Pelosi on waterboarding: I knew nothing
posted at 5:39 pm on April 23, 2009 by Allahpundit
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Or rather, almost nothing. She admits she was told that waterboarding could be used but insists she was never told it would be used, which I can only take to mean she was sufficiently comfortable with the practice in theory as not to call a halt to it in the conceptual stage.
Needless to say, according to Porter Goss, she’s a liar:
Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, who in 2002 was the ranking Democrat on the House committee, has said in public statements that she recalls being briefed on the methods, including waterboarding. She insists, however, that the lawmakers were told only that the C.I.A. believed the methods were legal — not that they were going to be used.
By contrast, the ranking Republican on the House committee at the time, Porter J. Goss of Florida, who later served as C.I.A. director, recalls a clear message that the methods would be used.
“We were briefed, and we certainly understood what C.I.A. was doing,” Mr. Goss said in an interview. “Not only was there no objection, there was actually concern about whether the agency was doing enough.”
That jibes with WaPo’s blockbuster from December 2007 describing a virtual tour Pelosi (among others) was given of one of the CIA’s black sites, replete with descriptions of waterboarding used on detainees. And it jibes with Pete Hoekstra writing today in the Journal that Congress knew a lot more about all of this than its more “enlightened” members would have you believe. But then, as MKat reminds us, we’ve seen this movie before: The Democrats start strong on foreign policy ventures, drift left as their base’s shrieking grows noisier, and then play dumb to get themselves off the hook. The more I think about the show trials Obama wants for “torturers,” the more I think they’re going to blow up in his face: Much of the GOP is up front about its support for enhanced interrogation but revelations about how Democrats backed it too will be genuinely shocking. By all means, more sunshine on their hypocrisy, phony sanctimony, and opportunism. Pelosi’s just the beginning.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »
Self-serving lying politician(s)?
Say it ain’t so!
Second verse. Same as the first…
I will never fully understand why none of what see and hear on these blogs almost never makes it onto newspapers and into televised news so everyone can become more than simply just self-aware. It would really burst some bubbles.
SilverStar830 on April 23, 2009 at 9:19 PM
if she wants to stick with that story, get a couple of FBI agents to take a statement. The FBI hates being lied to, and makes a point of insisting on bringing charges for that even when they dont have a case on what they started the investigation on.
Ask Liddy :)
It’s always the cover-up, not the crime.
the drill sgt on April 23, 2009 at 9:22 PM
FIFY.
Obama Franks Waters LLC — destroyers of the world economy.
unclesmrgol on April 23, 2009 at 9:25 PM
She’s so stupid she probably believes her own lies. Maybe she could remember them better if she were waterboarded. I’m just sayin’.
tcn on April 23, 2009 at 9:25 PM
Independent is spelled with a small “i”.
Obama Franks Waters LLC — destroyers of the nation’s economy.
unclesmrgol on April 23, 2009 at 9:26 PM
AHHHH yes,
The joy of being a democrat is telling everybody your the smartest person in the room but apparently not having a clue as to what is going on around you.
——————————————————-
———————————————————-
——————————————————–
—————————————————-
——————————————————
—————————————————
…………
That’s right America,
these are the people who claim to be the “grown ups” and the “smartest people in the room”.
Baxter Greene on April 23, 2009 at 9:27 PM
Maybe we should start calling Pelosi Sergeant Schultz….or grating b**ch. Whichever works better. :)
NathanG on April 23, 2009 at 9:34 PM
It’s got to be strange for San Fran Pelosi to be around so many American flags and not have them being set on fire by her
friends in Berkeley.
Baxter Greene on April 23, 2009 at 9:37 PM
Any chance the MSM will find out about this?
InTheBellyoftheBeast on April 23, 2009 at 9:43 PM
There are no words for this woman.
TXMomof3 on April 23, 2009 at 9:44 PM
Ditto from this vet.
