Dianne Feinstein - D (CA)

I have never liked Dianne Feinstein, because of a prejudice of mine, her wealth (or rather her husband's) and her pro-war stance. I did vote for her in general elections because the alternatives were ******* (fill in your own perfered derogatory term).

Especially after she supported Bush II in going into Iraq, I hoped that because she sat on the Intelligence Committee she knew something that I didn't - well that turned out really well. So I am not a fan.

However, I'm impressed that she pushed this report through and insisted it be released to the public. I expected nothing of the sort from her and this could be the single (public) redeming act of her long (20 year) tenure in the Senate.

There is really nothing new in the report but to have it on the public record is remarkable. The US cannot maintain any - I repeat - any moral 'authority' without bringing the archectics of this kidnap and torture scheme to justice.

www.feinstein.senate.gov...

Only the Executive Summary is being released to the public - there is still the huge body of the actual report redacted and classified - that may or may not be released to the public.

It's a remarkable accomplishment from this committee and Ms. Feinstein deserves credit for leading the effort.

From March of this year (about CIA surveillence of the committee):

www.feinstein.senate.gov...

Senator Feinstein's Op-Ed today:

www.huffingtonpost.com...

And John Brennan (Director CIA) (justifications and excuses mostly) replies:

www.huffingtonpost.com...

a reply to: FyreByrd

oh boy... this thread's going to be fun....

but otherwise it does seem interesting that a large amount of her report is classified.

She has her own agenda and its payback for being spied on (its OK to spy on you and me but not her) and the democrats are desperate to give the republicans a black eye. So your initial opinion of her should remain the same, her motivation is self interest. The silver lining is we see even more how evil the federal government is, how the whole system is. People, (I hope) are wising up to this fact. PEACE.

However, I'm impressed that she pushed this report through and insisted it be released to the public.

Why ?

She has sat on it for at least 8 years when she was put in to power in 2007.

Hell no one would even be talking about now had her party retained the 'majority'.

originally posted by: neo96


Hell no one would even be talking about now had her party retained the 'majority'.

Bingo, Neo96. If the Dems had won the Senate, they'd be sitting on this and just waiting to release it at the opportune time. Anything to give the other party a bad name.

originally posted by: HUMBLEONE
She has her own agenda and its payback for being spied on (its OK to spy on you and me but not her) and the democrats are desperate to give the republicans a black eye. So your initial opinion of her should remain the same, her motivation is self interest. The silver lining is we see even more how evil the federal government is, how the whole system is. People, (I hope) are wising up to this fact. PEACE.

She's retiring. Her agenda maybe just to give something back to the people of this country. And you, yourself, say there is a 'silver lining'... in this.

I don't think that she'll stop loving wars, especially Middle Eastern Ones; but I truly believe that this is a good thing for the country as a whole and will give her credit for seeing it through despite considerable pressures from all sides.

I've never liked her either. Especially lately...she just seems like she jumped on the corporate bandwagon and as long as she's getting paid, who cares about us average Americans. However, she's dead right on this report. Good for her.

originally posted by: neo96

However, I'm impressed that she pushed this report through and insisted it be released to the public.

Why ?

She has sat on it for at least 8 years when she was put in to power in 2007.

Hell no one would even be talking about now had her party retained the 'majority'.

You are very much misinformed.

The origin of this study: The CIA’s detention and interrogation program began operations in 2002, though it was not until September 2006, that Members of the Intelligence Committee, other than the Chairman and Vice Chairman, were briefed. In fact, we were briefed by then-CIA Director Hayden only hours before President Bush disclosed the program to the public.

NOTE it was not until September 2006 that members of the Itelligence Committee, other than..., were briefed.

On March 5, 2009, the committee voted 14-1 to initiate a comprehensive review of the CIA Detention and Interrogation Program. Immediately, we sent a request for documents to all relevant executive branch agencies, chiefly among them the CIA.

NOTE ...voted 14-1 to initiate a comprehensive...

www.feinstein.senate.gov...

Someone is misinformed.

www.washingtonsblog.com...

www.washingtonsblog.com...

www.washingtonpost.com...


The icing on the cake;

FORGET, for the moment, what we knew and when we knew it. Assume that we knew it all -- and even, by some miracle, had kept hijackers with boxcutters from turning airliners into missiles. Where would the United States be now in the fight against global terrorism?

I have no question in my mind that had it not been for 9/11 -- and I'd do anything if it hadn't happened -- that it would have been business as usual,'' said Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California. ''It took that real attack, I think, to kind of shiver our timbers enough to let us know that the threat is profound, that we have to do some things that historically we have not wanted to do to protect ourselves.''

www.nytimes.com...

Feinstein said that.

Pay attention to the last part.

a reply to: neo96


Why?

Because I didn't expect her to actually perform a 'public' service. And the investigate and release of this report, the summary, is just that.

The original summary that was released to the committe from the White House redacted the names of officials involved and Senator Feinstein and other members fought to have the names appear. Another act of public service.

The White House delivered a redacted version to the committee in August, but an interagency declassification review blacked out about 15% of the words, including every pseudonym used by officials. The committee chair, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), has been negotiating since then to remove some of those redactions.

touch.latimes.com.../-1/article/p2p-81918344/

All the redacted material has been included in the released summary.

I have never paid much attention to this 'investigation' as I believed nothing would ever see the light of day - especially considering that Ms. Feinstein was lead.

A brief timeline of the Torture Report from ProPublica:

projects.propublica.org...

It is quite informative.

a reply to: neo96

Non of your posted sources have any direct relevance to the release to the publice of this investagative summary. Only one even has anything (from 2002) about Senator Feinstein.

What is your point?