Update: I see a lot of angry comments saying that I'm focusing on this when I shouldn't be. I agree that it shouldn't be the issue, and it's a distraction. But my point was that The Daily Show, which is watched by millions and is widely respected among liberals, just legitamized this. And TDS got it wrong. To me, that is an issue.
The whole segment was so odd, that I had assumed there must be something else out there that proved their point. Apparently not.
Last night, when The Daily Show began its segment on Pelosi, I figured "If a Democratic leader is getting hit even on The Daily Show, she must have lied."
But watching the clips they used, I couldn't find the inconsistency. And after watching the full source videos:
2/25 Maddow interview
5/6 press briefing: Part 1 · Part 2
This appears to be her argument both times:
- They were told these torture techniques could be used.
- They were not told that they were already being used (which to me is a key distinction).
- They did not give consent, but they were not asked to.
- By law, she could not discuss the briefings.
As chickenshit a rationale this may be for not doing anything to prevent torture or to punish those responsible, her argument is the same, as far as I can tell.
So, there has to be something I'm missing -- a more damning statement made elsewhere? Or is there something in the interview or briefing I've misunderstood?