Huh?

We have only Madame Secretary's claim that they didn't disclose that Zubaydah had been waterboarded. And no one, including the liberal media, believes it.

So why are Democrats acting as if Pelosi's claims are true and threatening prosecutions?

You know why: They want the CIA to shut up.

Democrats on the House intelligence committee said Thursday that CIA officers broke the law in 2002 if they told Nancy Pelosi then that they had not yet engaged in waterboarding.

"If they make a false report, absolutely it's illegal," said Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. "If they fail to make a report when they're obligated to that is also illegal — a violation of the National Security Act."

Shut up and start lying or you will be prosecuted for lying.

Thanks to AHFF Geoff.

Vid: Lindsey Graham Says "If There Was a Crime, She Was Part of It." Update at post's end.

Full Vid of Pelosi: Already linked by Slublog in DrewM.'s post below, but I'm highlighting it again, largely because I'm going to watch the whole thing soon and want the company.

Apparently there's some good stuff at the end when her aide tries to escort her out before she does any further damage to herself, or to the English language.

Also, groans from the rest of the press as one reporter attempts to save her by changing the topic to health care.

Posted by: Ace at 12:48 PM | Comments (98)
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SNL's old spoof of Nancy Pelosi. more...

Posted by: Ace at 12:20 PM | Comments (9)
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The rest of the poll is mostly bad news -- Obama's approval rate remains steady is the headline -- but good news on one front.

By more than 3-to-1 Americans think it is time for the Obama administration to start taking responsibility (64 percent) instead of continuing to blame the Bush administration for mistakes (21 percent).

Good news, politically at least, because assuming that Obama fails (and the math is pretty emphatic that he must), the public has little appetite for further dog-ate-my-homework excuses.

Thanks to AHFF Geoff.

The MSM Reacts:

Did you know that Americans are racist by more than 3-to-1? Yep, it's true and we will make damn sure the rest of the world knows about your racism. Unless you get with the program and re-elect Obama! president in 2012.

If you think we were tough during the 2008 election, just wait until Obama starts to slip in the polls during the next campaign.

Sincerely,

Your Social Betters, the MSM.

Ed passed me this message from the MSM.

Posted by: Ace at 12:15 PM | Comments (40)
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The guy says he got them in an email with no named writer, which I suppose is plausible enough.

On the other hand, it also demonstrates that his correspondents are Kos readers.

So: Why did the ADN delete the blog-post? I suppose because it's one thing to post a list of crude anti-Palin jokes which come from an "unknown humorist," assumedly "centrist" and "independent" and therefore reflective of general public opinion, but it's another thing to crib jokes from the partisan Daily Kos.

The press likes pretending its biases are "centrist" and "independent" are simply what "most Americans think."

They definitely do not like revealing that their biases are liberal in nature and reflective not of general American opinion but of a liberal minority of American opinion.

Anyone think any newspaper is going to crib LauraW.'s (and your) Pelosi excuses for a post? No, I don't think so either. They wouldn't find the jokes funny, would they?

Plus, they just would never stumble across them in the first place. For, despite it being their jobs and all to keep up with opinion not just on the left but on the right too, they mostly read lefty blogs.

Davis also queried more than 200 journalists to learn how they use blog content in their coverage of political news. Most journalists were aware of influential blogs on both sides of the political spectrum, such as Daily Kos and Talking Points on the left and Michelle Malkin and Instapundit on the right. Despite equal awareness, journalists spend more time reading posts in the liberal blogosphere.

For example, more journalists know about Michelle Malkin than Talking Points. Yet twice as many journalists actually read Talking Points than read Michelle Malkin.

“When journalists take story ideas from blogs, those ideas naturally will come from blogs they read,” Davis said. “These reading patterns suggest journalists may be getting primarily one view of the blogosphere.”

Combine that study with an earlier one demonstrating that 75% of journalists admit to getting stories (or at least angles, tone, and takes) from blogs, and you can sort of see the problem.

The press wouldn't have to constantly cover-up its liberalism if it just decided to be fair to both sides. But that is something they just can't bring themselves to do. Better to continue the lie than to change their behavior so as to make the lie no longer necessary.

