Link didn't work right but that is OK as Bitterman is too smug for my taste.

I cannot understand the LOL and humor thrown at this issue.

We either have an administration who knowlingly broke the law OR we actually have folks in congress that would play politics in the open with our national security.

Either way I do not see the humor or passing off as politics as usual !

Despite the humor that some see in this...this is the latest I could find...

"The CIA ran a secret program for nearly eight years that aspired to kill top al-Qaeda leaders with specially trained assassins, but the agency declined to tell Congress because the initiative never came close to bringing Osama bin Laden and his deputies into U.S. cross hairs, U.S. intelligence and congressional officials said yesterday.

The plan to deploy teams of assassins to kill senior terrorists was legally authorized by the administration of George W. Bush, but it never became fully operational, according to sources briefed on the matter. The sources confirmed that then-Vice President Richard B. Cheney had urged the CIA to delay notifying Congress about the diplomatically sensitive plan -- a bid for secrecy that congressional Democrats now say thwarted proper oversight."

"Panetta's revelation that he had terminated the program drew fresh criticism from Republican lawmakers yesterday.

"Why would you cancel it?" asked Sen. Christopher S. Bond (Mo.), the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee. "If the CIA weren't trying to do something like this, we'd be asking 'Why not?' "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...302589_pf.html

"With their Speaker behind them, House Democrats are pushing ahead with plans to hold a series of hearings investigating instances in which intelligence officials may have misled members of Congress.

Senior Democratic aides said that a major announcement could come by the end of week, but it was already clear on Monday that House Democrats are seizing on weekend news reports that former Vice President Dick Cheney hid information from Congress."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/...009-07-13.html


NOTHING FUNNY TO ME HERE !!!

Those are the same people who laugh at baseball players raping little girls.

All of this "Cheney broke the law" stuff can be resolved really fast. All it takes is one reporter asking Director Panetta, Congressman Reyes, Senator Feinstein or Attorney General Holder which statute (___ USC _____) does any one of them charge was violated?

It's that simple.

Since that hasn't happened, it's seems like it political gamesmanship at its worst/normal.

At least there's one member of Congress who seems to be asking the right question.

VK...I guess we all have "triggers" and this one just set me off !!!

WHY IN THE WORLD is there not total outrage if members of congress are using the director of the CIA and the organization itself and our national security as such blatant political tools ?

How can anyone on here crticize anyone if they dont criticize these folks ?

P{elosi
 

It's all about Pelosi....The most incompetent speaker of all time. I can't stand to look at that Botoxed face.

Havent heard much about this ......did the problem go away now ?

Are there no more laughs to be had ?

You want a laugh?

Question: Why did Obama change his name from Barry to Barack?
Answer: Barry sounded too American.

Question: What is the difference between God and Obama?
Answer: God only expects to be worshipped one day a week.:pepper2:

From the Washington Post's David Ignatius....

"As other countries watch the United States lacerate its intelligence service -- for activities already investigated or never undertaken -- perhaps they admire America's commitment to democracy and the rule of law. More likely, I fear, they conclude that we are just plain nuts.

The latest "scandals" involving the Central Intelligence Agency are genuinely hard to understand, other than in terms of political payback. Attorney General Eric Holder is considering appointing a prosecutor to investigate criminal actions by CIA officers involved in the harsh interrogation of al-Qaeda prisoners. But the internal CIA report on which he's said to be basing this decision was referred five years ago to the Justice Department, where attorneys concluded that no prosecution was warranted.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are indignant that they were never briefed about a program to assassinate al-Qaeda operatives in friendly countries. Never mind that the program wasn't implemented, or that the United States is routinely assassinating al-Qaeda operatives using unmanned drones. And never mind, either, that Leon Panetta, the new CIA director -- fearing a potential flap -- briefed Congress about the program soon after he became aware of it. There was a flap anyway -- with a new hemorrhage of secrets and a new shudder from America's intelligence partners around the world."

and the article ends with this.....

"Obama understands that the country needs a better and stronger intelligence agency. He wants more information than he gets in his daily intelligence briefings, and he has discussed with Panetta the challenge of building a tougher, smarter, more aggressive CIA. That's a righteous goal, but it begins with depoliticizing the agency and ending the culture of permanent scandal.

If Obama means what he has said about looking forward rather than backward, then he should stick to his guns -- and hope that the attorney general and House speaker agree that it's time to stop kicking this football."




Wouldn't it be nice if this was the place where finally he meant what he said ?

Good post Bucco.

I am reminded of reading about Chicago's brand of politics. Payback (also known as tit for tat) is standard operating procedure. From what I gather, underneath Obama's cool exterior, there is an intense anger when someone doesn't agree with him. I think you will see it when the press stops treating him like the messiah and they actually get tough with him. One often wonders how he would react to daily insults like the previous administration did.
The President sets the tone whether we like it or not. The biggest criticism directed at Bush was that he didn't fight back at his detractors. Obama has learned not to make that mistake. He has surrounded himself with pit bulls who seem to enjoy payback. I think congress, lead by Nazi Pelousy , have really got the hang of the Chicago ways.

And each non USA entity watches and learns....where our weaknesses are.
 

Once upon a time our strength and solidarity as a nation ready to defend what is stands for was well understood both here and abroad. The rest of the world knew to tread lightly on us.

Today we are approaching the opposite. Anything we stand for is up for debate, change or for sale. Anybody can tread on us and we say uh-uh-uhhhhh, if you do that we won't talk to you any more!

Our enemies watch the media, read our web sites, study our laws, watch our political circus and use any and all of it to advance their goals.

Now they get to watch the PURELY POLITICAL circus about US intelligence. They watch the US government do to their capabilities what they as enemies could not hope to achieve.....the emasculation of our capabilities to defend.

Apparently the political agenda (either party) has much more value to the incumbents than the core values and capabilities of the USA.

The terrorists lay in wait with their patience to deliver upon their promise to kill as many Americans as possible. Does anybody think that promise has gone away? Oh those words already forgotten.....9/11, lest we forget...

As the terrorists have said, the next event will make 9/11 look like a school rehearsal. With the political bickering, our agencies will tread lighter than they have at any time in our history for fear of POLITICAL retribution. As a result, terrorist have a more permissive playing field. So all they have to do, as they have in the past, join us, learn our weaknesses, attain the technology they have the patience to wait for and then as promised, light up a nuke or nukes in one or more of our major cities.

Fear mongering. Not at all. Just quoting the terrorists who have proven time and again they keep their promises. With our country economically down on it's knees, emasculating it's defense capabilities and pre occupied with POLITICAL/PERSONAL gain as the main agendas......we are oh so vulnerable.

Maybe there is a terrorist czar in the making...barf....we don't seem able to learn anymore!!!!!

btk