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A Memo's Mischief
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY ^ | Thursday, November 6, 2003 | Editor

Posted on 11/06/2003 7:01:20 AM PST by Isara

Intelligence: A memo suggests Democrats are trying to undermine a Senate investigation into prewar Iraq intelligence. The reason? Political gain — not U.S. security.

It's inevitable that, even in matters of peace and war, politics will inevitably intrude. But it's rare that one party goes out of its way to obstruct an intelligence inquiry by the Senate, and even rarer that one party schemes to do so for purely political gains — while the U.S. is engaged in a deadly war on terror.

But that's exactly what some Democratic staffers on the Senate Intelligence Committee did in a recent memo.

In it, the staffers strategize about subverting the committee's investigation of prewar intelligence on Iraq. They talk about launching an "independent" commission to counter the Senate's investigation, and to use it to "castigate" the Republicans.

To maximize the political impact, the memo suggests "pulling the trigger . . . probably next year." For the record, that's a presidential election year.

We read the draft of the memo. And what we saw angered us. No mention of a "strategy" for helping out in the war on terror. No mention of trying to find a way to minimize the number of young Americans killed in Iraq.

No, the whole idea was political gain. And scoring on the GOP. The damage is potentially huge.

"No member of the intelligence community wants to come up and testify before a committee that is whipsawed by politics," said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "In addition, once this becomes public . . . every intelligence agency in the world will take note of it."

Roberts, a Kansan not known for exaggeration, added, "I think this will give some comfort to terrorists."

We agree. No doubt, those who want the worst for America will be well pleased to see such mischief in the Senate, whose members like to call it "the world's greatest deliberative body."

Something has gone horribly wrong with our system of politics if a political entity charged with investigating national security can be twisted to base political ends — and subverted to undermine the national interest.

But, as bad as it is, the memo really is a symptom of a much deeper problem — the deep, near-pathological hatred for George W. Bush that many on the left hold. For in their hatred, they have become desperate. And in their desire to get rid of Bush, those who hate him have been led to do and say things that are, frankly, despicable.

Why else would a Web site called the Democratic Underground, which bills itself as "fair and balanced," recently run a screed that said, in part, "They (U.S. troops) need to die so that Americans get rid of this deadly scum (Bush)."

We know this isn't typical of the left — or of Democrats. Like all Americans, they have wrestled with their consciences and convictions recently to make tough decisions about the war on terror.

We respect that. But we don't respect those on the extreme left who see war as little more than political blood sport — a real-world adjunct to Washington power politics. All too sadly, they think if Bush goes, the war on terror will end. They're dead wrong.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004memo; democrats; intelligence; iraq; treason
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IMHO, they are committing treason.
1 posted on 11/06/2003 7:01:20 AM PST by Isara
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To: Isara; Mo1; Miss Marple
Great editorial..
2 posted on 11/06/2003 7:12:21 AM PST by Dog
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To: Isara
...agreed! and those responsible should be hung publicly to set an example...wishful thinking...
3 posted on 11/06/2003 7:12:21 AM PST by cweese
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To: Dog
We know this isn't typical of the left

Unfortunately, nowadays it is all too typical.

4 posted on 11/06/2003 7:17:29 AM PST by Coop (God bless our troops!)
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To: Isara
Something has gone horribly wrong with our system of politics if a political entity charged with investigating national security can be twisted to base political ends — and subverted to undermine the national interest.

This mindset on the part of democ"RATS" can be traced back to 1992 ... the beginning of the Clinton era.

5 posted on 11/06/2003 7:17:55 AM PST by BluH2o
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To: Isara
INTREP - DemoRATS...vote Republican across the board. Send the DemoRATS an everlasting message! The security of the USA is what it is all about, not the DemoRATS being in power.
6 posted on 11/06/2003 7:19:00 AM PST by LiteKeeper
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To: Isara
Would love to see the DNC offices right now. Must look like an F5 tornado with all the spin being generated right now.
7 posted on 11/06/2003 7:19:37 AM PST by ladtx ( "Remember your regiment and follow your officers." Captain Charles May, 2d Dragoons, 9 May 1846)
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To: cweese
Why else would a Web site called the Democratic Underground, which bills itself as "fair and balanced," recently run a screed that said, in part, "They (U.S. troops) need to die so that Americans get rid of this deadly scum (Bush)."

