

Posted by: Mike Meyer at December 9, 2007 09:36 PM

Jiminy. If I'm ever important enough to have my own anonymous background-source sock puppet, I would hope they could make better excuses for me than *that*. Pelosi didn't raise objections because the crimes hadn't happened yet, and there was still a danger of preventing them. What?

Almost anything would have been better. How about: "Sources close to Pelosi said she had fully intended to lodge a formal complaint, but what with one thing and another it plumb slipped her mind." Or: "Key Congressional aides, who refused to be identified for this article, said that Pelosi's letter of protest must have gotten lost in the mail."

Posted by: Chris E. at December 9, 2007 11:16 PM

Yes, Mike. Let's keep calling Nancy Pelosi - the subject of this post - about impeachment. Oh, and I have a fox here who would really, really like to be in charge of guarding your chicken coop.

Posted by: duhhhhhh at December 10, 2007 07:35 AM

The problem, Mike, is that we all know full well with less than a year to go until the next election, there is not going to be any move towards impeachment. Jack doesn't have any magic beans that will make the Democrats grow a spine overnight. Then there's that whole problem that people like our host keep documenting; namely, that maybe the Democrats don't disapprove all that much of all the things we'd like to impeach Bush over. Maybe they'd like to have those powers themselves, in fact. But even if we give them the benefit of the doubt, there's still less than a year to do it in.

IT'S
NOT
GOING
TO
HAPPEN.

With that in mind, then (and assuming you know all that as well as I do), I dare say it's a bit self-indulgent and bratty of you to keep posting the same robotic message over and over ad nauseum on various blogs to pretend you're "doing something". Hell, arguing with a Republican relative or acquaintance could theoretically be more useful, given that you could at least change one mind for the better. You're not far away from insisting that the new and improved Ghost Dance 2008 is the answer; that if we all just get up and jiggy wit' it, all the Republicans will disappear in a poof and we'll have a decent country back. It's no farther removed from reality than what you're currently doing.

Posted by: Upside Down Flag at December 10, 2007 09:38 AM

Upside Down Flag: I'm NOT asking if the Congressional Democrats have a spine, I'm asking if YOU have a spine.

Posted by: Mike Meyer at December 10, 2007 12:04 PM

It's ONLY A PHONECALL folks. I'm assuming that YOU still claim this as YOUR COUNTRY. IS YOUR COUNTRY WORTH A PHONECALL?

Posted by: Mike Meyer at December 10, 2007 12:08 PM

Don't stop, Mike! Everybody may be right that no amount of phone calls will make a difference, but until it is tried, then saying it is useless is just an excuse. And I love the euphemism, 'enhanced interrogation techniques', sounds like their giving the prisoners an extra blanky or mabe a cool software upgrade.

Posted by: john in california at December 10, 2007 03:59 PM

Don't stop, Mike! Everybody may be right that no amount of phone calls will make a difference, but until it is tried, then saying it is useless is just an excuse. And I love the euphemism, 'enhanced interrogation techniques', sounds like their giving the prisoners an extra blanky or mabe a cool software upgrade.

Posted by: john in california at December 10, 2007 03:59 PM