Blogs are Mostly Read for Enjoyment... and therefore, of course, liberals will mostly read liberal blogs.

But I can't make this point enough: Unlike most people, journalists are actually paid to keep abreast of news and opinion. Unlike most people, they can actually justify reading blogs at work as, well, work.

And even though they are being paid to read blogs, they still can't muster the energy to read Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, and Instapundit. They just can't do it.

I don't know about you, but if I were being paid to read blogs, I think I could manage to keep tabs on all the lefty blogs every day. I think I could bear that burden admirably.

But reporters? No, they just can't do it. It's too painful for them.

That says a lot about where they are politically. They're so liberal that they can't bear to read Michelle Malkin or Ann Coulter, even though they're being paid to do just that sort of thing.

Thanks to Joseph.

Posted by: Ace at 11:53 AM | Comments (30)
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The statement:

“Since the press conference yesterday, I had a chance to think about what has taken place, and I feel that at this time it is in my best interest to resign from the Miss California USA organization,” Moakler tells Usmagazine.com.

“I cannot with a clear conscious [sic] move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organization when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth,” she continues. “I want to be a role model for young women with high hopes of pageantry, but now feel it more important to be a role model for my children. I am sorry and hope I have not let any young supporters down but wish them the best of luck in fulfilling their dreams.”

Ah well. If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander -- so check out this "role model for young women with high hopes of pageantry" (not to mention serving as a role model for her own children) posing bare-ass naked for Playboy (content warning, naturally).

Hmmm... and she seems to have breast implants, too. Or, as the left is now calling breast implants, Satan's gel-sacs.

Palin Rips Prejean: Oh, just kidding. Was making sure you bother to read what I write.

In a statement, Palin said Prejean had been unfairly maligned by “the liberal onslaught of malicious attacks.”

...

Palin said she “can relate as a liberal target myself,” and — not surprisingly– turned the focus on President Barack Obama.

“What I find so remarkable is that these politically-motivated attacks fail to show that what Carrie and I believe is also what President Obama and Secretary Clinton believe — marriage is between a man and a woman,” Palin said.

“I respect Carrie for standing strong and staying true to herself,” Palin continued, “and for not letting those who disagree with her deny her protection under the nation’s First Amendment Rights.”

“Our Constitution protects us all,” she concluded, “not just those who agree with the far left.”

There have been suggestions that Prejean is misreading the First Amendment, as Palin would be doing now.

First of all, the left has long claimed that criticism by private parties may constitute an "ill wind chilling dissent," or whatever Tim Robbins said. The Dixie Chicks, I was informed, had their First Amendment rights stripped away when people stopped buying their albums.

So, maybe that isn't really a First Amendment matter, but it's an absolute laugh to hear the left instructing us now that only government censorship constitutes a possible 1st A violation.

Furthermore, there is a genuine fusion between the Democratic Party currently running the entirety of the government and the media -- so while technically the two groups are distinct, one constituting official state power, the other, supposedly, private, the two do in fact often seem to blur together into one nasty machine. The press acts like private investigators hired by Obama and other champions of the left to smear their opponents.

As a technical matter, Prejean and Palin are wrong to say this is a First Amendment violation. But I stress -- as a technical matter.

More: Prejean will soon guest host Fox & Friends.

Posted by: Ace at 10:36 AM | Comments (158)
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I know this has been well-covered. But I've been catching up (sick, again) and I just need to post the video anyway.

This is jaw-dropping: At around 5:00, Nancy Pelosi asserts that her top aide, whom she sent to the Feb. 2003 briefing on her behalf, only told her that a briefing had happened, but did not tell her a single nugget of information from the briefing itself.

That is her claim. Her aide came back and said, "Yes, as expected, there was a briefing." She claims she didn't then ask the follow-up, "Yeah, I know, what did they say?" or for some unfathomable reason he refused to tell her.

PELOSI: Have a nice briefing?

AIDE: Oh yeah, super. Very interesting.

PELOSI: What about?

AIDE: Torturing terrorist suspect Zubaydah.

PELOSI: ...

AIDE: ...

PELOSI: ...

AIDE: ...

