I have been ranting for several days now that there is a massive disconnect between the amount of scrutiny Nancy Pelosi's comments are getting versus the (lack of) scrutiny being directed at the CIA. This morning Greg Sargent picked up the meme I've been harping on - and I gotta say, I like being in that company.
Multiple news accounts this morning report that Pelosi's credibility is in question after yesterday's press conference, in which she accused the CIA of lying about what they told members of Congress about the agency's use of torture. This theme was sounded by MSNBC, WaPo's Dan Balz, the New York Times write-up, and many others.
That's as it should be. But I challenge you to find a news account that stated with equal prominence that the CIA's credibility is also in question.
Let's briefly recap. Three senior Democrats - Pelosi, Bob Graham, and Jay Rockefeller - have all publicly claimed that the CIA didn't brief them about the use of torture in the manner the agency has claimed. Meanwhile, the CIA itself has conceded that its own accounting may not be accurate.
Yet key facts that cast doubt on the CIA's claims have been buried or completely omitted from multiple news reports. The Times's first mention of Graham's claims came today, five days after he first made them, and they were buried in the 22nd paragraph of the paper's write-up. Neither The Times nor The Post have even mentioned Rockefeller's claims once. The networks have refused across the board to mention the CIA's own unwillingness to vouch for the accuracy of its information.
When Roger Simon's Politico leaves the so-called 'liberal' media (Times, WaPo, MSNBC) in the dust when it comes to asking fair, balanced and inquiring questions about this topic, it might be time for the wingers to get a new media talking point, doncha think? (I know, I slay me, too...) |
