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Sen. Rockefeller Reacts to News Report on White House Torture Memos
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke out in reaction to the news this morning that the White House endorsed controversial CIA interrogation techniques in memos requested by then CIA director, George Tenet.
"The Senate Intelligence Committee is in the midst of an investigation of the CIA's interrogation program, including the Department of Justice's determination that the use of waterboarding on prisoners is lawful," Rockefeller said in a statement.
"If White House documents exist that set the policy for the use of coercive techniques such as waterboarding, those documents have been kept from the Committee. That is unacceptable, and represents the latest example of the Bush Administration withholding critical information from Congress and the American people in an attempt to limit our oversight of sensitive intelligence collection activities."
Josh
Zachary
Send them another strongly worded letter, Jay. That will fix them.
Anyone who's surprised by this is suffering from acute craniorectal inversion.
October 15, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eli Wallach?
October 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
My thought would be for Rocky to wait until Feburary and then as the DOJ.
BTW - I wonder how Rocky defends himself on the FISA Reform and Immunity now that it's been outed that Uncle Sam and the Telecoms were spying on calls from US Citizens Overseas to US Citizens in the US?
"Lucy... you got a lot of explaining to do."
-Ricky
John
October 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's 'splainin: (Ricky wags his finger) "Lucy, you got a lot of 'splainin to do!"
October 15, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know. I was being polite rather than making light of Desi's pronunciation. :)
John
October 15, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
This kind of story never really goes anywhere, and won't. Jay Rockefeller could care less about torture, eavesdropping, abuses of power, etc. -- I think he's just making this feeble crowing as lip service to the last vestige of his conscience. He doesn't really mean it. And certainly, the Bush administration has nothing to fear from him or any other member of Congress. It's a quaint and neutered body.
But an Obama DOJ isn't going to do much either. I think that Obama would look on an investigation as partisan, and "old politics," and backwards-looking. Vindictive and a waste of time when the economy is tanking, etc. (the fact that they are unrelated is irrelevant).
After almost 8 years of this the only thing I am interested in are the foreign courts -- when Spain or the Hague issues a warrant for Tenet's arrest, for example. Now THAT might happen. But anyone hoping that BushCo will be brought to justice -- or even subjected to any kind of scrutiny, at all -- by the American legal system is naive, imho.
October 15, 2008 2:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
This kind of story never really goes anywhere, and won't. Jay Rockefeller could care less about torture, eavesdropping, abuses of power, etc. -- I think he's just making this feeble crowing as lip service to the last vestige of his conscience. He doesn't really mean it. And certainly, the Bush administration has nothing to fear from him or any other member of Congress. It's a quaint and neutered body.
But an Obama DOJ isn't going to do much either. I think that Obama would look on an investigation as partisan, and "old politics," and backwards-looking. Vindictive and a waste of time when the economy is tanking, etc. (the fact that they are unrelated is irrelevant).
After almost 8 years of this the only thing I am interested in are the foreign courts -- when Spain or the Hague issues a warrant for Tenet's arrest, for example. Now THAT might happen. But anyone hoping that BushCo will be brought to justice -- or even subjected to any kind of scrutiny, at all -- by the American legal system is naive, imho.
October 15, 2008 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dems are complicit in all of this. They've known just about since day one. Hence the "impeachment is off the table" garbage. Cheney was smart to bring congressional dems in on it early, even when they were in the minority -- now they fear for their own behinds as much or more than the current administration. Dems are incapable of truly enforcing the laws of the land (or they'll just rewrite them to excuse bush/congressional betrayals, even when they have the majority in congress).
October 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Although I also hated that the Democratic leadership took impeachment off the table, I think it was actually a wise move. With only a one-vote majority in the Senate (and, since Liebermann would certainly have voted against, that would actually leave them one vote shy of a majority), it couldn't possibly have succeeded.
I think they decided that it made more sense to put their energies into increasing the Democratic majority in Congress. They can, if need be, still go after the Bush/Cheney cabal after this election, and with the possibility of having a filibuster-proof Senate majority.
October 15, 2008 2:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
re: They can, if need be...
Need be? If the laws of this country matter. If our constitution still holds any meaning.
If presidents are forevermore not to be held accountable for their actions, well then there is no need and we can all forget about it. Meanwhile, we can laud spineless democrats as being "smart" when they take enforcing the constitution off the table and continue to pass f'd up laws like the new FISA one even after they have the majority.