Sure glad someone is exposing them for who they are..... TRAITORS
8 posted on 11/06/2003 7:20:17 AM PST by hoosiermama (Prayers for all!)
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To: Isara
The Dems are at war with the Republicans while the Republicans are at war with the terrorists.

God help us!

9 posted on 11/06/2003 7:22:47 AM PST by jigsaw (God Bless Our Troops.)
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To: Isara
The cold war ended with the fall of the Berlin wall. But where did all those communists go?

They went to the democratic party, no lie, and are asserting a huge amount of power there. Whenever you see this seemingly inexpicable, treasonous behavior out of the democratic party just ask, What would the communists do? They would do exactly this.

The have no honor, no loyalty and no love of America. They are a greater threat to American liberty and lives now than ever.

10 posted on 11/06/2003 7:27:58 AM PST by hedgetrimmer
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To: Judith Anne; mtngrl@vrwc; Sabertooth; ohioWfan; MJY1288; admiralsn; ladyinred; NordP; Republic; ...
A GREAT EDITORIAL ping! Sure hope there are plenty more of these written in the editorial pages of America's newspapers.

The demise of our political system is bill clinton's legacy, IMHO. His politics of personal destruction and his just win baby attitude have brought us to this point. The dems are so stupid for listening to him. They have all come to believe that since bill won twice, his way must be the best. I sure hope the American people realize this and they do, indeed, become a national party no more.

11 posted on 11/06/2003 7:30:48 AM PST by Wphile (Keep the UN out of Iraq)
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To: hedgetrimmer
Do you know whether Rockefeller is associated with a communist party?
12 posted on 11/06/2003 7:31:41 AM PST by Isara
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To: Isara
Rockefeller needs to be thrown off that committee. His response to this was the telling thing. That staffer should have been fired instantly, but he/she was not. Instead Rockie went out and defended the memo, pooh pooh'd it and acted like it wasn't anything serious.

This crap has to stop!

13 posted on 11/06/2003 7:32:47 AM PST by McGavin999
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To: Isara
Yup, it's called the DNC
14 posted on 11/06/2003 7:36:25 AM PST by MJY1288 (This is your tagline "Bush/Cheney04", this is your tagline on drugs "AnyOtherChoice/04")
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To: MJY1288
Do something about the memo HERE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1015696/posts
15 posted on 11/06/2003 7:37:23 AM PST by jmstein7
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To: Wphile; mtngrl@vrwc; Sabertooth; ohioWfan; MJY1288; admiralsn; ladyinred; NordP; Miss Marple
Please add your voices to the "Rockefeller Must Resign" thread...thanks.
16 posted on 11/06/2003 7:39:27 AM PST by Judith Anne (Send a message to the Democrat traitors--ROCKEFELLER MUST RESIGN!)
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To: McGavin999
This memo is gonna mushroom out of control for the democrats. There is no way to defend or spin this memo, and before this is over, some heads will roll.

This is not just election year politics, it's borderline treason

17 posted on 11/06/2003 7:41:31 AM PST by MJY1288 (This is your tagline "Bush/Cheney04", this is your tagline on drugs "AnyOtherChoice/04")
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To: Isara
IMHO, they are committing treason.

Hear Hear!

step one- remove these bastards from the senate intelligence committee NOW!!!! - Put Zell Miller up there and make sure anybody who is a part of the committee is not among the leakables

step two start an investigation on treasonable offenses to the United States.

step three campaign on this in 2004 to get their comrades voted out of office and make this a secure place to present intelligence information.

Now more than ever, we need BUSH to stay and kick out the party of perjury from a positions of power forever.

18 posted on 11/06/2003 7:43:48 AM PST by Only1choice____Freedom (If everything you experienced, believed, lived was a lie, would you want to know the truth?)
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To: Isara
Treason? In what manner? Has anyone been able to verify this memo, as in who wrote it, and to whom it was sent? Have heard that it was never issued.

Is FoxNews being played?

19 posted on 11/06/2003 7:44:44 AM PST by Ready4Freddy (Veni Vidi Velcro)
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To: Isara
Does anyone know if Memogate has made it to:

New York Times
Washington Post
LA Times
CBS
NBC
ABC
CNN
or our friend the Wall Street Journal

Or is Memogate turning into IgnoreItAndHopeItGoesAwayGate?

20 posted on 11/06/2003 7:45:04 AM PST by InterceptPoint
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