Representative Hoekstra's comments are undoubtedly a good sign. That a member of Congress - never mind a Republican - is referring to September 12th as an aberration in public policy shows how much the country has moved on since Bush/Cheney. While Rudy Giuliani definitively proved there was a limit to 9/11 posturing during the '08 election cycle, it is encouraging to see that politicians are now implicitly admitting how far America strayed from her principles.

Pretty much the same as they've done with any other Bush/Cheney transgressions.

"The CIA lied to Congress, hiding a major anti-terror initiative for eight years. Will Congress act?"

No.

I would say, barring an unimaginable tectonic shift, that legacy is cemented in place, and just requires a little more "forward looking" to dry.

What kind of moral blinders must one wear to not notice the almost seamless continuity between administrations? (that one's for you berny).

berbart, if I knew where you lived, why, I'd come over and ... have coffee with you, and maybe read a page or two of the NYTimes.

-- Timothy3

Yes you might learn something if you read the NYT,

as this story was in the NYT.

In my opinion, the Bush Administration is guilty of murder and torture and war crimes, as well as wiretapping and treason. The Democrats know this, but they will do nothing.

On the other hand, a 16 year-old kid from the ghetto who shoots someone to death will get life.

So it goes.

Yes you might learn something if you read the NYT

If only you knew how chapped my hide was after such a lip-smacking blow.

Why, it's so chapped that I'm putting on some Chapstick before I wrap it in NYTimes fish 'n chip paper (and, because I wouldn't waste good fish on that unsanitary rag, I might as well use it on the ol' bernbart-damaged hiney).

Seems to me the Intelligence committee needs to be a little more alert as to what the CIA is doing. The CIA has a history of keeping information from Congress, so this is nothing new.

Representative Anna Eshoo mentions she does not know where the money came from for this unknown programs.Is the CIA still operating with a secret budget as they did the 70s?

Grow up, you antics are getting old.

Grow up, you antics are getting old.

Tomorrow's my 15th birthday and I resolve to be as mature, insightful, knowledgeable and filled with wisdom as you are.

Fair enough?

Get rid of the CIA.

I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

How many editors in the MSM are on the CIAs payroll?

Maybe it would be better to ask, how many editors in the MSM are NOT on the CIAs payroll?

If the company you work for is owned by a defense contractor or multinatonal, what difference does it make?

This is not America anymore.

The CIA lied to Congress? RIGHT!

Politicians lie to the people all the time.

BTW - have you ever heard of CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, Joan?

I guess the CIA doesn't approve of reporting about her being captured and held hostage by the IDF.

Your Palinorama has destroyed any credibility or humanity one would like to assume you possess.

Too late to fix things as your obsessive tabloid journalism has attracted every moron that has heard about you and you don't want to lose those clicks, do you?

Lovely train wreck Joan.

Greenwald and Paglia are the only decent writers you have here. You aim too low for them to be on board.

At least you will get more TV time for your trouble.

You might want to get past your intellectually crippling, head-in-the-sand Obamania before you criticize someone else for immature antics!

Time to pick up your copy of the Church report again. Oh, never read it?

But first: At the beginning of the year it was reported that the C.I.A. back in '02 or '03 was requesting permission for interrogation techniques it was already using (forgiveness easier than permission?)

THEN, Pelosi claimed she had been inaccurately briefed by the C.I.A. and the papers were full all over of people attacking her for implying that the C.I.A. had or would mislead congress in any way.

NOW we find out that the C.I.A. not only cheerfully misleads congress but it misled its own director for at least five months. (Any report from the previous director?)

NOW we're expected to accept that "the secret plan [which] wouldn't qualify as a "covert action" that would have needed congressional approval." has somehow generated outrage.

IF it didn't need congressional approval, by the basic "need to know" mechanism it certainly should not have resulted in congressional notification.

Somebody's still lying. I wouldn't rule out "assassination" so easily, btw. You'd be surprised how very little actually needs approval, and what the terms are. Though historically the most likely such project is domestic propaganda.

That's describes Obama's approach towards warrantless surveillance, torture and indefinite detention. We need to pick up the scalpel now!

I'm glad that he's in the White House (and not McCain), but this shit makes me crazy.

If anyone in Congress starts to actually do something, they will surely get a special letter from our friends at Langley courtesy of Fort Detrick.

Or their plane will crash like Senator Wellstone's.

Or a sex scandal will remove them from play, like Edwards was in order to benefit the Health Care Industry.

400 million to overthrow the government of Iran?

Overthrowing our government is cheaper and easier.

The gutless gang of Stockholm-syndrome-suffering eunuchs who run Congress and who have captured -- or who include -- Obama will do nothing about any of this. And when the next Rethuglican administration comes to power, and decides to ramp up to full-blown Police State mode, they won't think twice, because they know they'll enjoy impunity, no matter what they do. We are fucked.

Two reactions to your post at 4:56 PM:

#1- dead nuts on.

#2 – have you ever noticed that when you make a substantive, non-snarky post, that you DON’T double-post it? Interesting…