Well, here we go. Jane Harman, then the ranking minority member of the House Intelligence Committee, was told about the torture programs set up by our country.
The second paragraph of the Post article sums it up nicely:
Pelosi has insisted that she was not directly briefed by Bush administration officials that the practice was being actively employed. But Michael Sheehy, a top Pelosi aide, was present for a classified briefing that included Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), then the ranking minority member of the House intelligence committee, at which agency officials discussed the use of waterboarding on terrorism suspect Abu Zubaida.
All emphasis mine.
So now we have a Pelosi aide saying he was briefed along with Harman. Pelosi seems to stay at arm's length. How fortuitous. However, any investigations of the torture program this country carefully created and then executed should include which members of Congress [R or D] knew about these illegal acts. [See Geneva Conventions.]
Now, it's also fair to point out that in 2003 anyone who wasn't in favor of nuking the Middle East was branded a terrorist-symphathizer or worse. I was living in Dallas and remember the suspicions those around me would take when I discussed politics. [Full disclosure: I suppported the invasion of Afghansitan and did not support our misadventure in Iraq]
My point is what if Pelosi and Harman had gone on Meet The Press and told Russert the US was torturing prisoners. Would the country have believed them? Would we have cared? Those were, in fact, terrible times of deep anxiety and fear. [Being pumped up nicely in color coded form by our govt, ps]
I HATE this anonymous source who has appeared in print numerous times to rebut any further investigation:
One former senior agency official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the substance of the briefings is classified, said some lawmakers, after being told of the enhanced techniques, "questioned whether we were doing enough."
Eff that guy. A member of Congress asked "Can we torture more?" I call bullshit. And if true, they should be frog marched in front of the country and impeached.
How did we stray so far? How did my country, the one I read about in textbooks and pledged allegiance to each morning, give up so much of exactly what makes us so precious? The stain on my Flag won't just fade away or be erased. It will remain there to mark a sordid history of what we allowed them to do in our Name.
May the future generations of this great country one day forgive us.