GOP congressman (whackadoodle King from Iowa) says Pelosi should lose speakership

[babylonsister]

http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/05/15/gop-congressman-says-pelosi-should-lose-speakership/

GOP congressman says Pelosi should lose speakership
@ 11:56 am by Michael O'Brien


House Democrats should choose a new leader in the wake of current Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) allegations that the CIA misled Congress in intelligence briefings, a House Republican said Friday.

"This is an enemy of national security that holds the gavel of the Speaker of the House, and now she's accusing the CIA, the people that have kept us safe over all these years to be a group of liars who willfully and calculatingly lied to the United States Congress," Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said during an appearance this morning on Fox News.

"It is outrageous, and the American people need to speak to their Democrat members of Congress and ask them to come up with a new speaker," King added.

Pelosi has been under siege from Republicans who have accused her of distorting the extent to which she was briefed on the treatment and tactics used on terrorist detainees. The GOP has also targeted the speaker for her Thursday comments indicating that the CIA had lied to Congress.

King's statements mark the first time a House member has called for Pelosi to step down from her position as leader of the House and the third in line to the presidency.

Pelosi told CNBC yesterday that her leadership has "absolutely not" been harmed by the kerfuffle over the briefings.

[TwilightGardener]

1. This is getting fucking out of hand. We need to start going after the GOP criminals, big time.

Eric Holder, what are you waiting for?

[babylonsister]

2. I agree. Were Dems the only ones briefed? Why the silence

from the rethugs? Weren't they 'concerned'?

[TwilightGardener]

7. Find all the House and Senate GOPers on the intelligence committees

at the time and start asking them all sorts of questions. Oh, wait--the media will never do this. They'll pretend torture was the Democrats' idea.

[Justitia]

3. This shit has to stop now & the Dems have let the real criminals get way too far afield on this.

It is time to put the focus on the war criminals & torturers in our gov't.

People are fucking stupid to be so distracted by this Pelosi bullshit.

[snowdays]

4. Must be a lot of "whackadoodle"s

here on DU as I have seen the same demanded from many here.

[earthside]

5. What Could Pelosi Order?

Pelosi could not order torture stopped even if she was told about it.

Cheney-Bush were the only ones who had the power to order/approve torture.

So what are these nutty, pro-torture Republicans talking about?

Pelosi and the Democrats need to get to the simplicity behind all this hubbub -- doesn't matter really what she did or did not know, what she was or was not told -- Cheney-Bush are the only ones responsible for torture or the use of any other "interrogation techniques" ... right?

[TwilightGardener]

11. New legislation was required to make the CIA have to conform

to the Army Field Manual in terms of not being allowed to use the worst techniques--this legislation was not in place in 2002-2003, as far as I know. I think it came up as a bill in 2007 or 2008. The CIA could do whatever it wanted at the time, so I doubt there was any way Nancy or Congress could have halted what was already being conducted. That said, they were slow to put together the legislation to restrict the CIA's techniques.

[pinto]

6. Rep. King's been on the phone to Dick (shotgun) Cheney, who's been on the line to Fox.

This is effin' ridiculous.

[Marr]

8. Well, here's what happens when you don't move on the issue.

Democrats need to realize that covering up torture (ie, "moving forward") is not an option. The issue is too big and isn't going away.

Their choice is between actually prosecuting the people involved, and having it pinned exclusively on themselves.

[ccharles000]

9. God what a funking ass

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. Calling for resignations of Democrats every five seconds

seems to be one of 3-4 things that you can always count on the Republicans to do- almost as reliably as the sun rising every morning. :eyes:

[bridgit]

12. Meh, DU hates Pelosi for the most part this just makes it easier for us to put her head...

on a pike for them: The GOP

[Johonny]

13. Rep. Steve King

can tell me who should be speaker of the house as soon as his party takes back control. Until then he can just shut up.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. And King should lose his American citizenship. He's a traitor to this country.

[emulatorloo]

15. Well it helps if you realize King is the male version of Michelle Bachmann

Not too many people take him seriously.

[NoPasaran]

16. I wonder what his username is on DU

[babylonsister]

17. Ha! You're probably right! nt

[OHdem10]

18. It was discussed on Fox last night in the context of her losing her

seat.