Bush under fire over WMD inquiry (From the Demonic Rats )

BBC ^ | Saturday, 7 February, 2004, 07:36 GMT | staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Bush under fire over WMD inquiry

Bush - not Congress - chose members of the panel

Opposition Democrats in the United States have criticised a commission set up by President Bush to investigate pre-Iraq war intelligence failures.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said it was difficult to have confidence in a panel appointed exclusively by the president.

Others want the panel to report before the November presidential election.

The commission will also look at what the US knew about weapons programmes in North Korea, Iran and Libya.

To have a commission appointed exclusively by President Bush investigate his administration's intelligence failures in Iraq does not inspire confidence in its independence House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi Bush defuses election liability

The panel will be co-chaired by a Republican and a Democrat, and includes outspoken Republican John McCain.

Mr Bush said he wanted to know why intelligence reports about Iraq's weapons capability appeared until now to have been misleading.

The panel will "look at America's intelligence capabilities, especially our intelligence about weapons of mass destruction", the president said in a brief statement at the White House.

'Immune'

The main argument used by Britain and the US for invading Iraq last March was the perceived threat from weapons of mass destruction.

We're also determined to make sure that American intelligence is as accurate as possible for every challenge in the future George Bush

But no such weapons have yet been found, despite efforts by the Iraq Survey Group formerly led by David Kay.

"We are determined to figure out why," Mr Bush said.

The commission is to submit its report by 31 March 2005 - well after the presidential election.

The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says that by that time, the Republicans hope that Mr Bush will be safely re-elected and largely immune to any criticism the commission might offer.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has also set up an independent inquiry to examine intelligence which led the country to war.

'Streak of independence'

The chairmen of the new US commission - which will be expanded to nine members - were named as former Virginia Governor and Senator Charles Robb and retired judge Laurence Silberman.

COMMISSION MEMBERS Laurence Silberman, former judge (chair) Senator John McCain Chuck Robb, former Democratic senator (chair) Lloyd Cutler, former White House counsel Richard Levin, President Yale university William Studeman, former CIA deputy director Pat Wald, former US Appeals Court judge

Correspondents say the appointment of Arizona Senator John McCain will lend a streak of independence to the commission.

He has already said he believes the panel should look at the role of the politicians.

But speaking shortly after the announcement of the commission, Mr McCain told reporters: "The president of the United States, I believe, did not manipulate any kind of information for political gain or otherwise."

CIA Director George Tenet has defended the intelligence, saying the agencies had never claimed that Saddam Hussein was an "imminent threat" but warned about the future danger he could pose.

The search had to go on in Iraq for the weapons of mass destruction that US intelligence believed existed, he said.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

!

Some serious reading:

PRESIDENT CLINTON VIDEO, December 16, 1998 Sadaam has nuclear arms, poison gas/bio weapons.

Statement of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV - On the Iraq Resolution - October 10, 2002

Remarks of Senator John Kerry on Iraq | October 09, 2002 |

Larry Elder: Were we misled? (about Iraq's WMD)

I need to add the Master list on Kerry:

John Kerry- some selected, informative links... compiled by Backhoe

[Jorge]

Pelosi is one of the weakest and most ineffective minority leaders I have seen.
A whiney liberal wind-bag who has accomplished NOTHING as far as I can see. Who cares what she thinks.

[upchuck]

I'm glad to see this commission has only seven members. Maybe they can get something done for a change.

The congressional committees and special commissions that have 27, or 19, or 43, or 13, or 25 people can't accomplish anything. No way you can get that many people to agree completely on anything.

Seven smart, rational, commonsense, fair people. Now we're talking!!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Actually it is going to be nine I believe.

Others yet to be named!

[CyberAnt]

This is just to typical democrat garbage. They wanted an investigation .. now that they've got one, all they can do is insinuate that since Bush appointed these people, they cannot possibly be fair. Pathetic!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Right!

Be sure and read this excellent piece by Congressman Billybob:

John ("Benedict?") Kerry

[Eva]

The Democrats are upset because the investigation is going back to previous administrations to analyze the history of the problems and probably won't even get to the Bush administration until November. So... the Democrats get what they asked for, but the election year investigation will focus on what the Clinton administration knew and when they knew it, as well as what the congress did to damage the intelligence agencies under Clinton (not to mention how John Kerry voted on these issues)

[chance33_98]

The Democrats' Case Against Saddam Hussein (Dems nailed, yet again)

Headline Rundown and links on Iraq - Things the democrats have conviently forgot...

Saddam Abused His Last Chance, Clinton -clear and present danger to safety of people everywhere 1998

Gore repeats that Saddam MUST GO - June 2000

What the democrats want you to forget

Iraq is a Regional Threat, capable of as much as 200 tons of VX nerve agent (1999 Clinton report)

Czech military reports say iraq has smallpox virus in weapons stockpile (and camelpox)

2/7/1998 : Arab media: Clinton will strike due to sex scandal (&links to tons of arab news on clinton)

Iraqi chemical weapons buildup reported (Sept 2001 Report)

Clinton, Gore rally domestic support for strike at Iraq, "unholy axis" (1998 Must read)

statement President Clinton from 1998 on the air strikes

Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 - Full Text, Sense of Congress - Remove Saddam

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Yikes, more reading.

I have got to get to bed so I can get up in time to see Meet the President and Tim Russert!

[meenie]

Congress has the oversight responsibilities of the government through their powers of appropriation. They should investigate anything they feel demands it. The Presidential Commission is asking the fox to find out who raided the henhouse. Bad Decision. Congress criticizing the President for initiating the war on bad intelligence. Bad Politics. Congress in effect is criticizing itself for giving the President the power to decide to go to war. Bad Politics. The whole episode avoids the truth that government is an incompetent, headless bureaucracy that has gotten too big to govern effectively.

[driftless]

In 1998 when Clinton said that the administration was committed to regime change, all the big Dems signed on to that including Pelosi. I'd love to see that thrown in their faces now. What fantastic hypocrites. Does anyone seriously believe that if it had been a Dem who deposed Hussein that these incredible hypocrites would be making a stink now?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Does anyone seriously believe that if it had been a Dem who deposed Hussein that these incredible hypocrites would be making a stink now?

NO!

I like that tagline For life-long happiness, learn how to play the accordion. ie.

Hmm... Wonder if I could rediscover my skills on that. I once missed around on that.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Should have used the spell checker:

Hmm... Wonder if I could rediscover my skills on that. I once missed around on that.

Should be:

Hmm... Wonder if I could rediscover my skills on that. I once messed around on that.