There are classic lies. There’s “Mom, my invisible friend broke the window, not me.” Of course, we all have heard, “I didn’t see any cookies.” Then there’s that ever favorite, “No, officer, I didn’t know I was speeding.” And who can forget that time worn, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica.”
But these days the American left has puffed itself up as the keeper of truths, the sacred protectors of America’s soul. And, since we all know the fable of rocks and glass houses, we must then realize that all leftists imagine that they simply don’t violate truth. They are paragons of it, to be sure. Not a lie should cross our lips, they contend, for it if does the presence of that lie is enough to abrogate our very Americanness.
The truth, you see, is of acclaimed importance to the self-anointed high priests of truth on the left these days. And they have their Messiah as a shining example of that sitting today in the White House. He is the one we’ve been waiting for. The light. The truth. The way.
At least, this is their delusional self-assessment, anyway.
So, I am wondering about the following: does it matter that one of the left’s most exalted leaders is a blatant liar?
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has made of herself only one of two things over the “torture” issue, and neither of those things is good. She is either a liar, or an utterly disgraceful incompetent of no principles whatever.
As report after report is revealed of what and when the Speaker of the House knew about the so-called torture of prisoners held by the Bush administration, at least one fact is becoming crystal clear. She and other members of Congress did, indeed, know of what was going on when it was going on.
Paul Kane of the Washington Post is only the latest to show that Congress was made well aware of the treatment that Bush officials had directed to be carried out on terroist prisoners. In his May 9 report, Kane tells us that Michael Sheehy, Pelosi’s top aid, had attended a 2003 White House briefing where the waterboarding of al Qaeda suspects was discussed. Also in that meeting was the ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee Representative, Jane Harmon (R, CA), who afterward sent a letter of protest to the Bush administration over the situation. Pelosi has admitted that she was aware of that letter.
Yet, all this time, as she has ginned up the country to attack President Bush over “harsh interrogations” and his supposed criminal “secrecy,” Pelosi has claimed she was never told that these techniques were in use.
One wonders how Pelosi can say with a straight face that she didn’t know anything about “torture” but at the same time was aware about Harmon’s letter protesting the same?
So, we are left with two possibilities here.
Scenario One:
Pelosi is incompetent. She has a habit of sending top aides to meetings from which she never bothers to inform herself of the outcome. Further, she does not pay much attention to the doings of her colleagues. In other words she is uninterested in her job or the duties of her office.
Scenario Two:
Pelosi is a liar. She knew everything and is only trying to obscure the fact that she knew all along of what the Bush administration was doing. She deemed it unimportant to worry over much about any “torture” until now. And now she is worried abut it only so that she can use it as a political device.
Either way, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a loathsome character. And yet… and yet the left is falling all over itself to stand behind her.
So, do lies by leftists matter? Or is it only the ends that matter?
Steve Maley
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
You're close WTH-
bkeyser Sunday, May 10th at 8:46AM EST (link)She is ‘an utterly disgraceful incompetent of no principles what[so]ever’ who lied about her knowledge of EIT’s.
Unfortunately, who’s available to dethrone her? Do San Franciscans line up behind Cindy Sheehan?
Soooo ... Congress Works for a Living?
GreyCloak (Diary) Monday, May 11th at 5:47AM EST (link)Pelosi would love to make political comments about “torture” and the previous administration … but the CIA is not cooperating, releasing perfectly unclassified lists of who attended what briefings when. Nothing classified about the topics … the details might be vague, and that’s what Pelosi et al count on.
Congress has many “oversight” committees … Pelosi on security, Barney Franks on banks … does anybody think that these elected representatives actually do their jobs and provide “oversight?”
As far as I can tell, Congress makes the rules, and the rules are that “Congress-critters shall make wonderful television appearances, asking questions that were written by some staffer, and do NOTHING to change anything that might be untoward”
Did Pelosi stay awake long enough to hear what the CIA was saying … come out with questions that a far junior congresscritter asked? Did Franks pay any attention to the banks he is supposed to oversee? (other than to collect their campaign contributions)
While Congress was holding fancy parties and “Caucus Conventions,” The People lost half their retirement, and “alleged” detainees were released to wage war again against America.
Despite news appearances to the contrary, does anyone in Congress care about the jobs they were elected to do? I mean: aside from the benefits, the huge salaries, the opportunities to get a relative a job with another critter … the private aircraft to fly back to California … do they work for the wages we pay?
They take their cue from Obama
bk (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 9:16AM EST (link)When he says, “Let me be perfectly clear about this,” you know the next thing coming out of his mouth is an absolute lie. We’ve seen it over and over – no lobbyists, most ethical administration, full transparency, page by page/line by line, running car companies and banks, you name it.
"Sweeping ethics reform"
6eorge Jetson (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 12:16PM EST (link)One of my all time favs
speciallist (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 12:32PM EST (link)5
Obama vindicated by 2nd photographer!
blooch Sunday, May 10th at 10:35PM EST (link)NOT bowing to Saudi King, you wingnuts!
