‘More Candor’ From Joe Klein
‘More Candor’ From Joe Klein
Yesterday, The New York Times published an explosive report revealing that in 2005, the CIA destroyed tapes documenting harsh interrogation tactics against two al Qaeda operatives. For the past two years, the administration has hid the destruction of the tapes from the American public. Even when the tapes were still around, officials refused to hand them over to the 9/11 Commission.
Only after the Times informed the CIA that it was publishing its article did the agency finally admit that to destroying these tapes:
The New York Times informed the intelligence agency on Wednesday evening that it was preparing to publish an article about the destruction of the tapes. In his statement to employees on Thursday, General Hayden said that the agency had acted “in line with the law” and that he was informing C.I.A. employees “because the press has learned” about the matter.
Yet no act by the Bush administration is too small to go unrecognized by Time’s Joe Klein, who saw it as “more candor“:
CIA Director Hayden acknowledges that the public was going to find out about the CIA torture tapes anyway, but he still gets points for coming clean. [...]
[T]his represents yet another case where the intelligence community has released information that hammers the Bush Administration’s credibility–and, more important, helps the prospects of the bill that Congress will soon produce mandating that all government agencies conform to the anti-torture provisions of the Army Field Manual.
The intelligence community did not release the information. As Hayden himself admitted, he is talking about the issue only “because the press has learned” about it. The only justification for destroying evidence that the CIA has “released” is a flimsy excuse.
So according to Klein, when the administration reveals any information that makes them look bad, it’s “candor.” It doesn’t matter if the administration is forced to do so or has been trying to cover it up. What Klein is doing is rewarding government deception. It’s fine to deceive the public, as long as you eventually fess up to it when the media forces your hand.
UPDATE: Atrios’s take on Klein: “My God. Joe Klein now thinks destroying evidence and covering up war crimes is an example of ‘candor’ and ‘coming clean.’”
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I think I’m fresh out of things to say about this discredited moron. I’d almost welcome a Glenn Beck thread at this point.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:35 pmJoe Klien is simply a disgrace as is Time Magazine. Time published a Klien article in which he called the Democrats’ FISA legislation “simply stupid” and completely misrepresented it. It turns out he was regurgitating something a crackpot Republican fed him.
Not only has he refused to issue an apology or explanation, but Time has refused to publish letters from congresspeople, a sitting Senator AND a presidential candidate protesting the distortion and lying in the original article. Nobody should believe ANYTHING they hear from Klien. He’s simply a republican propagandist masquerading as a journalist.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:44 pmJoke Line loves him some BushCo candor.
Oh, and Abu Gonzales showed remarkable candor when he admitted not being able to remember where he lived when he testified before Congress.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pmKlein will be giving Bush an attaboy tomorrow for NOT leaving the seat up…
December 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pmI can see no other explanation for Joe Klein’s behavior except that he is a Republican party operative. I continue to maintain that blackmail is a logical explanation for his increasingly bizarre behavior.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pmNew article ideas for Joke line:
Jack abramoff tirelessly works to clean up govenment, from jail!
Rudy 9ui11iani works to clean up NYPD accounting fraud!
Larry Craig fights the spread of AIDS by calling for more condom machines in public restrooms!
George Bush shuts up and wins battle against ignorance!
December 7th, 2007 at 2:49 pmJoe: When you find your self in a hole, for gods sake, stop digging.
What an idiot.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:49 pmKlein is going down.
The Insurgency won’t stand for this.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:49 pmhttp://www.tshirtinsurgency.com
Joe sure is hell bent to flush his career.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:49 pmhe’ll be lucky to be BillO’s sockpuppet after all this embarrassment.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:50 pmNobody should believe ANYTHING they hear from Klien. He’s simply a republican propagandist masquerading as a journalist.
