The GOP Smells Blood.

[kentuck]

They brought out the big dog of attack politics, Newt Gingrich, to tell us how despicable Nancy Pelosi is and that she should resign as the Speaker. You simply cannot criticize the CIA when they are trying to keep our country safe.

The truth of the matter is that the GOP and the CIA are both closely tied to the torture and the lies of the last eight years. Remember the "slam dunk"? Remember the Freedom Medal that George W Bush gave to George Tenet? They were in bed together.

Now, they are attempting to use Nancy Pelosi as a bargaining chip to prevent the American people and the Congress from finding out all the facts about their criminal acts. Dick Cheney and his daughter have been on a crusade to save his snarly neck. And the entire GOP has jumped on the "attack Pelosi" wagon. How dare she attack our CIA when they are trying to protect us, they say.

But Nancy realizes that she is just the bait to get the GOP out in the open. Soon enough, they will be backtracking. They are as fearful of the truth as a vampire is of the daylight.

They have an impossible sell. They want the American people to believe that Nancy Pelosi was "briefed" about the torture techniques, including waterboarding, so therefore, she is an accomplice to whatever happened to the prisoners. It really doesn't matter if she authorized it. Or if she wrote the memos about how to perform the torture. Or if she had a hood over her head as she poured water down the noses and throats of prisoners. None of that matters. The fact that she knew about it and did nothing about it makes her "more guilty" than the perpetrators of the torture. That is what they are attempting to sell the American people.

Speaker Pelosi has an easy task. All she has to do is not resign. Her very presence will keep the Republicans busy with their lies and deception. Eventually, there will be an investigation. The GOP and the CIA will be exposed by the truth. They can only hide for so long. They can attack and divert attention to others but they are as guilty as sin. It is just a matter of time before they stand naked before the judge.

[Lex]

1. Is she pushing for EVERYTHING to get out in the open?

She should be. A truth commission, a special prosecutor, whatever. This might be a way to use their bloodlust for her to backfire on all of them.

[babylonsister]

2. She is...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/05/reporters_gettin_played.php

Reporters Gettin' Played
05.15.09 -- 11:16AM
By Josh Marshall


Everybody's talking about Nancy Pelosi's press conference yesterday. I'm listening to Republicans on cable yapping about this contradiction or that contradiction. But what I've seen very little attention to is the fact that Pelosi had an answer that really answers all the questions, a plenary answer you might say: she supports a Truth Commission.

Here's where we are. There are various documents and recollections from around through the news ether. Pelosi's accusers are saying she knew more than she admits. She says that many of these claims are false and the documents perhaps erroneous, and that she's been consistent and true to her opposition to torture. And then she says, and I think there should be a broad-ranging Truth Commission to investigate what happened, who's telling the truth and who isn't. You can see it here at about 3:45 in:
http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/?id=2524521

That says it all. She wants it all investigated. The whole point of this storm about Pelosi is that her critics want her to be embarrassed and stop supporting a Truth Commission or any sort of examination of what happened. But she's not. She still says there should be an investigation. Her critics still want the book closed. That says it all. She'll have to stand or fall with the results of an actual investigation. Her opponents on this are simply risible hypocrites.

[kentuck]

3. "Her critics still want the book closed"

bingo!

[bdamomma]

34. good let her keep pushing for a truth commission.

[underpants]

4. Newt is on the Daily Show tonight

not that I would expect many hardballs from Stewart but hey you never know "Chuck roll 212"

Let's not forget that Newt was the organizing figure (with Dick Armey) in the teabagging thing. Newt sees a power vacuum and is trying to seize upon it. He is not their best product to put out there. People really do not like him and Newt Gingrich talking about ethics is not something they should persue.

You are dead on right that they are trying to use Pelosi as a bargaining chip. It is extortion at worst a really bad bet by them at least-she is a much smaller fish than the Bush/Cheney/etc. fishES that are already on the hook. As usual the right is naive- they want the Dems to kick in $5 to match their $1,000 liability in this. Not that the Speaker is only $5 or should be but they have exulted the POTUS and VP to a level clearly higher than the normal level a Speaker holds, Hastert was virtually invisible in the picture for years.

It will not sell. Pelosi Pelosi Pelosi-it has become a joke frankly, they are putting so much on to one element that people will tune them out.

Pelosi just needs to hang on (she will) and the Republicans will make asses of themselves.

[kentuck]

5. This could be interesting?

I hope Jon doesn't let him filibuster the conversation?

[underpants]

7. I expect

1994
1994
1994
Jon's audience was somewhere between 3 and 10 years old 15 years ago

Oh and Newt just loves "Now if you look back at history...." and then spews some nonsense as far removed from history as he is from being able to talk about ethics

[Inuca]

8. Jon's audience is much larger and diverse than that n/t

[Echo In Light]

6. Yet despite a "liberal" crowd, they'll applaud on cue when this fascist walks out

[rvablue]

9. I think the Daily Show uses an "applause reel" when they have certain guests on

to drown out the "boos" from the audience out of respect to their guests and so they can maintain a small piece of dignity so that other conservative/repub guests will still appear.

I remember well when Lynn Cheney was on. There was "applause" as she walked out, but the look on her face said it all that that was not she was actually experiencing.