Nuts4koi on April 23, 2009 at 9:50 PM
While it is true in a general sense that Pelosi knows nothing because she is an ignoramus, Pelosi was advised about waterboarding and thus is a LIAR.
Phil Byler on April 23, 2009 at 9:58 PM
Arrogant, lying, manipulative, witch. I don’t care for Obama, but I loathe this woman.
jimmy2shoes on April 23, 2009 at 9:59 PM
Actually, buttphuqqer, W and the rest of the GOP are pretty much saying that yeah, we waterboarded a bunch of IslamoNazi terrorists, and we’re glad we did, and it worked pretty good.
All of the lies, sanctimony, and hypocrisy are from Pelosi and the weenies of the left.
I would love nothing as much as a months-long series of public hearings on the “torture” that Pelosi was briefed on and kept to herself while feigning righteous indignation about the horror. Love.It.
Then you little twinkies can go back to terrorizing Miss America contests and leave national defense to serious people.
Jaibones on April 23, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Madam Speaker, your pants are on fire!
Quick, lie down so I can stomp the flames out.
For G_d’s sake, please keep them on!!!!
walkingboss on April 23, 2009 at 10:03 PM
Nancy Pelosi is a lying hound!
uh..er..um…blah blah blah
hell, she can’t even lie well!
I really hope this buries these people up to their necks.
Meanwhile, Al-Queda is helping the Taliban capture Pakistan while Chairman Zero is messing with credit cards.
wow, I feel safer already.
gordo on April 23, 2009 at 10:11 PM
Isn’t that the same pointing finger and punctuated speech Clinton (Bill) used when he insisted he did not have sex with that woman?
Candy Slice on April 23, 2009 at 10:12 PM
Are we prepared for the entire Congress to resign?
jimmy2shoes on April 23, 2009 at 10:13 PM
LIAR, LIAR, LIAR…YOUR SAN FRANCISCO BLOOMERS ARE ON FIRE.
byteshredder on April 23, 2009 at 10:17 PM
Pelosi has water on the brain.
What there is of it.
profitsbeard on April 23, 2009 at 10:25 PM
That’s no mystery. It’s why Obama voters don’t know jack shit about their messiah.
ddrintn on April 23, 2009 at 10:25 PM
And there is the rub. I don’t like torture either, but I remember what it was like after the huge failure in intelligence.
If Nancy and Barack don’t want there to be a need for torture they should stop going around the world begging to be liked by people who would rather kill them as look at them. They should stop undermining our CIA and the military… they should (and this is important for the Pres.)… they should stop weakening the office of the President of the United States.
Presidents need to get advice in emergency situations without his advice givers worrying that that advice will be used in a propaganda war by the opposing party.
petunia on April 23, 2009 at 10:33 PM
‘Do you know “getalife” by Cliff Richards??’
‘You hum it, I’ll smash your face in’…..
Madness I tell you….
But it would be sublime…
BigWyo on April 23, 2009 at 10:39 PM
She has the memory of a dead elephant! If she’s anything like my mother, then you can bet she really remembers nothing. Senility or alzheimer’s, it makes little difference but it’s a dangerous place to be third in line after the Usurper Obambi.
larvcom on April 23, 2009 at 10:41 PM
Pelosi issues the standard response – they tricked me. How can you be a leader if you are a victim?
Small children have been horrifically abused by methods far worse than waterboarding are returned to their abusers everyday by liberal judges. Yet there is no billionaire backed movement to prosecute those offenders – quite the opposite those libtards want the kids back with the “parents”. You want to know what torture is? Ask a child who has lived through it. You want to stop torture? go be a child advocate & do something really good.
batterup on April 23, 2009 at 10:41 PM
Dam# right!!!
Baxter Greene on April 23, 2009 at 10:44 PM
Getalife says to move to another country if we don’t like Obama’s policies. We may have to move because I can see most of our cities getting destroyed because the leftists in power have no desire to fight back the Islamic threats. Notice they have no plan b on Getmo or waterboarding.
garydt on April 23, 2009 at 10:44 PM
She definitely has selective memory. Remember how she was so certain that the Catholic Church is still in debates on abortion?
