Lawrence Wilkerson: Congress Is "Spineless" (VIDEO)

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, the former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, was sharply critical of the CIA and the U.S. Congress in an appearance on CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday.

"We could have less feckless leadership in the Congress in terms of oversight. And I'm not just talking about the Select Committees in the House and the Senate for Intelligence. I'm talking about the leadership in the Congress.

This has been the most feckless Congress ever since 2000 that I've seen in my 65 years. I just don't think there's leadership over there. It's spineless, it lacks courage, lacks political will.

I shudder for the fact that we've got to face these economic and financial challenges we've got to face -- Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea and other things -- and we don't have a Congress that has any leadership."

About the CIA, Wilkerson had this to say:

"...
 (T)he CIA does not have the leadership, not the good people in the ranks of the CIA, but the leadership of the CIA does not have a stellar record about telling the full and unequivocal truth about its covert operations."

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Comments

[Marcospinelli]

I think there's a good group online here at the moment, that seems interested and knowledgable about the CIA story, and I'd like to share this link with you.

It's from Marcy Wheeler (emptywheel at Firedoglake.com), and it is something that we're not hearing in the media about the reason for the failure of oversight by Congress during the Bush years. This really exposes the MO of the crimes committed by Bush and those wanting these wars.

Read it and let's discuss?:

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/05/19/torture-appropriations/

Here's a background clip of the person that Marcy Wheeler references, Greg Sargent, whom Rachel Maddow interviewed just last week:

This is the clip with Greg Sargent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQD7ELc5Nmo

There's a part 1 to the clip, which is the lead-in where Rachel summarizes the situation before she gets to Greg Sargent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBjQ7Sv9u0Q

[purplefishies]

I'm a democrat, but I am absolutely sick of Pelosi and Reid. Pelosi has been as pathetic of a Speaker as I can ever imagine. She never challenged Bush , took impeachment off the table, never enforced the subpoenas against Karl Rove...the list is endless.

I seriously do hope that she knew about the torture so that we can investigate her as well. Time to wipe the slate clean.

[Social Construct]

I agree 100%. They are spineless alright, but not leaderless by any means. Congress is lead around quite well by some very rich, powerful and all too influential groups. If any congressperson had to make a decision without some corporate shill whispering in his or her ear their head would explode from the effort.

[SiberianRat]

Wilkerson is great--I've seen him on several programs and he tells the truth. Refreshingly, he tells the truth. He's TOTALLY right about Congress as well. I hope this guy is regularly on the airwaves--people need to hear him.

[LynnW49]

Wilkerson will make a lot of enemies, but he seems credible and honorable. Saying what everyone else is afraid to say, with candor and articulateness, makes me appreciate him. (Cheney PRETENDS to tell it like it is, but his language is that of propagandists from time immemorium. And he lies.)

I agree that Congress is without will. Republican insanity reveals part of what is wrong with Congress. But it doesn't distract from the Democrats' refusal to be bold, decisive and unified, and to stop capitulating to Republican tactics and start spending political capital on real change. Both parties passed a capless and toothless CC bill. We still have no Independent Prosecutor for war crimes. And they've done nothing to repeal DADT as high-value, high-profile soldiers get drummed out of the military. Cowards.

Both Congress and the President have found themselves in the biggest mess in American history. But Congress helped create it, and the Dems seem rudderless and spineless now that they have a majority, political capital, and a popular President who actually has a brain. I bet Congress would move along if 1) their benefits were taken away until they enact real health care reform, 2) every one of them had to serve for 90 days in Iraq or Afghanistan to be allowed to stand for re-election, and 3) all lobbying and contributions were made illegal (or at least suspended for 24 months).

[Sundei]

Catch how the host characterizes torture as "enhanced interrogation".

And they say the press is Liberal...­.the Cheney cult is alive and kickin...

Most are just as spineless and uniformed as the people they cover.

[swift goat pet for truth]

yes on spineless.

[citizensrus]

"David M. Barrett]'s analysis of the relationship between the long- established Congress and the infant CIA (founded only in 1947) turns not only on documents but also on his superb portraits and assessments of the key players: The thoughts, actions and characters of senators, congressmen, presidents and CIA officials are front and center in the book. The human pageant Barrett presents is not all that different from that which exists today. At the CIA's birth, he writes, senior legislators sought to limit knowledge of the agency's activities to a select few in Congress, fearing leaks and damage to national security, while other legislators simply did not want to know what the CIA was up to. Meanwhile, a third category of legislators embraced public discussions of CIA activities either to make political hay (Sen. Joseph McCarthy) or to inform the public about what America's spies were doing (Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield)­."
THE CIA AND CONGRESS

The Untold Story from Truman to Kennedy

By David M. Barrett

Univ. of Kansas. 542 pp. $39.95

[Genep34]

He is great - a patriot.

[citizensrus]

1987 : Just google CIA LIED and hit news archives for 1987..Iran Contra has headline after headline about how the CIA lied; Casey lied.

[cyoohoos]

Ask any person who served in Vietnam if the gov't is capable of lying.

[sweetsdawsonusn]

HAL-3 check it out. They have aweb page.

[force fed up]

Congress has always been spineless. Even more reason to set term limits, Then maybe they'd grow a pair and rock the boat if they knew they had a limited time in there.

[underoath]

I am so ashamed that these war crimes will go unpunished i lose more and more respect for this president everyday!

[19iowa62]

The President is in the Executive Branch of the government and it is NOT their job to investigate and prosecute. It is considered an abuse of power to do so and is illegal. Please learn something about the way our government works before you smear our President.

[nbanflfan]

Agreed.

[LynnW49]

The President can't investigate and prosecute. But he could stop undermining Congress and DOJ by not equating investigating (based on increased evidence and more witnesses) with "finger-pointing" and "looking backward." He seems to say "it's their job" and then follows it with "but anybody who does that job is a finger-poi­nter." Maybe that is why underoath is disappointed. If the President wants to stay out of it, he could at least step aside and stop suggesting that any other government body that wants to uphold its oath to the Constitution is misguided.

[lynnn]

No sol's on war crimes.... duh.

[bosha]

Now I can see why Obama just wanted to move forward and not look back at the last 8 years. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson I respect you and Gen. Colin Powell, these are two great Americans.

I just can't believe that the CIA can report anything it wants to Congress either it be false or true. That's why Cheney used the CIA and not the FBI.

[lynnn]

Is he saying that the CiA took out RFK...?

[lynnn]

The president cannot take on the CIA we all remember what happens when one does, the people have to start pushing congress for CIA accountability. This is a zero sum game.