Don't forget that the Daily Show is entertainment and there would be nothing ethically barring them from employing this technique.

And frankly, I don't mind much as it achieves the latter part of my first sentence up top and I think Stewart does a good job of calling some of these people out on their spin and lies.

[Echo In Light]

11. I don't have the confidence you have in giving the audience the benefit of the doubt

In this culture people are trained to be obedient to almost anyone tagged as an 'important person' i.e. they're on TV, basically

[riverdeep]

13. It has nothing to do with being trained,

it's a sign of basic decency. When Mamoud Amadinneerjacket wanted to speak in -Columbia U, I think,- they let him.

[Orsino]

35. I doubt that bin Laden would get applause.

Some people, like Newt, do not deserve applause. You know he will seize on it as validation.

Newt would be getting plenty of consideration if the audience simply refrained from boos.

[librechik]

10. If these old dogs pretend to smell blood where there is only their own spittle

it still works, because our media are broken.

[opihimoimoi]

12. K&R com'on guys...where's them rec's?

Somehow, in their myopic fevor to disparge, distort, Nancy, they neglect the TRUTH and WHAM,,,they get to eat shit instead of Crow...

[Are_grits_groceries]

16. That could be it.

If there is anybody they hate with a fervor, it is Pelosi. In their eagerness to get her, they have themselves changed the torture debate. It is no longer about there being no torture. Suddenly that is being conceded in the haste to say that Nancy knew too.

There is no way that there could have been any type of investigation without some Rethug agreement. They were balls to the wall against it, but now they are waffling because they have to get Nancy. I don't know if it doesn't enter their twee little minds that the CIA does lie or they just won't believe it. Graham and Obey have also quite clearly called the CIA's version of events into doubt.

So now you have Newt, Cheney and all jumping in with various arguments. However, it is still too soon to shut the trap. Let them really dig in deep and force the issue. If a lot of shit comes out, it won't be because Obama was pushing. It will be because the Rethugs took a chance at getting Nancy and claiming their moral superiority. The last sound that will be heard before someone is appointed to investigate will be the loud wail of the Rethugs to look into it. The shitstorm from that will be neatly dropped into their laps.

I don't know what Pelosi knew or when. I don't know if she is a playa or truly addled about events. She could be playing the role of a lifetime. Even if she has a problem, it will be nothing compared to what an investigation will uncover. She and Rahm are close and there is nobody with a more Machiavellian streak than him. It could be the long con.

Be careful what you wish for.

[opihimoimoi]

17. The Worm has Turned....Nancy the White Shark is gonna make them eat shit and like it

[Are_grits_groceries]

21. They're gonna need a bigger boat!

[malaise]

14. Spot on

K & R

[riverdeep]

15. They smell blood, alright. Their own.

Go ahead GOP, tug on that thread. You want to take a pull, and pull only a certain amount. But we all know once that thread is tugged, it will ALL unravel. We all know what you've done, just not the exact extent and manner. Yet.

[dysfunctional press]

18. how frickin' EASY would it be to EVISCERATE the cia in the public mind?

that blood they smell may be from them climbing into a hot bath as a party and opening their own veins.

[autorank]

19. Excellent points. k*r

Nancy Pelosi is not the issue, never has been, on torture. She attends a gazillion briefings. Does she need
a CYA record on all of them. We'd get nothing done.

Besides, Nancy didn't torture anybody, Bush, Cheney, etc. did by authorizing and supervising it. No one less
than Cheney said Bush signed off on the whole thing.

So let them create their own side show. It won't work. The people are fed up with this garbage.

It will work for the country though, since Pelosi threw down, said lets have the Truth Commission. Let's also
have DoJ investigations too. It's time!

[Joe Chi Minh]

20. Gingrich "The big dog of attack politics!!! You should be so lucky. If

ever there was a busted flush in US politics, it's him. But then they don't have any heavy-hitters any more.

[opihimoimoi]

23. The Liar Sleeps tonite.....too funny

The Pubs are sleeping....tis safer now....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RP10P8Db9g

[Joe Chi Minh]

26. Very funny.

[Wednesdays]

22. K&R

:kick:

[Fleshdancer]

24. I would LOVE Valerie Plame's take on all this....

I find it interesting that the GOP suddenly respects the CIA now. :eyes:

[The Backlash Cometh]

25. Damn. Now I have to defend Nancy Pelosi.

Thanks for bringing us together, Newt, you piece of shit.

[struggle4progress]

27. "oops! I've shot myself in the foot! Well, never mind! I think I smell blood!"

[spanone]

28. in a nutshell....her knowledge or lack of makes no difference whatsoever

nominated

gop smells shit and thinks it's blood

[me b zola]

29. I've heard a lot less about Nancy today

I think that they know that they stepped in it.

[BlooInBloo]

30. Um, their own possibly.

[Boxerfan]

31. My take: The GOP is backpedaling this is fast as they can. they know its POISON

To investigate this can only lead to them.Even the dimmest bulb amongst the talking heads realize this & as I sacnned the talks today all I heard was crickets chirping.

Gawr-ron-Tee Y'all that they wish they had never brought this up.Too late now sucka's...

[Jade Fox]

32. Rachel Maddow also articulates this well.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x314138

[Psychic Consortium]

33. You are correct. nt