Geeze this woman is a tool. Either she’s lying, or her mind set is baaaaaaaaaad. Either way, she needs to go!!!
capejasmine on April 23, 2009 at 10:49 PM
The term torture is really relevant to one’s perception. McCain was tortured in the classical sense. I’m tortured when I have to listen to the TOTUS but a little discomfort for a barbarian who incidentally wears no uniform, swears no allegiance to any nation, however, does swear to do harm to me, my family, my community and my country simply because their barbaric cult disagrees with my value system. If it were my decision, I’d put his nuts in a vice and well, you get the idea.
Can we even talk about how we bend over backwards so that they can still study and pray for their cult? When are we going to take action against this foe?
larvcom on April 23, 2009 at 10:51 PM
Watch those flailing hands and finger pointings added to the wide-eyed “Who? Me?”s The woman does not know how to tell the truth.
onlineanalyst on April 23, 2009 at 11:04 PM
Nancy Pelosi lying? PERISH THE THOUGHT!
scrubbiedude on April 23, 2009 at 11:10 PM
She is a lair, and we all know it.
I say we need to hook the power cables to her nUt$, and turn the power up, while we pull her finger nails one at a time. She will confess to every lie she has ever told.
gar On DAMN tee it.
Offshore_Drilling on April 23, 2009 at 11:23 PM
I am shocked.
slp on April 23, 2009 at 11:43 PM
Mark Levin has been talking about himself and some other lawyers preparing to defend anyone prosecuted, and he was going down the list of people to be deposed, the documents to be turned over in discovery, etc… it almost makes me hope Holder tries something so stupid. If they want a political spectacle, they will surely get it, but it won’t be as much for them as they anticipate.
Just imagine Nancy being deposed in a court of law.
Queen0fCups on April 23, 2009 at 11:56 PM
Could this finally be the end of this b**ch? Let’s hope so, for America’s sake.
apco on April 24, 2009 at 12:03 AM
If Pelosi’s lips are moving (hard to tell with all the botox) she is lying.
Next.
coldwarrior on April 24, 2009 at 12:10 AM
To quote Hillary; “I don’t recall”.
Johan Klaus on April 24, 2009 at 12:57 AM
Silly Liberals. They always over-reach, until it blows up in their face.
What did Pelosi know, and when did she know it?
TN Mom on April 24, 2009 at 12:58 AM
Following this thread I see that my fellow conservatives have ceeded the point that our methods were torturous. My but you are easy to roll. Learn to protect your foundation or your house will collapse.
I do enjoy the phony anguish from the left over our interogation techniques. This from people that I heard defending the egg breaking Lenin, Stalin and Mao over my lifetime. These heroes exterminated over 100,000,000 people by starvation, poisoning, hanging, gassing, drowning, shooting and disease. The lucky survivors faced a life of depravation and slavery. I never heard an apology yet from their admirers.
When the self loathing, suicidal, death worshiping left finally succeeds in ending the US role as world leader, whom will they wish for as their new masters. For masters they will have.
Steady_Rest on April 24, 2009 at 1:03 AM
What a Fu#king Liar, and an ugly one at that. She should burn in hell.
oped01 on April 24, 2009 at 1:38 AM
Make him drink a whole gallon of nuoc mam.
MB4 on April 24, 2009 at 1:43 AM
reminds of Jake Elwood from “The Blues Brothers”
No I didn’t. Honest… I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn’t have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN’T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD.
