Jay Rockefeller Casts Doubt On CIA Pelosi Briefing Memo

Politico:

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who was chairman of the intelligence committee in 2002, is the latest Democrat to seriously question the accuracy of the CIA memo detailing Congressional briefings on waterboarding and enhanced interrogations.

In my reporting for the Pelosi piece this morning, co-written with John Bresnahan, a Rockefeller aide took issue with two characterizations made in the memo, which was requested by House Republicans and released by CIA director Leon Panetta last week.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[jesthefaxman]

Not very aggressive reporting from the HP. So we have the Politico carrying Pelosi's water, and HP making excuses and crapping on the CIA because it's convenient­....like it was convenient to excoriate the outing of CIA former operative Valerie Plame.

This is selective outrage at it's finest. Selective during the Serbian conflict, selective when Ruwandans are being massacred, selective as Darfur experiences the same thing, and discrediting the CIA to protect Pelosi. Jane Harmon is going to be the next lady speaker if the Dems still control the house in 2010.

It's one thing to be the NYTimes and release black ops sites and al qaeda financial maneuverings to undermine US security in the effort to damage the Bush admin, which is easy to grasp, but a whole other thing to be minority leader to say nothing during your opportunity to protest and then claim you were protesting under your breath while the EIT's (which you sanctioned by your silence) years after the fact.

If this scandal were from the other party the leaks would be all over the place...it­'s just a matter of time before Pelosi is done. No amount of photo's of abu garib and redirection by the WH is going to reshape Pelosi's image now.

[Yermammy]

I don't think Liberals and civil libertarians really care at this point what happens to Nancy "off the table" Pelosi. Whether she is complicit or not matters not one iota on investigating strong evidence that War Crimes (torture) and Crimes against Humanity (aggressive war) were committed. The more questions that arise reenforce the argument for a fair, public investigation into what just exactly happened. We already know the reason-- petroleum.
We can argue this and make a false debate on if torture is necessary, but it's a moot point as our treaty obligations compel the United States to investigate and to prosecute war crimes per the Conference on Torture treaty (Ronald Reagan Signatory 1988; Ratified by Senate 1994).
Article Six U.S. Constitution says that treaties are the supreme law of the land.
Time to start investigations. NOW.

[BabblingBrooks]

The entire Democratic contengent of congress is trying to hide from their rabid left-wing.

[Nonamnesiac]

This is really amazing. We all watched Democrats join in overwhelmingly to fund the war. We all watched as Democrats supported the Trampling on the Constitution Acts (Military Commissions. FISA, Patriot Act, Protect America Act). We all saw a Democratic Senate confirm mediocre legal mind but solid pro-torture mind Mukasey as Attorney General. We all watched Democrats support deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy. Even now we've seen a massive Democratic Senate and House give even bigger breaks to the wealthy by shielding their Inheritances from higher taxes, failing to repeal the depression-causing tax cuts for the rich, failing to repeal the changes they made to the Bankruptcy Act and failing to give judges the right to lower mortgage interest and mortgage payments for those facing foreclosure. Do we see them passing EFCA?

Do they really think we believe they didn't know that waterboarding and other torture was going on? Even now there are many Democrats, including right-wing-nut Harold Ford, defending torture.

[Yermammy]

You've just made a really good argument for investigating this. Liberal Democrats aren't hypocrites and if there's evidence to support "Democrats" were complicit, well they weren't really Democrats to begin with- they are War Criminals too. I want an American government I can be proud of, regardless. If Spain and Britain have to carry our water and prosecute in absentia, it will not look good regarding world opinion. At all.

[jesthefaxman]

Yes but Leahy isn't going to investigate everyone. If he did, I would applaud it, but he isn't going to, which makes makes the whole premise about the truth a sham.

Statesmanship is dead, and this is a war over the US treasury purse strings as is evident by the phony stimulus and selective bankruptcy. First Bushy f8ck's us with his war for oil, and now Obama destroys the economy.

Heres to hoping the invisible hand has some sort of smackdown to correct this tragedy of errors.

[OliverTwist]

Most politicians pose as principled and brave but behave in ways that show they are really mostly unprincipled and cowardly.

This seems to apply widely.

There may be merit to it - but it is galling.

I think that we should probably let be those who had good reason to believe that crimes were ongoing but did not have the courage to speak up.

Think of them as if they were the bystanders on the "night of broken glass" who did not have the courage to scream out "Stop!"

[BabblingBrooks]

Harold Ford is right wing? That's a hoot!

[BabblingBrooks]

Surely there are arguments for and against torture. But if it helps protect western civilization, I'm for it.

[Jamie Kowalski]

And where do you stand if it doesn't?

Because, in case you haven't been paying attention, it never has.

[FightTheLies]

Amen. Finally you and I agree. Let's torture all the right wing radicals in Congress since they have collectively destroyed the world we live in today.

[Kassandra]

I saw the pic, and I thought "is that Jay Rockefeller?" Yep, that's Jay Rockefeller, the guy who wants to turn the internet over to the president so's whoever is in there can take it down in case of emergency.­...like we get too uppity or somethin'
I'm not surprised Ol' Jay wants to take Pelosi down. she's been whipping some pretty good bills for the people thru the House. It must be a drag to have to keep shooting them down over there in the Senate.
What a mess!

[Loompa]

You don't seriously think that Rockefeller would lie, do you?

[swift goat pet for truth]

You don't seriously think that the CIA would lie, do you?

[postman66]

Speaker Pelosi has it right. If she were briefed on waterboarding the simple tactic would have been to say nothing. Sen Bob Graham has now confirmed. For me he is even more compelling, because he is known as a man who keeps meticulous notes on everything. Notice no Republicans involved are making any public, contradictory statements.

[AnnfromCA]

These meetings all record minutes. Absurd for her to deny. Today's remark was even sillier. "I couldn't protest."

Baloney.

[doubtingdavid]

Well said. Now get her out of there!

[Kassandra]

And what, Oh hypocrite lecteur, was she supposed to do with the fascists in control? Bare her throat for the knife?