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What Congress Knew About 'Torture'
wsj ^ | JANUARY 6, 2009

Posted on 01/07/2009 8:23:32 AM PST by george76

Barack Obama's choice of former Congressman Leon Panetta to lead the CIA at least puts a grownup, if also an intelligence rookie, in that crucial job. It also means that Mr. Panetta and Director of National Intelligence-designate Dennis Blair will soon have to decide if they want to join the left-wing crusade to purge their agencies of anyone who had anything to do with "torture."

In particular, at their nomination hearings they're likely to be asked to support a "truth commission" on the Bush Administration's terrorist interrogation policies. We hope they have the good sense to resist. And if they need any reason to push back, they could start by noting the Members of Congress who would be on the witness list to raise their right hands.

Beginning in 2002, Nancy Pelosi and other key Democrats (as well as Republicans) on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees were thoroughly, and repeatedly, briefed on the CIA's covert antiterror interrogation programs. They did nothing to stop such activities, when they weren't fully sanctioning them. If they now decide the tactics they heard about then amount to abuse, then by their own logic they themselves are complicit. Let's review the history the political class would prefer to forget.

According to our sources and media reports we've corroborated, the classified briefings began in the spring of 2002 and dealt with the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah...

If Congress wanted to kill this program, all it had to do was withhold funding.

If Mr. Panetta doesn't want to go down as another Frank Church or (Carter-era CIA Director) Stansfield Turner, he'll tell his fellow Democrats to drop their "torture" vendetta against intelligence officials who were acting in good faith and with the full knowledge of key Members of Congress.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: cia; democrats; islam; jihad; leonpanetta; nancypelosi; nationalsecurity; obama; obamatransitionfile; panetta; pelosi; waterboarding

1 posted on 01/07/2009 8:23:32 AM PST by george76
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To: george76

What *torture*????


2 posted on 01/07/2009 8:25:22 AM PST by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: SunkenCiv; LucyT; STARWISE; Clintonfatigued

The liberals will not be happy with Nancy Pelosi on this?


3 posted on 01/07/2009 8:26:29 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76
Let me be the first to say: "Obama's fault!"
4 posted on 01/07/2009 8:38:32 AM PST by RightResponse (It depends on what the defamation of Islam is .....)
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To: SumProVita

I got “tortured” more at the Benning School for Boys.


5 posted on 01/07/2009 8:59:32 AM PST by ElectricStrawberry (1/27th Infantry Wolfhounds...cut in half during the Clinton years.)
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To: george76

The purpose of this appointment is pretty clear - the CIA is about to be destroyed.


6 posted on 01/07/2009 9:18:51 AM PST by dainbramaged (the Tree of Liberty needs watering)
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To: ElectricStrawberry

Lol....I am tortured each time I have to see and hear Harry Reid (the one who doesn’t know the U.S. Constitution). ;-)


7 posted on 01/07/2009 9:22:01 AM PST by SumProVita (Cogito, ergo...Sum Pro Vita. (Modified DeCartes))
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To: dainbramaged; Grampa Dave

another Frank Church or (Carter-era ) Stansfield Turner


8 posted on 01/07/2009 9:22:44 AM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

They fund state abortion clinics so they know a lot.


9 posted on 01/07/2009 9:31:45 AM PST by NoLibZone (Gays and illegals embody the spirit of our founders more than we do.)
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To: george76

No more GTMO, no more torture...NO MORE PRISONERS! Kill ‘em where you find ‘em; problem solved. Accept no surrenders.


10 posted on 01/07/2009 11:07:26 AM PST by JimRed ("Hey, hey, Teddy K., how many girls did you drown today?" TERM LIMITS, NOW AND FOREVER!)
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To: george76; AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...

Thanks geo.


11 posted on 01/07/2009 4:28:45 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/___________First 2009 Profile update Tuesday, January 6, 2009)
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To: george76; AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...
Mr. Panetta and Director of National Intelligence-designate Dennis Blair will soon have to decide if they want to join the left-wing crusade to purge their agencies of anyone who had anything to do with "torture." ...Beginning in 2002, Nancy Pelosi and other key Democrats (as well as Republicans) on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees were thoroughly, and repeatedly, briefed on the CIA's covert antiterror interrogation programs. They did nothing to stop such activities... If they now decide the tactics they heard about then amount to abuse, then by their own logic they themselves are complicit... According to our sources and media reports we've corroborated, the classified briefings began in the spring of 2002 and dealt with the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah... If Mr. Panetta doesn't want to go down as another Frank Church or (Carter-era CIA Director) Stansfield Turner, he'll tell his fellow Democrats to drop their "torture" vendetta against intelligence officials who were acting in good faith and with the full knowledge of key Members of Congress.
Thanks geo.
12 posted on 01/07/2009 4:40:39 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/___________First 2009 Profile update Tuesday, January 6, 2009)
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