PELOSI: I'm going shoe shopping after lunch. Come with?

She also claims that she didn't feel she had the responsibility or the time to write a letter or co-sign Harman's letter, or raise any objection at all, because she was too busy doing the real work of trying to stop torture, i.e., fighting partisan battles to take back Congress and then, much later, the Presidency.

There may be some truth there, though Pelosi didn't intend to reveal it: The reason she didn't object is that EITs were then, as they still are, politically popular, and therefore any party which wanted to capture Congress or the Presidency had better appear "tough on terrorists" and not confirm the public's perception of them as weak and overly fussy about terrorists' comfort levels.

So really, basically, she's claiming what we all know to be true: She didn't object because she realized that would be politically damaging, were it leaked, and all she really cared about was winning elections.

Oh, and Joe Lieberman swats away the Pelosi Defense, asserting the CIA is candid with him.

Posted by: Ace at 10:19 AM | Comments (89)
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Can we do this now?

Pelosi: Transcripts will prove that the person at the briefing was actually my goateed 'Evil twin'

Pelosi: Brain fleas misled me into trash-talking the CIA

Pelosi: I was physically present at the briefing, but my soul was on a mission from my Spirit Guide and did not personally witness the proceedings

Pelosi: This whole thing is a distraction cooked up by the Lizard People who have infiltrated the CIA

Pelosi: I thought it was just a rehearsal before the real meeting

If you sign off as Nancy, please sneak your nick in there too somehow, so I know who to give credit to if we do an Awards thread.

A contribution [ace]: I assumed the CIA employed a "safe word" during its torture sessions, as is the practice in my Eyes Wide Shut style sex cult.

Posted by: LauraW at 09:43 AM | Comments (357)
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She just gave a press conference to explain her version of 'what she knew and when' about "torture".

It didn't go well.

Under a barrage of questioning, Pelosi also again adamantly insisted that she was not aware that waterboarding or other enhanced interrogation techniques were being used on terrorism suspects and

"I am telling you they told me they approved these and said they wanted to use them but said they were not using waterboarding," she said.

Growing increasingly frustrated throughout the briefing, Pelosi slowly started backing away from the podium as she tried to end the questioning. As she backed out, she continued to accuse the CIA of not telling Congress that dissenting opinions had been filed within the administration suggesting the methods were not lawful.

She called the CIA liars and one of the reporters basically called her a liar. Another reporter asked about health care and the other reporters audibly groaned.

If you are a Democrat and the press is after you and you are fighting a war with the CIA, you are in trouble.

MSNBC didn't buy it and CNN anchor used the word "fabrications" to describe her statements.

I believe Steny Hoyer is measuring the drapes in the Speaker's office.

It could just be me but I'm guessing the CIA isn't going to take this lying down.

Popcorn anyone?

Update [Slublog] - Thanks to "Blue Balls the Pirate" for providing a link to the full video. The best stuff is at the end, especially the aide trying desperately to get his boss out of the room.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:34 AM | Comments (314)
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Moe Lane posted this over the weekend, but I only saw it last night at the Corner and PowerlineBlog. He compares the voter trust numbers for the top issues from just before the election to now:

As you can see, compared to last fall, fewer voters appear to trust the Democrats on all but one issue (government ethics which is a WTF issue anyway). This isn't an isolated observation. This week was the third week in a row where the GOP led the generic congressional ballot.

Legacy media keeps writing "consciousness raising" articles on the death of the GOP with headlines like "Is this the end?" "How liberal will the New GOP get?" and "Far Right Extremists Shrink their Party Down to Nothing." All of that is bullshit.

The two party system is quite self-sustaining. If a party has a problem, it adjusts over time. For example, Democrats got the crap kicked out of them on gun control in the late 1990s. Yesterday, 26 Democrats voted to allow concealed carry in national parks. They adjusted.

If it is true, as the legacy media claims, that the Republicans are out of touch on the issues, the GOP will adjust (no matter the howls of the purists, either). But looking at the numbers I don't think it's a sure thing at all that the GOP is losing on the issues.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:45 AM | Comments (88)
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Here we go again.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:12 AM | Comments (40)
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