Issa proposes polygraphs for CIA-briefed lawmakers

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: The Hill

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) wants fellow lawmakers who receive classified CIA briefings to submit to polygraph tests.

“We should have a very high standard for those who are briefed by CIA — to make sure the information isn’t compromised and who are briefed are telling the truth about what they’ve been told,” he said. “Fact-finding and oversight is only as good as the group of people able to do it.”

Issa’s comments come amid a renewed controversy about whether the CIA misled Congress for years. Seven Democrats on the Intelligence Committee sent a letter to CIA Director Leon Panetta asking him to publicly admit that his agency misled Congress. The letter followed classified closed-door testimony in which the Democrats said Panetta privately told the panel that the agency had not always been completely forthcoming.

The latest uproar follows turmoil over Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) assertions more than a month ago that the CIA had lied to Congress for years about its enhanced interrogation techniques. Pelosi spent weeks trying to tamp down the outrage over her charges and the political fallout that ensued.




Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/issa-proposes-polygraphs-for-cia-briefed-lawmakers-2009-07-09.html

[aquart]

1. My sister's congressman. He continues to cover her in shame.

[lindisfarne]

9. Nat'l Acad of Sci:panel found polygraph testing to be unscientific because it lacked fixed standards

In 2002, a panel from the National Academy of Sciences were charged with "conduct a scientific review of the research on polygraph examinations that pertains to their validity and reliability, in particular for peronnel secutiry screening." The panel's findings were compiled into the report, "The Polygraph and Lie Detection," and presented to Congress and the Department of Energy. The panel found polygraph testing to be unscientific because it lacked fixed standards. After reviewing the available data and studies on polygraph testing, the panel concluded: "Almost a century of research in scientific psychology and physiology provides little basis for the expectation that a polygraph test could have extremely high accuracy." Further, there was little hope for advancing polygraph testing. According to the panel's findings: "The inherent ambiguity of the physiological measures used in the polygraph suggest that further investments in improving polygraph technique and interpretation will bring only modest improvements in accuracy."

Many other such opinions out there.
http://epic.org/privacy/polygraph/

[musette_sf]

2. shut up Darrell

haven't you hurt California enough? still sucking up to Cheney.

[Ganja Ninja]

3. Why not give polygraphs to every single one of them?

And drug tests while we're at it.

[lindisfarne]

10. STD tests too. n/t

[tomm2thumbs]

4. start with Cheney and Bush

retroactive is such a good look on these laws

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. I am so disappointed -

I thought that Issa got the boot years ago.

Wishful thinking, I guess.

[defendandprotect]

14. Well CIA, NRA, and Corps have certainly targeted Dems for removal . . .

and I think we have to look at someone like Issa and put our money into get rid of him

next election cycle!

[Wizard777]

6. That could violate the Constitution.

Section 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

But having those people that DID the briefing submit to a polygraph wont violate the Constitution.

[JDPriestly]

22. I suggested the same thing, but then the thought occurred to me that

CIA employees probably lie professionally and would not show signs of lying on a polygraph. For all I know, they could be taught techniques to conceal lying. I do not say this based on any factual evidence. But if I wanted to hire spies in this day and age, I certainly would not hire people who would test accurately on a polygraph. Wouldn't that be a job qualification? Or did I watch too many James Bond movies?

[Wizard777]

26. No you haven't. Polygraphs can be rendered useless. I can do it.

You have to know you're lying for a polygraph to work. They are useless against schizophrenics, psychotics, republicans and others who actually believe their own bull shit. A polygraph can be defeated by controlled psychosis and hypnosis. If it doesn't register in your brain as a lie. It will not register on the polygraph as a lie. Because you will not have the physiological responses it detects. The only thing a Polygraph can really detect is if you believe yourself to be telling the truth or a lie. That also works in reverse. You can tell the truth and if you believe it to be a lie. It will register as one. It can have psychological diagnostic uses. But it's legal uses are specious at best.

While I can defeat it's uses. I'm not good enough to draw pictures with it's pens. But there are people that can actually do that.

[Downwinder]

7. If Polygraph is of any value, why was torture necessary?

[defendandprotect]

15. Great question . . . and, of course, polygraph isn't reliable detector of lying --

[Still Sensible]

8. Rest assured if Issa said it, it is Bullshit !!!! n/t

[JayMusgrove]

28. I think we can apply that rule to 99% of Republicans n/t

[wilt the stilt]

11. Let's polygraph Issa

for car theft

[DCKit]

12. Can't guarantee good results with so many sociopaths in da' house.

Does the Republican Congresscritter exist who can't open their mouth without a whole ton of stupid falling out?

[defendandprotect]

13. Issa is a GOP Nazi . . . rather we need to acknowledge perversions of CIA and their lies!!!

[radhika]

16. He proposed legislation to oversee First Ladies

Shortly after inauguration, he proposed a thing that would require First Ladies (I'm sure he didn't mean Michelle O!) to post their schedules online showing who they met with. It was to 'preserve her historic role' or some such drivel.

Here's the link.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/27/issa-traditional-first-lady/

[JDPriestly]

23. That would be fascinating: I can imagine Michelle's schedule.

Doctor's appointments, buying clothes and shoes for kids, having hair done, talking to mom, talking to friends. There is lots of official stuff, but after all, Michelle is a mom first. We all know what that is like.

[flyingfysh]

17. polygraphs are useless

They can easily be defeated by people who know how, the information is readily available on the internet.

But our government insists on using them, and as a result, the careers of many good people have been ruined, and some notable bad guys (as in recent spying cases) have escaped scrutiny.

If you *really* want to detect lying, recent research with brain scans shows promise. But a much cheaper idea is to require anyone holding that level of secret to allow their personal affairs, communications, finances, etc to be inspected at any time without notice. Since the bad guys generally get paid a lot of money, this leads to rapid detection.

[Downwinder]

18. You mean, treat them like any other citizen. n/t

[lindisfarne]

20. I don't know of any research showing on a SINGLE TRIAL BASIS that lies can be detected.

There are a few researchers (some have founded own companies which claim to be able to do this) out there overstating results, but legitimate researchers have spoke out against them.

You'd need to be able to accurately determine the truth of a single statement for a test to have any value whatsoever.

[boppers]

19. Yeah, if he knew anything about intelligence...

He'd know that polygraphs are exploitable, and ripe for seeding with false information.

[JDPriestly]

21. How about polygraphs for the CIA folks who claim they briefed Representative Pelosi?

Issa will rue these words. Just you wait.

[Merlot]

24. Maybe give the CIA the polygraphs?

I'll never forget the image of isssa crying because he couldn't be governator. He got arnie elected.
He has no credibility whatsoever.

[hughee99]

25. I agree with him on one thing...

"Fact-finding and oversight is only as good as the group of people able to do it.” That's why so much shit got missed when the repukes were running congress.

[TankLV]

27. REPUKES shouldln't be ALLOWED on any "intelligence" committees...

it sort of defeats the whole purpose, doesn't it?!!!

[steven johnson]

29. Polygraph ? Why not waterboard them? N/T

[spanone]

30. why don't we polygraph the cia. they are in the lying business.