CNN POLL:Posted on 11/05/2003 12:49:59 PM PST by PhiKapMom
Zell Miller, United States Senator from Georgia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Miller on Politicized Intelligence Memo:
‘Heads Should Roll’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) today released the following statement concerning a memo written by Democratic staff on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that suggests ways to politicize intelligence data:
“I have often said that the process in Washington is so politicized and polarized that it can’t even be put aside when we’re at war. Never has that been proved more true than the highly partisan and perhaps treasonous memo prepared for the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee.
“Of all the committees, this is the one single committee that should unquestionably be above partisan politics. The information it deals with should never, never be distorted, compromised or politicized in any shape, form or fashion. For it involves the lives of our soldiers and our citizens. Its actions should always be above reproach; its words never politicized.
“If what has happened here is not treason, it is its first cousin. The ones responsible - be they staff or elected or both should be dealt with quickly and severely sending a lesson to all that this kind of action will not be tolerated, ignored or excused.
“Heads should roll!”
###
Here's how I analyzed the matter on my blog:
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.
When the Bush Administration (or any Administration) insists that intelligence-gathering details must be kept secret for reasons of “national security”, and that they’re prevented from effectively refuting accusations that they screwed up out of a need to protect intelligence assets, how do you disprove that? How do you know whether they are telling the truth, or merely covering their asses, or even putting out deliberate misinformation to fool the enemy?
Steven Den Beste has a long post discussing this issue in relation to the leaked Democrat memo which outlines a strategy to use their access to classified data on Iraq against Bush in the 2004 campaign. Steven contrasts that memo with Dewey’s willingness to forego similar political attacks in 1944 in order to avoid compromising our ability to decrypt enemy codes.
The problem is, waiting years later until the war is over to reveal intelligence failures is too late. Such a delay may prevent failures from ever coming to life, or else by the time they do see daylight no one may even care. Certainly such a delay does nothing to quickly correct those failures and avoid new ones. And it means that the same higher-ups who were ultimately responsible for them will remain in charge.
This dilemma offers a responsible opposition political party the opportunity to play a vital role. Senators and Representatives from the other party (or parties) who sit on intelligence oversight committees should bore in on mistakes and failures and insist on fixing them. This must be done behind closed doors, but the implicit threat always exists that continuing failure by the Administration to correct really horrible problems could provoke the opposition into going public.
This only works if the opposition is patriotic and sincere, and is perceived to be patriotic and sincere, in its desire to quietly fix problems. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party and its Presidential candidates and its other spokesmen are increasingly perceived by the general public as being knee-jerk political opportunists who are in thrall to the radical anti-American leftists within their own party.
This leaked memo will (justifiably) confirm that perception.
The memo eviscerates the implicit threat that the Bush Administration risks public exposure if it fails to respond to closed-door critiques. Who is going to believe the Democrats now if they do that? The Bush Administration will simply characterize the charges as being politically motivated, and then accuse the Democrats of endangering lives and harming the war effort by violating security restrictions.
The result is that a vital check-and-balance within our system has been rendered all but useless. The lack of credible political opponents is harmful to the nation’s security.
The Democrats have shot themselves in the foot with this memo. They will pay a political price for that. But the rest of us will also pay a heavy price, measured in our greater vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
I see no reason why this isn't Wilson and Plame allegation x every soldier in Iraq.
Bump! Isn't Zell considering changing to GOP?
Roberts is practicing another "Roberts" behavior as in Robert's Rules Of Order. It is customary in parlimentary procedure to refer to your colleagues in friendly terms. Somebody tell him that enough is enough.
-PJ
Good analysis and I'd guess it seems that way to most of us here.
Interestingly, the Democrats appear to believe that the public's trust in them has not and will not be damaged by this. They are not disavowing the memo by saying, for example, that it was all a mistake from some staffer. Instead, they are stepping up their calls for an independent investigation. It seems to me that they wouldn't do that if they were worried about their own credibility.
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