Did Pelosi Know About Torture?

A public fight has erupted between Nancy Pelosi and the CIA. The spy agency claims it briefed Pelosi that it briefed the Speaker on its use of torture during interrogations as far back as 2002. Pelosi claims only that she was made aware of legal memos clearing the Bush Administration to use torture, but was told that the tactics hadn't been employed.

The spy agency had issued a chart saying Pelosi, then the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and Porter Goss, the committee chairman at the time, were given "a description of the particular EITs (enhanced interrogation techniques) that had been employed."

I have to wonder...does this nuance really matter? Pelosi saw evidence in 2002 that the Bush Administration was starting to cover its ass in order to torture prisoners and she did nothing. She didn't try to stop it, she didn't go public. In fact, Pelosi then took impeachment off the table. That's despicable. And it's wrong.

The sad part is that this fiasco probably won't do any lasting damage to Pelosi's career. She'll still be Speaker of the House, she'll still get re-elected, she'll still raise loads of corporate cash for Democrats in the House, and she'll continue her long and undistinguished record of failing to represent her constituents' views in Washington. From voting for the Iraq war to blocking the impeachment of the most criminal and corrupt President in a generation, she always turns her back on real San Francisco values.