At a hearing at the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties that intended to discuss any White House discussions of the use of illegal torture techniques in the war on terror, Cheney Chief of Staff David Addington replied to U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt's (D-MA) question regarding whether or not waterboarding was discussed by saying: "I can't talk to you because al Qaeda may watch C-SPAN."
"I'm sure they are watching," Delahunt responded. "I'm glad they finally have a chance to see you, Mr. Addington."
The comments sparked criticism on conservative websites and talk shows who labeled Delahunt as out-of-touch and even calling on al Qaeda to attack Addington. "Delahunt is both a fool and a reprobate," Scott Johnson, a fellow at the conservative Claremont Institute, wrote on Powerline.com. "He does not understand that his good will toward al Qaeda means nothing to them, and his encouragement of their mission is simply vile."
Of course, not much was made of the face that Addington dodged the question, and once again the administration continues to be able to keep the public in the dark about how and when the decisions were made to advocate the use of torture in our interrogation of those we suspect to be enemy combatants.
And for those of you that are interested, here's video of the exchange:
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