Quickly reacting to the December 9 Washington Post's front page revelation yesterday that some Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew about waterboarding interrogation techniques YEARS ago, Time's Joe Klein sought to silence criticism of Democratic hypocrisy.
Klein's excuse? Democrats were swept up by post-9/11 fear and paranoia:
Now, there is going to be a lot of shouting and breast-beating over this. Republicans will say, "See! See! The Democrats knew all along!" Some of the more extreme elements on the left-wing of the Democratic Party will lapse into their traditional wailing about the Bush-appeasing weakness of their party leaders. But the Washington Post reporters and their sources make clear that these briefings took place in the months after the September 11 attacks. There was fear that we would be attacked again by terrorists, and on a regular basis. Few were thinking clearly about the nature of the threat and how to deal with it. (By the time Harman was briefed, in 2003, people were thinking more clearly--hence her letter of protest.)
So does Klein think that the risk of America being attacked is now extremely remote? If so, what share of credit would he give to President Bush for that fact? Oh wait, that would cut against his persistently negative drumbeat about the Bush presidency and how it has supposedly harmed American security and foreign policy interests in the long-term, particularly in the Middle East.
As much as Klein wishes to dismiss Democratic knowledge of waterboarding as an interrogation technique, hypocrisy and political opportunism IS a huge issue here, particularly given one crucial tid bit the WaPo article disclosed to readers. Politicians briefed about the interrogation techniques wondered if the CIA was being too, how shall we say, polite to detainees (emphasis mine):
Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said.
"The briefer was specifically asked if the methods were tough enough," said a U.S. official who witnessed the exchange.
While Klein excuses Pelosi's silence in the aftermath of 9/11, doesn't that suggest that the liberal San Francisco Democrat didn't have the courage of her convictions to "stand up" to President Bush when liberals would argue such leadership was most needed: the aftermath of 9/11? And doesn't that suggest that liberal Democratic haranguing on the issue now is nothing more than a cynical sop to the party's left-wing anti-war base, and a concerted effort to undermine the Bush administration specifically and the war on terror generally?
Apparently not to Joe Klein, who can't be bothered with such questions mucking up his preferred storyline.
Photo of Klein via Time-blog.com/swampland.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Shooting gun, meet foot
December 10, 2007 - 12:23 ET by candanceWait...so our top governmental leaders get so scared and jumpy after an attack they go along with torture because they're not thinking straight?
And they say Bush is playing up emotionalism??
Come on all you liberals, seriously. Do you want these people running the country if another attack happens?
I have to get up early and fill young, impressionable minds with leftwing propaganda. Wish me luck! -Professor TP&C
A terrorist act that killed
December 10, 2007 - 12:31 ET by Chris NormanA terrorist act that killed thousands and we should've all sat down and stroked our collective chins over "the nature of the threat"? It takes a particular kind of pompous fool to think like this...
The definition of double standard
December 10, 2007 - 12:32 ET by KC MulvilleI just don't understand how you can accuse the GOP for getting swept up in the paranoia, but excuse the Democrats for getting swept up in the paranoia. Either they were both guilty of it, or neither was.
You can't say that Bush was a warmonger because he was worried about preventing a second attack, but that the democrats are excused because they were worried about preventing a second attack.
Of course you can, if you're
December 10, 2007 - 12:40 ET by motherbeltOf course you can, if you're a Democrat suffering from BDS.
What's their excuse?
December 10, 2007 - 12:36 ET by islero47Since Joe Klein can accurately predict a conservative response, it means that he (like other liberals) can think rationally. Sadly, this rational thinking only gets used to rationalize their false innocence. Like I said before, liberals can't and won't use the label 'hypocrite' on each other because for them, it only applies to people who believe in morals and values. The only time a lib calls another lib a hypocrite is when they think someone's acting conservative.
Right...then they were
December 10, 2007 - 12:41 ET by motherbeltRight...then they were panicking, now it's "Oh, nevermind."
Remember, when President Clinton talked about the first WTC attack in
1993, he said "someone did something very stupid" and warned against
"overreacting."
If we are complacent about another attack now, it's because
Democrats and the MSM have spent six years burying the horror of that
day. They think we're too emotional to ever see pictures of what
happened. Hollywood has even taken shots of the WTC
out of movies, for crying out loud! They've tried to airbrush the event
out of our consciousness; is it any wonder that people just want to
"move on" and don't feel any urgency about another attack?
From there it's easy to progress to: Heaven forbid we should "overreact" and use aggressive interrogation methods.
Willing to sacrifice
December 10, 2007 - 13:26 ET by KC MulvilleThey're willing to sacrifice anything, so long as it's taxes on other constituencies. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, not a higher minimum wage.
Not only is it too soon
December 11, 2007 - 10:30 ET by pbanks7Not only is it too soon for us to see horrible images of that day, we must erase it from our memory. Bush obviously overreacted. Warmonger. <sarc>
Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.
Wow, how sad for sycophant
December 10, 2007 - 12:40 ET by futbolisgreat1Wow, how sad for sycophant followers of the Democratic Party like Klein. How small and pathetic.
I have never once doubt that Democrats were briefed a long time ago, years ago, about waterboarding and other such interrogations methods.
It is just sad, very sad that we have a political party, Democratic, and a group of people, Liberals, who are more than willing to play politics than defend our nation.
They much rather destroy the Republican party and President Bush than defend our nation.
You should all go into Liberal blogs, they are eating each other alive over this bit of news.