Fed45 on April 24, 2009 at 1:44 AM
And the moment the next terrorist strike comes, and thankfully it has not happened yet, but if and when it does don’t these idiots on the left know that the American people will turn on their weak President and low-life hypocritical, America hating congress and senate and throw them all out for putting us more at risk.
oped01 on April 24, 2009 at 1:45 AM
FIFY
Fed45 on April 24, 2009 at 2:01 AM
She really is a moron. You hear things from some people that make you wonder if the person is all there… with Pelosi, she seems to want to make sure there’s no doubt that the elevator stops short of the penthouse.
n0doz on April 24, 2009 at 2:25 AM
No physical pain there.
Johan Klaus on April 24, 2009 at 3:37 AM
Nancy Parse-losi.
Who owns a B.S.- in being two-faced… while on your third.
profitsbeard on April 24, 2009 at 3:48 AM
Pelosi is the one who lost a shoe on the stairs of the House in her mad scramble to escape when there was a suspected threat against the building.
onlineanalyst on April 24, 2009 at 7:28 AM
I have said right from the start- by all means, let’s have those hearings. There is no faster way to exonerate W’s legacy.
drjohn on April 24, 2009 at 7:29 AM
Exactly. The Democrats and liberals in general are trying to lay this at the feet of Republicans/conservatives but they had a hand in it’s creation (and I’d argue they also had a hand in the creation of the ‘climate’ where such policies could exist with Bill Clinton and rendition). Whether you agree with ‘enhanced interrogation’ or not you cannot deny that this was truly a bipartisan effort. When push came to shove the Democrats fortunately did what they really thought was the right thing and allowed and encouraged enhanced interrogation. The only difference now between conservatives and liberals is that the conservatives who supported it before still do and the liberals who supported it before are now lying about having supported it or wilfully denying that their leaders not only signed off on it but wondered if it was enough…
gwelf on April 24, 2009 at 7:47 AM
We just need to let this run it’s course now. Pelosi is a blatant liar. That will come out.
The most remarkable thing, to me, is that she would even take the chance that no one will come forth with the memos and meeting notes that will prove her lie.
I guess she really is more clueless than I could even imagine.
Yoop on April 24, 2009 at 8:11 AM
Wait a minute. Was that Sgt. Schultz talking to Hogan? Typical lying liberal snag. Anyone buying her assertion……must be on Col. Klink’s team. You don’t know, see, or hear anything that might come back and bite you on the ass.
jarhead05 on April 24, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Oh, getalife… if you ever betray this country I will personally do things to you that I learned in Vietnam…. I promise.
MNDavenotPC on April 23, 2009 at 8:44 PM
And if he was to need any help I’d volunteer free of charge.
thomasaur on April 23, 2009 at 8:53 PM
Ditto from this vet.
Nuts4koi
I was a 71Q. I will take the photos.
Well, it’s either that or I can type up the after-action report.
SKYFOX on April 24, 2009 at 8:19 AM
I was thinking about this story more last night, and the more I did, the more Pelosi’s statement reminded me of Billy Boy C and his defense of smoking weed during his administration:
Clinton: “I smoked, but I didn’t inhale!”
Pelosi: “I was told they wanted to use these interrogation techniques, exactly how they wanted to implement them; but I didn’t know they would actually USE them how they said they wanted to!”
Both are a bunch of hooey. How anyone can be expected to believe what The Great Nancy P says is beyond me!
Highlar on April 24, 2009 at 8:23 AM
She will pull out the “members of Congress are immune from any prosecution” card….as long as they are Democrats…
albill on April 24, 2009 at 8:30 AM
Pelosi on Waterboarding: I put my hands over my ears and went, “la la la la la la I can’t hear you” every time someone brought it up.
If we are going to try Bush legal advisors for torture, then do we get to try Obama’s economic advisors for sabotage?
I think there is extra caffiene in my coffee this morning. Awesome.
bitsy on April 24, 2009 at 8:33 AM
Sergeant Schultz?
TrickyDick on April 24, 2009 at 8:47 AM
I remember reading back in 2007 that Pelosi was aware of the waterboarding, so I was mildly surprised to hear her now saying she knew nothing. Surprised that she would lie? Not in the least. Same old, same old. All I can hope now is that Code Pink will come back and park in her front yard. Liar. She’s probably the one pushing this thing and I hope it blows up right in her face.
scalleywag on April 24, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Jonas:
Brevity may very well be the soul of wit, but for the life of me I can’t tell if you are in support or opposition to my statements. Was it, “Suuuuuure. No physical pain there,” or perhaps, “No, really, there’s no physical pain there…”
CaptFlood on April 24, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Pelosi:
” I listened, but I didn’t hear. Well, maybe I heard, but I didn’t understand. Then again, maybe I was there, but I really wasn’t.”
“I thought they were talking about surf boards; I’m from California, you know. Lots of water and surf boards there. They went out of their way to confuse me. Yes, that’s it. I was confused.”
Yoop on April 24, 2009 at 8:53 AM
YES!
scalleywag on April 24, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Liars all–with Pelosi the liar in chief.
jeanie on April 24, 2009 at 8:56 AM
One begins to wonder if this is all being done by obama and his 2 side kicks to ‘get’ Pelosi out of his hair?
jeanie on April 24, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Oh wouldn’t that be lovely? Too good to be true, though IMO. She has got to be a thorn in his side. Probably why he spends so little time at the White House.
scalleywag on April 24, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Good one. :) That poor poor woman…being purposefully all confused by those evil evil republican lawyers! *snickers*
Highlar on April 24, 2009 at 9:06 AM
1. Put under oath all people who attended the briefings on interrogation techniques. Examine all transcripts and any other documentation for the briefings.
2. Prove that Pelosi knew, or should have known, about waterboarding, etc.
3. Try Pelosi for perjury, or expose her complete incompetence and hypocrisy.
Just once, this woman needs to be held accountable.
chipandcharge on April 24, 2009 at 9:11 AM
scalleywag on April 24, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Yes, it would be. Good conspiracy morning this. O’s two little voices must know about all the proof existing out there that Congress did know–or do they? They are not famous for doing their research. In fact, while we the public did not know about the details, we did know about the ‘torture’. If we knew, it’s safe to say they all did including obama and the Hill. Unless the press is strong armed into not revealing, I don’t see how Nan and company can get away with this.
jeanie on April 24, 2009 at 9:15 AM
I like it that she’s getting called out.
AnninCA on April 24, 2009 at 9:23 AM
Great, I don’t know where she’s getting the info but Laura Ingraham just said that the “new” documents the Obama administration is going to release is going to be pictures of prisoners in U.S. custody. Good choice, this guy proves he is a bigger a$$ by the minute.
Cindy Munford on April 24, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Representative Nancy Pelosi may be putting her legal advisers in jeopardy. It is obvious from her carefully crafted statement (…what the meaning of is, is…) that her lawyers prepared this press release for her.
Does this mean that they could be liable for advising her when she has her perjury trial?
Uniblogger on April 24, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Cindy Munford on April 24, 2009 at 9:28 AM
If this is true, what does he expect to gain from it? He, like the rest of them, was on the Hill when all this was taking place. Whomever is feeding him this idea, is playing with fire.
jeanie on April 24, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Everyone in committee is responsible for all reports submitted pertaining to that committee.
There is no excuse for ignorance. Ignorance marks incompetence and willful disregard for duty as a committee member. The onus for responsible membership rests upon every committee member, not upon the nation of citizens to prove what a member knows, never knew, no longer knows, or has forgotten.
Socialists do not hold themselves accountable to the US Constitution, or to any “oath” to provide truthful testimony.
Pelosi wants to play dumb. Wire Pelosi to track her body and vocal inflections for evidence she must produce to prove her “ignorance” that marks her as incompetent.
Is Barack getting rid of Nancy?
maverick muse on April 24, 2009 at 9:39 AM
“she was sufficiently comfortable with the practice in theory as not to call a halt to it in the conceptual stage.”
