Democrats need to stop bringing up the CIA briefings

July 9, 6:35 PMPolitical Buzz ExaminerRyan Witt

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Political Buzz Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Leon Panetta the head of the CIA.  AP Photo Susan Walsh

I understand how many Democrats are frustrated about many of the shenanigans that occurred during the Bush era.  At the very least there was a lot of mis intelligence regarding WMD's in Iraq before the invasion.  I tend to believe the accusation of many Congressional Democrats that they were not fully briefed regarding interrogation procedures used during the Bush presidency.

Now that Congressional Democrats know that voters like me sympathize with their plight I have one request from them.  Please shut up about the CIA already.  The story was old and unproductive the day it broke into the news headlines and it has been doing more and more damage ever since.  On a day such as today when we should be discussing health care, climate change, or Iran instead we are mired in the "The CIA lied to me and I want an apology" debate.  The debate is not a good one for Democrats for the following reasons:

First, it makes Democrats look weak on national security.  Even if you are correct in your attacks by making accusations against the CIA, past or present, you make your party look weak on national security.  Republicans are having a field day with the Democrats on this issue saying their attacks contribute to a lack of trust between the intelligence community and politicians. 

Second, the debate focuses on the past and not the future.  By focusing on briefings which occurred years earlier the Democrats appear focused on still getting revenge on the Bush administration instead of fixing the problems of today.  What does it benefit Democrats even if they do get an admission from the CIA regarding the briefings?  The admission by the CIA would possibly make the Bush administration look bad but Democrats are no longer running against the Bush administration.  So it really provides no political benefit for the party.

Third, and probably most importantly, the argument of Democrats appears to be playing the blame game which does not win over voters.  The essence of the Democrats argument is this "They did not tell me what I needed to know so please don't blame for the torture."  Again this may be true but it looks painfully close to the picture of a third grader pointing at his classmate and saying "I didn't do it he did!"  Voters and the public at large do not appreciate politicians trying to cover their own rear end by shooting the dairy aire of of someone else.

In summary Democrats would be best served by dropping the CIA briefing debate and moving on to larger issues.  If Congressional Democrats really have issues work through the back channels in a not-so-public forum to get the answers and apologies you want.  Otherwise simply be quiet on the issue and focus on climate change or health care instead.  Lord knows the Democrats will need to focus all their energies on those issues if they want to get something done.