Just remember that if Al Gore had done 1/2 of what BushCo has in the last 7 years, he'd actually be sitting in prison now. I truely believe he would. Look at what happened to Bill C for lieing about sex.
The point is not whether impeachment would run the full course and lead to conviction, it's was there enough evidence to conduct a trial, enough to indict per se, then explore more evidence, and see if that leads to conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt (and keep in mind that republicans can vote to impeach their own president if overwhelming evidence of crimes is shown, and they were headed there with Nixon).
Besides, it's not like the dems were just so busy protecting our constitutional rights, or stopping the war, or looking out for the little guy, that they just had no time for impeachment hearings at least.
With democrats like this, who needs enemies?
October 15, 2008 3:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree on all that.
I'm just more interested in hearing Rocky explain himself now that he's been caught with his pants down and his hand warped around his member on FISA.
ROCKY: "The Bush Administration lied to us on FISA."
FUNCTIONAL PRESS: "They had been lying to you for seven years. Why did you believe them this time when the Constitution was on the line."
ROCKY: "Well... er... um..."
It really is sad that we have to live with the Rocky and DiFi (out here) types of the world to charge towards our precious 60 seat majority. I hold my nose when voting for DiFi because the option (a Republican Senator for CA) is worse. But it does piss me off watching them join hands with Cheney & Co.
John
October 15, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Democrats in Washington should have learned after they got flatly screwed the last 5 or 6 times. They should have l;earned that these cats in the White House, don't care about tradition, don't care about legal process, and are happy to go tell you to go f*ck yourself.
Because they learned every lesson the Democrats did not, and it's a lesson that I revisit with my 5 and 3 year old every month or so when I pick up a book at bedtime and read them "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie..."
The Addington/Rove types in the White House have not only been asking for cookies, but also raping the dog and stealing the family Bible and generally trashing the place all awhile holding aloft a middle finger.
And all Rockefeller and his ilk can do is pour more milk and jellydick an investigation or three.
I mean, honestly. What the f*ck does it take to get Democrats from being such broke dicks over this stuff?
Yes, I am mad. Sue me.
October 15, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
WTF does it take to get Dems from being such broke d*cks? Stop voting for the idiots. A vote for the lesser evil is a vote for evil. Vote Green.
October 15, 2008 3:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll give that a hearty second.
See my note above about "democrats like this."
October 15, 2008 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clearly, the only way to get real information out of these enemies of democracy is to blindfold them, cover their faces with cloth, and then pour water over them, to simulate drowning. They (literally) say that works, so why not give it a shot?
October 15, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
How long can one feign ignorance without realizing just how transparent the effort has become?
October 15, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rockefeller was privy to all this. Don't let him fool you. His disguise as head of intellegence puts him in the know and a backer of bush.
Obama needs to put him to pasture in January.
October 15, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know what , if they had an ounce of humanity they would go down fighting the principled FIGHT, at least fight for the persons that are drowning by the hands of the U.S. government and so what if Lieberman votes the other way, then you can say he's no better than the torturers themselves , and now the complicit cowards who won't stand up and fight this are no better than the cowards who participate in the barbaric practice of torture .
Rockefeller if "privy " to all this is no better than the barbaric cowards to involved in torture .
October 15, 2008 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Mr Rockefeller..are you shocked..? Just shocked...that there is gambling going on in the establishment?...I'll bet Nancy, John, Harry and Steny are just as shocked..(nudge, nudge..wink, wink) fucking lying enablers...!!! I hope you all end up in prison, too
October 15, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great, the person least likely to do anything about it is tasked with investigating the wrongdoings.
Fantastic.
October 15, 2008 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
We wouldn't want the Administration to "limit our critical oversight responsibilities" --oh, for heavens sake, I'm going to start laughing uncontrollably again. The irony is too rich, and I'm not as young as I used to be. It's enough to drive a person mad.
October 15, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
PBS has decided to delay the airing of the documentary, "Torturing Democracy" through its Frontline program until after January 21st, 2009, so approximately 65% of all PBS affiliates nationwide have decided to air the program tonight and in the weeks to come. These stations include WNET in New York and WGBH in Boston. However, according to Scott Horton, Washington affiliate WETA has declined to air the program. Would Senator Rockefeller like to explain what has prompted his wife, Sharon Percy Rockefeller (WETA's CEO) to make this decision? Horton's piece explains more: tinyurl.com/4klz3j
October 15, 2008 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink