Reframing the Torture Debate

By Ethan Brown, Section War on Terror
Posted on Mon May 18, 2009 at 10:50:00 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

Steve Benen just flagged a post from Greg Sargent who links to a clip of a Fox News correspondent admitting that criticism of Nancy Pelosi for claiming that she was misled by the CIA is a useful tool in reframing the torture debate:

“Instead of this debate being about national security, what is and isn’t torture, what the Bush administration should and shouldn’t have allowed and whether anybody in that administration should now be prosecuted, the Republicans are now able to frame this debate as to whether Nancy Pelosi is fit to continue as Speaker. So they are not about to let their foot off the gas in any way, shape, or form.”

[More...]

Sargent's post reminded me that I could only stomach a few moments of ABC's "This Week" yesterday because of what crawled across the screen during the "Roundtable":

"SPEAKER PELOSI VS. THE CIA"

Useful tool(s) indeed.

< Monday Night Open Thread | TSA Begins New Airline Rules >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

Reframing the Torture Debate | 4 comments (4 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

After what they did (none / 0) (#1)
by NYShooter on Tue May 19, 2009 at 05:44:41 AM EST

To Bill Clinton, and the Country, we now consider their sleight of hand in diverting the conversation from their war crimes to a garbled quip from Pelosi a scoop?

And, they've won; it's over; the fat lady has sung.

Please turn out the lights on your way out.

except, (none / 0) (#2)
by cpinva on Tue May 19, 2009 at 05:49:23 AM EST

pelosi wasn't president, bush was. when all is said and done, he's the one responsible (and his administration), not her, for acts committed in our name.

FOX, rush, et al can rant and rave about pelosi all they want, it doesn't change this basic fact.

: Whoa! (none / 0) (#4)
by NYShooter on Tue May 19, 2009 at 02:51:26 PM EST

Me friend, Kemosabe.
While this is obviously true:
"FOX, rush, et al can rant and rave about pelosi all they want, it doesn't change this basic fact."
My point was it does change the debate, and diverts the attention from the Bush war crimes.

I'm a little surprised - a little - (none / 0) (#3)
by Anne on Tue May 19, 2009 at 07:18:38 AM EST

that more people haven't figured that out, but then again, I think most people these days have a permanent hook in their brains that can be jerked at will by whatever message the media is sending.

What kills me is this correspondent making this admission, but acting as if they, as an industry, are helpless to do anything about it! Do they not get that it is they who are the useful tools for, in this case and for quite some time, the GOP?

The media have done a terrible job reporting on this story - and so many other important stories - but "terrible" seems to be the best we can expect most of the time; how sad is that?

Pelosi ought to call a presser, and just show the Fox clip, thank everyone for coming, and let it end right there.