“Lieutenant Dike wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions. He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”
Also Obama's lips are moving...nt
larryp Sunday, May 10th at 9:20AM EST (link)The incompetency factor may be bigger than you think
wilsonpickett Sunday, May 10th at 9:34AM EST (link)While reading your post on the inestimable House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, I am reminded of what my brother, who lives in West Texas, passed along to me.
He has a friend in the oil business who has traveled in and out of our nation’s capital many times over the past 30 years, dealing with elected officials and Federal government career employees.
This gentleman describes Nancy Pelosi as “the most clueless” person in an elected, high-ranking position with whom he has ever met and tried to work during those three decades.
Makes you wonder if the incompetency factor plays a bigger role in Madame Speaker’s puzzling comments than most people realize.
"I know nothink"
6eorge Jetson (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 12:14PM EST (link)rotf....
speciallist (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 3:50PM EST (link)nice
and I like the fable guy nt
6eorge Jetson (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 7:11PM EST (link)The Truth and hypocrisy
fisk2521 Sunday, May 10th at 9:35AM EST (link)Progressives like Nancy don’t feel compelled to tell the truth, which they do not define as lying.
Obama stands before us and states the exact opposite of what he said hours before or during his campaign. He talks out of both sides of his mouth and then his staff, like Gibbs, repeats a statement saying he ‘has been very clear’ on this issue, like saying that makes it so. The most amazing thing, and the most depressing is that the majority of the main stream media allows him to get away with it, thereby influencing what the public accepts.
I’ve seen this behavior more and more in average citizens….. lies don’t matter anymore …. because there is no ‘real’ truth only relative truth. I’ve even heard that from certain church representatives who follow the progressive line.
“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.” ~André Gide
LDavis
peloski,reid,and obama
bobojake (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 11:00AM EST (link)All three have the same gene LIARS THUGACY
If a lie falls on deaf ears...
deweyfromdetroit (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 11:18AM EST (link)is it a “false recollection”? One of the great metaphysical questions of politics.
Perhaps the truth is simpler: Alzheimers
Also blogging as
DeweyfromDetroit
"Don't you think she looks tired?"
farstar99 (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 2:27PM EST (link)Showing my Doctor Who fan colors here, but if the shoe was on the other foot, the Democrats wouldn’t hesitate to start a whispering campaign about her.
She’s obviously well past it and doddering.
don't confuse them with facts
Janice Cantore Sunday, May 10th at 12:23PM EST (link)Liberal leftists of all genders seem to have this gene, fact don’t matter, only what is politically expedient does. Notice that Pelosi hates Jane Harmon, another leftist, but one who, at least on this issue, has been completely consistant.
Janice Cantore
Pelosi's New Book Tour
melvinwinter Sunday, May 10th at 1:22PM EST (link)Check out this parody of Pelosi’s new book tour in the wake of her interrogation briefing revelations:
http://www.optoons.blogspot.com/
Liar
Jeff Woehrle Sunday, May 10th at 1:29PM EST (link)I love how Pelosi’s eyes nearly pop out of her head as she struggles to find the right words. She is in deep and she knows it. Sadly, like many on the left, she feels that she can simply toss out a few thousand words until something sticks.
Let’s hope the media see fit to follow through on this. The woman is lying, period.
You Mean Popeye Pelosi?
farstar99 (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 2:22PM EST (link)When you’ve had as many shopping mall facelifts as Hagatha, EVERYTHING pops out when you try to express emotion.
She needs the Botox to counteract it.
Naturally, that’s just for the face.
She’s so puckered everywhere else that whales sing to her when she’s at the beach.
Thank you, thank you. I’m here all week. Try the veal. It’s very fresh. I heard it barking just this morning.
"Did it ever have any?"
farstar99 (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 2:17PM EST (link)Nope.
And I vote for three, “Lying Incompetent.”
The Sgt. Schultz pic cracks me up, especially since I’ve been saying that at work whenever her name comes up.
We should all take to calling her that.
It’s what the Communist News Network would call resonance.
Don't mess with the CIA, you nasty woman
Erick Brockway (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 2:54PM EST (link)Like if they thought the few lefties at CIA would leak info damaging to the country when Bush was Pres, I thing there’s a whole lot more who will leak to save the country.
Note to lefties;
“Don’t be afraid to see what you see.” -Ronald Reagan
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So what if you're a liar and a leade of a party with absolutely no regard for the facts or the truth!
hickosaurus (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 3:33PM EST (link)I have liberal family members that will always excuse this behavior if it supports their warpped sense of ideology. But heaven forbid anyone on the right getting caught in the most minor slip of the tounge, i.e. Scooter Libbey, and watch out!
This may hurt a little
avgamerican (Diary) Sunday, May 10th at 10:20PM EST (link)Cal Thomas once said correctly, “You can’t have trickle down morality, but you can have bubble up morality.” What Thomas was referring to is that leadership is only a reflection of the people. Pelosi is a liar. The people who elected her could care less if she is lying. They have no ethics themselves. A friend of mine sent me pictures of San Francisco liberals demonstrating against Israel carrying death to Israel signs. I almost forwarded them to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Pelosi could care less about protecting America because their constituency hate America.