rssJoe Lieberman Sees No Evil
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 3:38 pm
- 6 Comments
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) made this point about Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) charges that the CIA misled Congress about torture:
“On that specific point I totally disagree. Over the 20 years I’ve been here, I’ve been briefed constantly by the CIA, and I’d say they’ve told me the truth as they see it.”
It’s been my experience that any attempt to generalize about the CIA is wrong. It’s not an organization of liars and it’s not an organization of torturers and it’s not an organization of liberals and it’s not an organization of barbarians and it’s not an organization of brave truth-tellers and it’s not an organization of risk-averse bureaucrats and it’s not an organization of lawbreakers and it’s not an organization of whiz kids and it’s not an organization of mediocrities. But come on.
The greatest intelligence officer the CIA ever produced was convicted of lying to Congress. I regret that I don’t have my copy of Tim Weiner’s definitive “Legacy of Ashes” handy to document quickly how routinely the CIA lied to Congress through its history.
More evidence needs to be introduced before concluding that the CIA lied to Pelosi. But no additional evidence needs to be introduced to conclude that it wouldn’t.
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6 Comments
Comment posted May 14, 2009 @ 3:01 pm
You fail to mention the background information surrounding the events leading up to Richard Helms' conviction of lying to Congress. He lied during his ambassadorial confirmation hearing in the Senate when asked about the CIA's operations in Chile. The hearings were open door and the information about the operation were still classified at that time, hence the need to still protect it. I think it's safe to say that if the confirmation hearing were closed door, then the situation would be different.
Additionally, do not base your understanding of the history of the CIA on Weiner's “Legacy of Ashes.” That book is so fraught with inconsistencies and errors, that it borders on being fiction vice an accurate portrayal of the CIA. If you want to understand the history of the agency, read Christopher Andrew's “For The President's Eyes Only.” This book was written by a historian with a specialization in intelligence, and not by a NY Times reporter who has a serious axe to grind with the CIA.
Comment posted May 14, 2009 @ 10:01 pm
You fail to mention the background information surrounding the events leading up to Richard Helms' conviction of lying to Congress. He lied during his ambassadorial confirmation hearing in the Senate when asked about the CIA's operations in Chile. The hearings were open door and the information about the operation were still classified at that time, hence the need to still protect it. I think it's safe to say that if the confirmation hearing were closed door, then the situation would be different.
Additionally, do not base your understanding of the history of the CIA on Weiner's “Legacy of Ashes.” That book is so fraught with inconsistencies and errors, that it borders on being fiction vice an accurate portrayal of the CIA. If you want to understand the history of the agency, read Christopher Andrew's “For The President's Eyes Only.” This book was written by a historian with a specialization in intelligence, and not by a NY Times reporter who has a serious axe to grind with the CIA.
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