Think Progress

Reid promises Senate hearings on Pentagon propaganda program.

Filed Under: Congress

By Amanda on May 10th, 2008 at 8:35 pm

Reid promises Senate hearings on Pentagon propaganda program.»

During today’s Firedoglake Book Salon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promised that the Senate would be holding hearings on the Pentagon’s propaganda program, which was first disclosed by the New York Times on April 20. Reid’s announcement is the first time the Senate leadership has indicated that it intends to hold hearings:

LISH: Senator, are you planning to hold hearings on the illegality of the Pentagon’s propaganda training program of retired military officers that was recently exposed by the New York Times and Glenn Greenwald?

REID: The answer is yes. I have personally spoken to Chairman Levin and he is tremendously concerned as I. And we are proceeding accordingly.

Comments

21 Responses to “Reid promises Senate hearings on Pentagon propaganda program.”

DallasNE Says:

Gleen Greewald has good coverage on this issue. Rather than rehashing earlier comments I have provided a link to those comments as well as imbedded links, including Greenwald’s.

http://fray.slate.com/ discuss/ forums/ thread/ 1240879.aspx
May 10th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
RUCerious Says:

OOOOOhhhh, hearings!! Great! I’m sure they’ll result in a VERY sternly worded letter/roundfilefiller.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Crusty Old Bastard Says:

Reid Promises…! There is currently a big flap about the placement of another bridge across the Colorado River at Laughlin, NV/Bullhead City, AZ. The most logical choice of location is close to being eliminated because, as the local papers have learned but will not print, our good Senator own property on the Nevada side that will garner him mucho dinero when the most expensive and impractical site for the bridge is chosen. My normal odds ($20 to a glass of warm pee) says that there will be an earmark for Harry’s bridge to the jackpot come November. (well, at least, it isn’t a bridge to nowhere!)
May 10th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Freedom Rebel Says:

It will be a pleasant surprise if, after the hearings are held, charges are brought against all the officials involved. They first have to grow a spine and stand up for what it right. To hell if the republicans do not side with them. I’m sick and tired of hearing that lame as* excuse.

Chairman Levin should be more than just concerned, he should be outraged. The propaganda program underminds the public trust. Lies and deception are unacceptable in elected officials. We can not make informed decisions if all the facts have not been presented to us.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Freedom Rebel Says:

#2RUCerious Says:

OOOOOhhhh, hearings!! Great! I’m sure they’ll result in a VERY sternly worded letter/roundfilefiller.

And don’t forget the possible subpeona threat!! That is always good for a laugh. We have yet to see that one happen. They are very good at threatening but have no cojones (spanish) to back it up.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
abarts Says:

Reid promises. No, he really means it this time. Cross his heart.

uh huh.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
COProgressive Says:

I’m sure as a result of the hearings that Reid will demand that Ronald Dumsfeld be fired!

“Don’t quote me on this. Sometimes the truth is so precious, it must be accompanied by a bodyguard of lies.” - Ronald Dumsfeld -Used Car Salesman

“It just isn’t. There are certain things like that, myths that are floating around. I’m glad you asked. This war has nothing to do with oil, literally nothing to do with oil.”
- Ronald Dumsfeld Secretary of War and Used Car Salesman
May 10th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
katy Says:

“… proceeding accordingly.”

oh gawd… more of that…
May 10th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Witch1 Says:

All of this is so disgusting I could puke….Speaking as a bleeding heart libral, that I am, I’m for putting his and Palosis weasel asses in jail along with this administration..They dance around like putrid little dictator’s, kiss rep’s asses and ignore we the people and the constitution on a daily bases…They refuse to put impeachment back on the table, they allow all the money to continue an unjust war and they put fluff pieces of legislation up to stall and run out the clock….They are both as bad as all the reich winger’s and I’m mad as hell…..Gonna get busy and start sending more email’s about this crap and the horrible thread about our service men and women below ,tomorrow…Any one in favor of Palosi and Reid is just another traitor to my country…It’s getting even more ugly than before and I gonna make all the representative’s know I am aware of it all…Start sending letter’s to your editors, call and email.This SHIT must stop….Blessings
May 10th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Wayne A. Schneider Says:

I look at Sen Harry Reid, and I am always reminded of a phrase used by C. Montgomery Burns, “It left me as impotent as a Nevada boxing commissioner.”
May 10th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
RUCerious Says:

Ah! Freedom Rebel, of course the ubiquitous SUBPOENA threat.
Which will of course be negotiated to a closed room, no transcript, not under oath charade… Donde esta los cojones?
May 10th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
barfly Says:

Cue the rerun of Ollie North’s testimony.

There’ll be so much retired brass wearing dress greens and faux indignance, it’ll be like happy hour at the officer’s club.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Zooey Says:

Impeachment, Harry. That’s all. IMPEACHMENT.

Otherwise go home.
May 10th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
tokin librul Says:

You gotta parse this crap. This is a very careful pol, slicker’n snot on a brass door-knob, talking to an audience he knows basically WANTS to believe him, but whom he cannot tell the actual truth without incurring their enmity and obloquy. Plus he’s being quoted. By everyone in the room. He’s on a propaganda tight-rope, which he negotiates very skillfully, going so far as to convince fairly clever people that he promised something at which he merely alluded.

Notice he doesn’t say he and levin are GONNA hold hearings.

He says they’re ‘very concerned’ and PLAN to hold hearings. ‘Proceeding accordingly” is utterly meaningless, a weasel-out that proves conclusively he didn’t promise any fragging thing.

Nothing. Get it? No promise. No investigation. No impeachment. No sending ut the Sergeant-at-Arms or the Senate with the Capitol Police to snag Rove, Rice, and the rest.

Nagahapun. Nada. Jack. Diddley-squat.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Jackie Says:

Reid is so far up the GOP’s butt you can’t find him. He will say anything to stay in office.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Keith H. Says:

You’ve all already covered my thoughts.
Especially No. 1 through No. 15.
May 11th, 2008 at 2:16 am
sacopenapa Says:

REID… GIVE US A HEARING ON THE SECRET MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE ON THE WHITE HOUSE WITH TOP WH OFFICIALS DISCUSSING AND FORMULATING US’S TORTURE PROGRAM! GET THE WAR CRIMINALS, INCLUDING RICE TO UNSWER UNDER OATH, WHY SHE KEPT MISLEADING CONGRESS AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BY SAYING ‘THE US DOES NOT TORTURE’ WHILE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING ON THOSE MEETING! THAN, A HEARING ON PENTAGON’S PROPAGANDA PROGRAM!

May 11th, 2008 at 4:52 am
sacopenapa Says:

RICEMUSTGO.COM

May 11th, 2008 at 4:53 am
bluestatedon Says:

And after Harry the Flaccid’s sternly worded letter goes out, he’ll declare he’s “seriously miffed” at a press conference.

Aside from defeating McCain, the best possible thing the Democrats could do for our country would be to replace this impotent, feckless bumbler with someone who actually has testicles. I nominate Hillary. If they were still kids she’d be beating him up on the playground.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:20 am
wagonjak Says:

I’m still waiting to see any fight at in in “fightin’ Harry“!

All I see from him is weaseling, promises, faux outrage and then………….total inaction!

The Dem leadership in this country is a total disgrace and a slap in the face to every Democrat horrifyed at the direction this country is going in…

And Harry’s still playing rope a dope…pretending to do something while doing nothing!
May 11th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Lish Says:

Thanks for the call-out, Amanda. My first scoop as an intrepid press corps mole!
May 11th, 2008 at 6:44 pm