FAIL
Talking Points Memo posts Jane Harman's "don't destroy the tapes" letter to the CIA. And, yeah, she says the interrogation techniques she's been briefed on raise "profound policy questions," and yadda yadda. But here's how the letter begins:Last week’s briefing brought home to me the difficult challenges faced by the Central Intelligence Agency in the current threat environment. I realize we are at a time when the balance between security and liberty must be constantly evaluated and recalibrated in order to protect our nation and its people from catastrophic terrorist attack and I thus appreciate the obvious effort that you and your Office have made to address the tough questions.And that's it. Once you've realized that liberty must be recalibrated -- do note the plainness of that "I realize," and all that it implies about Jane Harman -- the game is over. The rest of the letter has no meaning.
ADDED LATER:
And do be sure to check out the hi-fucking-larious comments from TPM readers that follow the post and the letter. Oooh, this just proves that George Bush and his cronies are a bunch of big meanies (stomps tiny foot), it's time to IMPEACH!!!
Jane Harman thought liberty needed to be recalibrated, and -- lucky for her -- there was a group of cubicle-dwellers in and around the EOVP who were perfectly happy to recalibrate the motherfucker. If other people had worked in the executive branch, Jane Harman would still have been who she was, and would have thought what she thought. And she already was that person before the Dubya was inaugurated. And etc.
If you think your sofa can be moved, you might think to move it. If you think liberty can be recalibrated, you might bring some dudes around to put the wrench to the bolts. If you don't like the way your living room looks afterward, there's not much point getting mad at the movers.
posted by Chris Bray @ 3:01 PM
3 Comments:
Nice smackdown. In retrospect it seems obvious that Harman used her contacts in the government to have you recalled to the Army, shipped overseas, and not released from active duty until after the last election just to keep you from pointing out that she's a raving loon. I think she must have pretty complete control over the traditional media out there since it seems pretty obvious to those of us in the rest of the country that she's a complete moron but she was reelected anyway. Just be glad she didn't resort to recalibrating your pulse!
Well, Jane Harman and a few hundred others who notionally make laws and control the disposition of the military. She got by with a little help from her friends. Who, together, have still not chosen to repeal the Military Commissions Act, clip the eternal war in Iraq, or restrain the national surveillance state. They bought the premise; they made a choice. "Bush did it!" might have been plausible as of October, 2006, if you squinted at it the right way. Now?
Bush was a partner in a project. We have three branches of government, and we've been wondering how one branch broke free of the others. It didn't.
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