I can already see it, Code Pink and other such crazy nuts demonstrating infront of Pelosi's office. hahahaha!!!!
Wait, I thought it was Bush and the Republican party that were the monsters for using the emotions of 9/11 to justify torture?
I have always said, Liberalism=hypocrisy.
I wonder what Balboa and the rest of the Liberals that regualarly post on this site have to say.
Will they go the Klein way? Liberals have been telling us for years now that we should not vote Republican because of what Liberals believe are lies, cover and more lies. If Liberals live by their own standards, they would NOT be voting for Nancy Pelosi, Rockfeller and the rest of the gang that has been lying to them since Bush got into office.
Now, if individuals like Pelosi lied about waterboarding, what else have they lied to us about?
Liberals, such useful idiots.
Two Standards
December 10, 2007 - 12:41 ET by well99Nothing new.It really makes me wonder why these so called journalist just dont nail a D to their foreheads among other places.Do they think folks except lefties buy their bs.
Democrats are never held accountable
December 10, 2007 - 12:44 ET by kgDemocrats are never held accountable. We all know that. Just ask Hillary, Bill, Kennedy, Freezer Jefferson, Kerry, Byrd, Edwards, another Kennedy, Nagin, Pelosi, Murtha, Carter, Gore, Reid, etc, etc, etc.
Gore - "go grab his ass."
December 10, 2007 - 12:57 ET by Gary HallAs I noted yesterday in a comment, Snatches/renditions. Policy established by Clinton/Gore, as described by none other than Richard Clark..
Looks like that there was a bit of pre-9/11 "fear and paranoia" emotional "hysteria" at the top of the Democrat machine.
Got to love it - has Nobel Peace Prize written all over it, does it not?
SO WHAT
December 10, 2007 - 13:00 ET by nicksmith112So Nancy knew about waterboarding....
So Jane Harman and Jay Rockefeller knew about wiretapping...
Link to Meet the press transcript http://www.msnbc.msn...
(Sarcasm sarcasm)
I'm a refugee from the Democratic Party.
Joe....Joe....JOOOOO.....(tap,tap,tap) Hello out there!!!
December 10, 2007 - 13:14 ET by neighbLet me get this straight: Nancy the Nutjob knew about waterboarding right after 9-11 and felt it justified because she believed in regular future attacks. Then later criticized it when the threat diminished. Hummmm....Hello out there Pal Joey.
Could it be that attacks stopped (and continue that way) BECAUSE WATERBOARDING IS WORKING??????
This Joey dude needs to attend Neighb's School of Logical Thinking.
neighb
According to my Dilbert
December 10, 2007 - 13:19 ET by WhoIsJohnGaltAccording to my Dilbert calendar, today is Human Rights Day!
What should we do? Give a dictator a good talking-to?
Yes!!
December 10, 2007 - 13:22 ET by MightyMouthAnd to be the most effective, let's have the UN do it... and in writting! They will use the strongest words possible without crossing the "harsh words" barrier!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
"This calls for immediate
December 11, 2007 - 10:38 ET by pbanks7"This calls for immediate discussion!"
- Reggie, People's Front of Judea, Monty Python's "Life of Brian."
Ignorance is bliss. It's easier to repeat a mindless slogan than to do some actual research.
People like Klein are
December 10, 2007 - 14:07 ET by mattmPeople like Klein are operating under the belief that most people are ignorant inferiors who will lap up everything the MSM vomits at them.
So, according to
December 10, 2007 - 14:30 ET by JerrySo, according to democrats, we are less safe now because of GWB's WOT. So Pelosi was ok with waterboarding back when we were "safer", but now that we are at a higher risk, she is appalled by waterboarding?? Something's definitely "fuzzy" about that math!
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
Joe Klown & Moral Equivalency
December 10, 2007 - 15:19 ET by fitzfongShould this comment be any surprise? This, after all, came from the pen of Joe Klein, erstwhile anonymous author of Primary Colors. And, of course, the moral of the story Klein so cowardly penned in secrecy is that you can cheat on your wife, employ your campaign staff to run interference to prevent your wife from finding out, brow-beat a black teenager into an amniocentesis (and, no doubt, an abortion if the child was his), ruin an opponent's life and career by digging up a lurid sex scandal from the distant past in a botched attempt to blackmail him and drive your idealistic friends to suicide. And it's all OK...as long as you're a Democrat. Because when you're a Democrat, you can always mitigate your actions by pretending to "care" in the broad sense. Now add to the list of Democrat OKs the knowledge and full-blooded endorsement of "torture". Joe Klown has a ready-made mitigating excuse for that one, too...it was post 9/11 paranoia. So what, indeed.
If getting attacked is
December 10, 2007 - 15:20 ET by wiwfIf getting attacked is extremely remote now, you can thank George Bush for that!
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
torture debate ridiculous
December 10, 2007 - 19:04 ET by jondelwicheOf course! In 2002, Dems didn't care about this Candyland stuff.
Even if late trimester abortions are only 1%, then this country OK's 10,000 babies brutally getting their brains sucked out.
No wonder ?'s were asked: is this tough enough?
We sanction executions of our own prisoners.
I'm sure Pelosi, Harmon et al. were yawning their
way thru this 2002 meeting:
i.e. "Waterboarding? That's the toughest we got?"
It's only when a political election powerplay was involved, that it
became !torture! to the Dems and media.
Meanwhile, mainstream America is unimpressed, against
the backdrop of how Americans can treat each other.