Americanpolitics

After months of going back and forth between Pelosi and the CIA regarding who knew what and when about water-boarding, the CIA has stepped up to the plate and confessed a truth. Leon Panetta has said that Congress was not “adequately informed” about unspecified, classified material regarding post 911 activity. Officials have said that these confessions were not in regards to water-boarding or interrogation practices.

Officials’ further state that it was not an attempt to mislead it was just that Congress was not informed however, Panetta goes on to say that now that he has taken over, things will be different. Did this confession clear Pelosi on this much debated issue of what she knew about water-boarding? The thing about lies is that once lies are exposed, it becomes difficult to be believable.

The confessions came on the eve of a House debate on an intelligence bill that could possibly allow for a provision, written in by Democrats, requiring the president to keep the Intelligence Committees informed about covert CIA activities. The White House is not in support of full disclosure citing the very real threat that briefing more lawmakers might compromise the most sensitive U.S. Intelligence Operations. As it stands now there are a total of six to eight members (only the senior Democratic and Republican members) that are briefed with full disclosure, however if the bill, currently on the table passes, approximately 40 members would be informed.

This confession of “misleading Congress” is expected to revive a partisan argument that has raged on and off for months about whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew in the fall of 2002 about the CIA’s use of water-boarding weeks earlier. Pelosi has denied any knowledge of the practice of water-boarding repeatedly and in May when asked whether she was accusing the CIA of lying to her, she had, without hesitation, said “Yes.”

Meanwhile the CIA had sent lawmakers a chart describing the 40 congressional briefings it gave on the interrogation techniques however, the document held several errors which left the question of exactly what Pelosi knew in question. Was this document of errors an intentional attempt at a cover-up staged by the CIA?

According to the Associated Press Release, this startling revelation that CIA officials had concealed significant actions and misled lawmakers repeatedly came out of the mouth of Leon Panetta in May of 2009. Although all the information surrounding this revelation has not yet been disclosed, it has been ascertained from disclosures made to the House Intelligence Committee that in one instance, the CIA outright lied.

As a result of these new disclosures, Reyes is considering a full investigation. In opposition, according to CIA spokesman George Little, “it is not the policy or practice of the CIA to mislead Congress. This agency and this director believes it is vital to keep the Congress fully and currently informed. Director Panetta’s actions back that up. It was the CIA itself that took the initiative to notify the oversight committees.”

While Panetta should be applauded for having the integrity enough to stand up and confess the wrong doings of the CIA, to say that it is not the policy or practice of the CIA to mislead Congress is a bit deceitful since this alleged practice of misleading Congress has been going on since 2001, while under the Bush Administration.

Is it truly in the best interest of national security for too many people to know the covert missions of the U.S. Intelligence Operations? The more people who know of certain things, the higher the risk of exposure. Ultimately, the President has the right to veto this measure and according to White House Officials it would be wise if he did. Transparency is one thing – national security is something all together different and some things are best utilized on a “need to know” basis.

And that’s the way I see it!!!

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