To understand just how toxic her situation is the readers need to do two things: 1) think fourth dimensionally (into the future) and 2) understand the modus operandi of the CIA in such matters. When the CIA has someone in their cross hairs, usually, they don't destroy them all at once. Instead, the CIA will destroy you by a sort of death by a thousand paper cuts approach.
I don't know if there is a smoking gun that the CIA has that will prove beyond any shadow of any doubt that Pelosi is not speaking truthfully. I do believe that the CIA can piece together enough evidence that taken together will mean only the lunatic ideologues will still believe Pelosi. It isn't the CIA's M.O. to release these all at once. Rather, their S.O.P. is to release little by little and cause a drip drip attack on their opponent. That's exactly what happened on Friday when it was leaked, presumably from the CIA, that in 2004 Pelosi objected to a covert operation in Pakistan and that operation was stopped. This leak of course challenges Pelosi's assertion that there was nothing she could do to stop EIT's.
Expect these sort of leaks from time to time. Expect each leak to further erode her credibility on the issue. Eventually, there will be enough leaks that only the ideologues will still believe her. Now, think fourth dimensionally. Pelosi has made an enemy of the CIA. So, the CIA is now going to be determined to undermine Pelosi at every opportunity. It also means that the CIA will be determined to undermine her at the most inopportune time for her. In other words, as an important bill is about to come for a vote, that will likely be a time that someone leaks. The CIA understands what Pelosi's domestic agenda is made up of, and now that they are enemies, they also understand that destroying her agenda is the best way to destroy her.
As such, the CIA is then ultimately now determined to make sure that they do everything they can so that universal health care, cap and trade, and education reform, doesn't pass. So, it's not hard to imagine bombshell leaks coming a week or so before an important vote. Republicans will likely use the leak to demand a delay. Furthermore, the CIA really understands that her position as Speaker is the ultimate prize. As such, you can bet that if there is a smoking gun, that will be the October surprise in November of 2010.
Meanwhile, Democrats are now in a constant state of defensiveness on this issue. Right now it is topic one. Of course, that will eventually subside but this issue isn't going away. Each and every Democrat, when asked, will have to choose between siding with the Speaker and the CIA. That's a horrible place politically to be. Every television or radio appearance and every interview carries with it the possibility that they will be asked whether they agree with the Speaker that the CIA mislead the Congress. As long as Pelosi is Speaker, that question is a possibility each and every interview and appearance. Furthermore, the Speaker, herself, has a weekly news conference. Each news conference one can expect at least one question related to this. Just how many more times will she change her story again between now and November 2010? How many more times will she look weak, confused, and with no credibility when answering a question related to this? Talk about a rock and a hard place. Meanwhile, Republicans will be in the exact same position only they will use each and every opportunity to demonize her, a la Newt on Friday, call for investigations, her resignation, and do anything to marginalize her power. Ultimately, they can do this freely because not only will it be to their political advantage but it will be right. Her actions are despicable and so righteous indignation is appropriate.
Finally, think about this. The worst case scenario for the Democrats is that Pelosi resigns the day before the November 2010 elections. The best case scenario is that she just resigned. So, that means the longer this goes the worse it gets for everyone. Right now, the debate is over whether or not her position is safe. The debate should be whether or not her continuing as Speaker hurts the party. Finally, if Pelosi stays on then the Republicans would commit political malpractice if they didn't nationalize her in 2010's Congressional election. In each House race there would need to be ads tying the Democrat to making Pelosi, the LIAR, Speaker again. Her popularity is currently 35% and that's before all of the leaks everyone expects have come out. Nancy Pelosi has now become the gift that keeps on giving for Republicans. Democrats are wise to embrace this reality and deal with it sooner rather than later.
they should have waterboarded her when they had the chance
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I'd like to reiterate that the Republicans tried making the 2006 and 2008 Congressional Elections into referenda on Pelosi before, and both times they were ultimately unsuccessful.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, Pelosi's future as Speaker probably depends on her usefulness to Obama. If she proves incapable, or unwilling, to execute his agenda, he'll leave her out to dry. If Obama thinks she is still useful, then he'll drop the hammer on Panetta instead.
At this point, its important to remember that the whole reason this issue arose was because the Democratic base demanded an investigation into actions of the Bush Administration. At first I thought it wouldn't go anywhere because, as we're seeing now, there can be no investigation without exposing the Democratic leadership as complicit. But now that the base has reason to believe that EIT began even before the Bush Justice Department signed off on it, and that it was done to get detainees to say that Saddam was part of 9/11, they're not going to stop. And if this does ultimately cost Pelosi the gavel I'd suspect she'd want guarantees that her two biggest rivals: Steny Hoyer and Jane Harman, wouldn't succeed her.
If they did, they didn't try very hard. In Nov. 2006, four people knew who she was outside of San Fran. About forteen knew who she was outside of San fran in 2008. I have no idea what you are talking about buy you live in an alternate reality. The Republicans didn't try all that hard to do this.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, 2006-2008 is not 2010. Now, she has lied about national security. It's one thing to paint an unknown as a far left liberal. It's another to paint the third in line as a liar. You may not see the difference, but it's stark.