Amazing new lows in Hotair nitpicking and baseless speculation.
Dave Rywall on April 24, 2009 at 9:41 AM
Again!!!!Rep. Pelosi does not wish to tell U.S. the truth. While, at the same time claims the enemy is U.S. and wants the true enemy to forgive U.S. for making their lives so difficult.
MSGTAS on April 24, 2009 at 9:46 AM
I would really like to know, and I’m not joking, what drugs this woman is taking.
ernie on April 24, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Amazing new lows in liberal’s hypocrisy and blind partisan defense.
ClassicCon on April 24, 2009 at 10:00 AM
This lying sack of excrement makes me want to puke.
DuctTapeMyBrain on April 24, 2009 at 10:01 AM
Oral botox?
Yoop on April 24, 2009 at 10:02 AM
In truth a new low in your attemp to defend a liar. You will accept literally anything from the left no matter how incredulous.
Yoop on April 24, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Waterboarding is used on OUR AMERICAN military personnel to prevent talking to the enemy during an interrogation. If this is “torture”, the military personnel who endured the practice should sue Obama as commander in chief for approving its use on them.
Torture is reading a response from getalife.
dthorny on April 24, 2009 at 10:12 AM
I will give her the benefit of the doubt. If she really believed that they portrayed waterboarding and in her mind had no intention to employ the methods,
She is far too spupid to hold her position.
By the way, waterboarding isn’t genuine torture. Electricity use, pulling out finger nails, flogging, breaking bones etc leave damage. The only problem with water is using it on dessert rats that are used to dry, makes it a little more wierd for them.
seven on April 24, 2009 at 10:21 AM
You have to realize that getalife was tortured by her mom. She was forced to wear a used dress to this year’s junior prom.
Yoop on April 24, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Pelosi is a liar. Not that that should surprize anyone, given most of her statements in the past three years.
Vashta.Nerada on April 24, 2009 at 11:04 AM
We know that many politicians are good & well practiced liars but some, like Pelosi, are so addicted to lying that they lie even when it is easy enough to prove their lying!
These creatures have got be dangerous.
Chessplayer on April 24, 2009 at 11:28 AM
How does prosecuting criminals “blow up in someone’s face”?
Just because you’re thinking about this in cynical partisan-political terms doesnt mean everyone else is, too.
Go after all of the people who authorized torture, regardless of political party.
orange on April 24, 2009 at 11:58 AM
My fellow Libertarian/Conservatives…leave San Fran Nan alone! She, along with her soul-mates Reid and Obama, are perfect examples of the finest the Left has to offer (pedaling their widdle tricycles). Even some of the wacko Sunday AM preachers, Buchanan, or The Crazy Uncle sound measured and sane in comparison.
trl on April 24, 2009 at 12:14 PM
I’m not sure where this idea that waterboarding is not torture came from, but my guess is it probably did not come from those who have actually been waterboarded for any length of time. Put more succinctly, were we to watch a cherished family member undergo the experience, I have little doubt as to what we could consider it. This caveat that in order for torture to occur there must be permanent damage or a broken bone of some sort is a recent conceit, and one not supported by a five-minute Google search for the definitions of the word within ‘Dictionary.com,’ ‘FreeOnlineDictionary,’ or ‘Your Dictionary…’
Look, you can call the family dog a ‘cat’ for all I care, but at the end of the day when it barks, drinks from the toilet bowl, and chases its tail, the general consensus will remain that it is a dog regardless of what you choose to call it.
Again, I support the selective, well-documented, and judicious use of waterboarding; I’d just prefer we had the courage of our convictions to call a spade a spade and not try to obfuscate behind ‘Clintonesque’ turns of phrase.
CaptFlood on April 24, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Pelosi doesn’t know anything. Sock pupets in general know nothing. If you ask a sock pupet what they know, they say nothing.
seven on April 24, 2009 at 5:15 PM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »