Pelosi Dispute Is About CIA's Faulty Recordkeeping -- A Commentary

From The Saint Petersburg Times:

The CIA lies to Congress, at least it has many times in the past. We know it, and so do Republicans in Congress. Which is why all this faux patriotic indignation over the suggestion that the CIA misled Congress in briefings over detainee treatment is just raw political theater.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and other congressional Republicans are relishing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's tiff with the CIA regarding what she knew about waterboarding and when she knew it. Now they want an investigation ­— a ploy to keep the issue in the news, no doubt.

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My Comment: Robyn E. Blumner is critical of Republican attempts to have an investigation .... then he spends the rest of the article outlining past lies and (criminal?) actions of the CIA .... thereby providing the ammunition for the Republicans that a broad investigation should be launched.

What Mr. Blummer has problems with .... and is reflective on how this issue is now being buried by Democrats in Congress and by President Obama .... is that when these discussions on torture were brought up to the oversight committees, the leadership of both parties knew exactly what was happening, and (in fact) had signed off on it.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, many in their base now know this .... and are "steamed" by this duplicity. As for myself .... I am not surprised. National Security has always been used by both political parties to pursue a political agenda. Unfortunately for all of us .... this pre-9/11 mentality is what has put us in the situation that we are in today.

This entire situation deserves a broad and thorough investigation. The CIA is the service that provides intelligence and other critical information to Congress and the President. If the Speaker of the House accuses the CIA of lying .... there has to be an investigation because credibility and trust is now the issue. Failure to pursue this will only undermine the morale and trust of the CIA and the men and women who work there.