Didn't try very hard? The practically made her the face of the Impeach Bush movement even as she was alienating her own supporters by declaring Impeachment "off the table."
ReplyDeleteThey made her the face of the Impeach Bush movement while she said it was off the table? Did you just say that?
ReplyDeleteAgain, if they nationalized the election around Pelosi, the country missed it because no one knew her outside of San Fran in 2008.
Furthermore, 2008 is NOT 2010. 2008, the Reps had Bus as a drag. That's no longer. 2010 is a referendum on the Dems not on the Reps. Nationalizing it around Pelosi in 2010 is a lot different than in 2008, which, frankly, is one reason why they didn't nationalize it in 2008.
STOP! The Attacks On Speaker Pelosi
ReplyDeleteLast time they tried to attack Speaker Pelosi ( second in line to the President of the United States) it was about her alleged abuse of military transportation. This attack as expected turned out to be bogus. It turned out that the previous Speaker (Hastert - a Republican) made far more use of military transportation. It turned out that Speaker Pelosi was possibly overly prudent and too self-restrained in her use of military transportation.
Now Republicans are trying to attack her about allegedly having been told by the Bush administration about things she was not told about, like water boarding. Republicans are attacking her because she is being so effective at getting the peoples work done in congress, like healthcare. And Republicans want to stop her. Don't put up with that. Every time they attack Speaker Pelosi they are attacking you and the rest of the American people. If they go after her, go after them even harder.
They are trying to con Speaker Pelosi and the American people. And here is how it works. Approximately 6 years ago CIA had a briefing with Pelosi and congress, but DID NOT tell congress and Pelosi that the Bush administration was using torture ( water boarding ) on detainees. Then the Bush administration sent in Porter Goss to head the CIA and to destroy, and doctor records in part to make it look like Pelosi, and the Democrats in congress were onboard with the illegal torture of detainees by the Bush administration.
See, apparently at these intelligence briefings members of congress are not allowed to take notes. And if they do, they are not allowed to keep them. Apparently the CIA makes notes, but the members of congress are not allowed to see those notes either. And they can't tell anybody about what was said at the briefings. But the CIA can come back six years later and claim they told members of congress something six years ago that they did not tell them at that time. And they can use falsified notes to substantiate their claim. Planting disinformation was the type of thing the CIA became very good at during the time Porter Goss was a young CIA agent. Just gotta love it. :-)
If you will remember, their was a mass exodus of senior CIA officials after Porter Goss took over. And the complaint at the time was that longtime, highly experienced agents were being replaced by other people based mostly on their political loyalties to the Bush administration and their extreme right-wing ideologies. Which is just exactly what you need if you want people who will be willing to break the law under orders. Sound familiar? I don't think you can trust any CIA records after Goss took over.
I have nothing but the utmost respect, and admiration for the dedicated and patriotic members of OUR! Central Intelligence Agency. When the Bush administration betrayed one of OUR! agents (Mrs. Wilson) it made me boiling MAD! I think our new Director Pennetta has got some internal investigation and agency house cleaning to do. If you backtrack on the individuals that have been making the false attacks on Speaker Pelosi, and trace who they have had contact and conversations with, you should be able to connect the dots and catch your conspirators.
The key that the CIA records are falsified is Sen. Bob Graham and his journal, and common sense. :-) By the way, I think Mr. Pennetta is an excellent choice to head the CIA and fix it.
They are trying to kill healthcare reform. And continue our healthcare crisis. Don't put up with that.
PASS THE WORD.
To The Congress Of The United States:
If it is true that you are not allowed to have or make any permanent records of your intelligence briefings for later clarifications, and protection, that is ridiculous. That leaves all of you vulnerable to just this type of scam that is being perpetrated on Speaker Pelosi. So here is what you can do about it to protect your-selves in the future.
Members should be able to make notes and other recordings of these briefings. Then these briefings and recordings can be reduced to a computer file that can then be encrypted and digitally signed with a detached digital signature using key encryption. Then each of you can encrypt, and sign each others copy of the record that can only be unlocked with the other parties key. And both parties copies can be verified with each others copy of the files detached digital signature.
Very easy. Very secure. No more exposure to falsified records down the road. :-)
You see, it almost doesn't really matter what CIA allegedly did or didn't tell Speaker Pelosi, and congress. Because the briefing format is so deficient of any checks, balances, or verification that all we know is that all external briefing accounts support Speaker Pelosi's version of events. Pelosi and congress should have been given every benefit of the doubt. And that should have been it.
There are many other booby traps out there set for you congress. Be careful.
God Bless You
jacksmith — WORKING CLASS
p.s. I still think the timing of Sen. Bob Graham's ruptured cerebral aneurism was suspicious. More so now, than before.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/pt_survey_toplines/may_2009/toplines_pelosi_and_cia_may_16_17_2009
ReplyDeleteJacksmith.. Shill much?
ReplyDelete