Comment by Ret. Col. Jack Ripper
I agree, but I would take it further. No one should believe anything they read in Time Magazine either. Time is definitely in the Administration’s back pocket.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:50 pmI smell the malodorous reek of a coverup taking place? There will still be enough evidence of international war crimes by Bush & Cheney for the Hague to nail them though.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:55 pmBush speak -
Candor = getting caught lying
Bush/Cheney
Hague Trials ‘09
Buck Fush
December 7th, 2007 at 2:57 pmJoe sure is hell bent to flush his career.
Comment by tombaker — December 7, 2007 @ 2:49 pm
Surely you jest. He’s doing exactly what he’s paid to do. Not only is his career assured, he probably gets bonuses based on how much he supports BushCo.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:58 pmJebus.
Just ….jebus. :o/
December 7th, 2007 at 2:59 pmIs it possible that Joke Line was making fun of himself when he called this “more candor”?
I mean, it is a case of the CIA director admitting destuction of evidence, and admitting it only when it was about to be revealed in the press. Not even a BushCo tool like Joke Line could really think that is “candor”, can he?
He must have been sarcastic.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:00 pmOne does not simply walk into Candor.
Wups, wrong movie…
December 7th, 2007 at 3:02 pmJoke Lyin’.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:03 pmJoke Lyin’… LOL.
Excellent Stewarjt…
Joke Lyin….
December 7th, 2007 at 3:05 pmJane Harman was informed in 05 and took decisive action………………………………………..SHE WROTE A LETTER.
It is nothing less than neauseating the lack of moral scruples and spine by both politicians and beltway stenographers.
Thank God for NY Times.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:06 pm“Thank God for NY Times.’
Comment by Your Conscience — December 7, 2007 @ 3:06 pm
Don’t forget about Judith Miller, though. Nor the fact that the Times sat on the warantless wiretap story for over a year. It wasn’t published until after the 2004 election.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:14 pmJoe needs a hiatus. Say about two years.
Flush Bush
December 7th, 2007 at 3:25 pmOrwell had used the concept before publishing 1984. During his employment at the BBC, he became familiar with the methods of Nazi propaganda. In his essay Looking Back on the Spanish War, published four years before Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell wrote:
And there you go… 2+2=5
December 7th, 2007 at 3:26 pmKlein was spotted buying fishnet stockings and hip-high red patent leather boots.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:30 pmI am really wondering what differentiates Joe Klein from Robert Novak, and frankly, has anyone seen the two of them in the same room? Maybe Joe Klein is Novak wearing a fake beard.
December 7th, 2007 at 3:51 pmComment by JPV — December 7, 2007 @ 3:26 pm
JPV That sounds just like the beginnings of chrsitianity. Well before Jesus there where people that believed in a Sun God and the Sun God’s son (horace?). During Constinine’s reign over the Roman Empire, he had a group of people ‘normalize’ christianity meaning they decided which stories to ‘keep’ as being the truth – Mathew, Mark, Luke and John – were the choosen ones. Anyone believing other wise was ‘converted’ or murdered. The great library in Alexandria was torched. Fortunately, the Rosetta stone was found and helps us now confirm that many of the biblical stories came well before the supposed life of Jesus. It would be easy to see how ‘history’ could be easily altered in a time when most people where illiterate. Nowadays, changing history is a bit tougher.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:06 pmI explained this all here.
Cheers,
December 7th, 2007 at 4:18 pmI think Joe really meant “dander”, but we’ll have to wait for his next round of excuse-making to know for sure.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:29 pmklein has to be sweating and/or drinking heavily…..
December 7th, 2007 at 5:09 pmTo bad Joe Klein can’t tell the thousands of died soldiers that Bush/Cheney lied with candor. It’s good to hear that from Joe I guess he’ll report that Israel is going to bomb Iran for no reason but with candor. Now Israel and Joe baby can watch China/Russia use their Nukes to protect Iran from the illegal attack with candor. Then we will see Peace in the Middle East as the Palestinians will have the property back which was stolen by the UN in 1947.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:47 pmHis ugly soul shows on the outside. Maybe he should look at himself in a real mirror. Oh wait, that doesn’t work for such people.
December 8th, 2007 at 12:38 am