naming names
It also names other names.
The Senate intelligence committee's chairman and ranking member, Bob Graham and Richard Shelby, were given a briefing similar to the one with Pelosi and Goss on Sept. 27, 2002, according to the report.
On Feb. 4, 2003, a briefing on "enhanced interrogation techniques" for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va., revealed that interrogations of Abu Zubaydah and Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri were taped.
In addition, that briefing "described in considerable details" the techniques used, including "how the water board was used."
A similar briefing the following day included Goss and Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., who by that time had become the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, when Pelosi moved on to become minority leader.
I did a quick search for the actual report and haven't found it.
We've talked about how Democrats had to have also been involved in the torture fiasco. Well, we have some names in Congress to go with the surmises. And yes, it has been suggested before here that Pelosi had to have known and had been briefed.
I've had a crazy week that's left me a bit shell-shocked that ended with me giving an extremely mediocre hour-long talk this morning, so aren't really sure what to make of this. I'm even having trouble dragging out of my brain how much about this list of names we already know. But to me, this is another chip needed to piece this back together. How did America come to torture? Who in Congress let the Bush White House steamroll our Constitution? Why in the hell were Democrats so happy to be a part of this "rubber stamp Congress"?
Congress are our elected leaders. Where was the leading? Why were they just following orders? It's enough to make one sick, literally.
I knew there were 'briefings'; they were reported back in 2002,2003...
But the dems were in the minority and only a few, under some national security act, could attend the briefings. And they were forbidden from discussing anything at the meetings.
WHAT WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO EXACTLY?
I suppose they could have just stood up and said:
THIS ADMINISTRATION STINKS!!
When asked why, they would reply:
I cannot say.
May 8, 2009 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, it's easy for me to say that they should have done something. It's also easy to say that knowing what happened doesn't change anything. Or that trying to explore this is futile. But what I want is the whole narrative if possible. Were everyone being briefed happy with the briefing? Did Pelosi say "Waterboarding? Cool!" Were there any protests in the meetings?
If we want to be sure this doesn't happen again, then we need to know the why of it. That leads to how. And to never doing this bullshit again.
May 8, 2009 5:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just for the record, I doubt Pelosi said that waterboarding was cool.
May 8, 2009 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
See emptywheel for doubts about that report. There are 3 or 4 posts on it and long threads. Just work you way through them:
http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/
What concerns me at the moment is how the Media just swallow whole whatever is leaked to them, by whomever, without bothering to check facts. This seems to be one such blooper by a network, which seems to be more and more the Disney snakecharming network.
May 8, 2009 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's the CIA denial!
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/torture/cia-admits-that-info-about-torture-briefings-for-dems-may-not-be-accurate/
May 8, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks TheraP for the links. I'm starting to understand more of this. Murtha even got a personal one-on-one EIT briefing. ABC was pinning more on Pelosi than what is probable. Pelosi is pissed. The CIA, being the CIA was holding back information. Meanwhile we waterboarded someone, um, 83 times.
A quick choppy abstract before I'm off for the weekend:
The White House advocated torture. The CIA tortured. Cheney admits that we waterboarded. Some of Congress were briefed. Congress was silent. Intelligence briefings name some names that are now part of the majority in Congress. Over two years have passed since this party was the majority and those who had known about this have done little (yes it was top secret, but there are stances they could have taken, bills written, oblique statements made, "Fuck Bush"'s said). This is taking far too long to come out in full. Didn't they learn with Nixon that it's behavior after a crime that exacerbates the whole affair?
May 8, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
This was written about when the furor over the CIA destroying the torture tapes broke. It may not have been officially confirmed but IIRC there was some solid reporting on it naming those you named and even a general description of what they were told.
It has at least been known for a couple of years that congressional leaders of top intelligence oversight committees were briefed to some extent about both the interrogation and spying programs.
WaPo Dec. 2007.
It wouldn’t seem to me to make any difference as to whether crimes should be investigated or prosecuted. That congress has failed to perform its oversight duties is no surprise but no excuse either.
May 8, 2009 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"That congress has failed to perform its oversight duties is no surprise but no excuse either"
I know. But shouldn't we expect more? (once again, easy for me to write)
May 8, 2009 5:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes. I'm with you, matyra. But I don't think it's that easy to write. We've been screaming about these things for so long now, it's second nature, but we're still calling for justice.
It's a problem because the Dem leaders pre-2007 as minority leaders and the opposition party not only failed to roadblock some of the infringements, but they supported much of it (Patriot I, II, Iraq invasion, DTA, FISA Amendments). These same people have been majority leaders for over two years now and have done little to investigate, much less roll back the abuses. Even that great bipartisan McCain Torture Amendment (DTA) was a swiss cheese of loopholes that Bush dismissed with a signing statement anyway.
Many of us suspected, as soon as Pelosi announced that impeachment was "off the table," that she was covering for herself or colleagues. Besides, if these leaders did not provide any oversight of the Bush administration, what are they going to do with a Dem in the WH? (answer: whatever he asks, including "looking forward, not back").
I not only think it all should be investigated, I think that anyone who abetted a crime like torture is also guilty. I don't think anyone is looking for everyone's head to roll but some accountability to deter future acquiescence to some fascist wannnabe would be nice.
May 8, 2009 7:17 PM | Reply | Permalink