GOP BLAMES CLINTON FOR IRAQ INTEL LAPSE

Yahoo News ^ | 2/11/04

[Libloather]

GOP Blames Clinton for Iraq Intel Lapse
1 hour, 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - In a sign of how Republicans may try to quell criticism of prewar intelligence in Iraq, the head of the House Intelligence Committee tried Wednesday to direct blame to the Clinton administration.

Rep. Porter J. Goss, R-Fla., said he heard a 1998 speech in which then-President Clinton warned that something must be done about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.

"Unfortunately, he did not complete that task before his term expired," Goss said at a Capitol Hill press conference.

Goss said the Clinton administration gutted intelligence assets in the 1990s and today's intelligence analysts "did the best they could with what they had."

Goss also said Clinton rarely, if ever, met with intelligence officials and that top officials in the administration were not "particularly engaged" on the subject.

Goss said an effort at political correctness prompted intelligence agencies to stop using "distasteful people" for human intelligence, meaning America lost people who served as its eyes and ears around the world.

Calls to Clinton's office were not immediately returned Wednesday. But a former Clinton aide on security disputed Goss' statement.

"I respect Porter Goss and his service to the CIA, but I think he's part of the administration's attempt to redirect attention from what's really going on here, which is their distortion of the evidence" against Saddam, said Robert Boorstin, who was Clinton's national security speechwriter.

The Bush administration has come under severe criticism for saying it was going to war to disarm Iraq and then failing to find alleged banned weapons.

Critics want a review of why the intelligence was bad and whether Bush and others in his administration purposely exaggerated the intelligence to justify war and oust Saddam.

"Nobody would disagree that the guy had to go," said Boorstin. "But the question is do you distort the evidence ... do you deliberately mislead the American people and the world."

Now a senior vice president for national security at the Center for American Progress, Boorstin also said it was actually Bush's father who was first to cut intelligence spending after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

When intelligence spending was increased in 1993, Goss complimented the Clinton administration "for going into this and seeing our true need," Boorstin quoted Goss as saying at the time.

[Libloather]

About damn time...

[Paul Atreides]

I just hope some Republicans don't try to stick their "new-tone" noses into things.

[oceanview]

but it should have started on 9/12/2001.

[lelio]

Boorstin also said it was actually Bush's father who was first to cut intelligence spending after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Is that true?

[stylin19a]

I really don't want to see the Repubs go down this road. Let the 911 and other commissions do the dirty work for them

Now a senior vice president for national security at the Center for American Progress, Boorstin also said it was actually Bush's father who was first to cut intelligence spending after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Not only is this true...it's also true that Bush-I (along with Cheney)started the cuts in the military.

No good comes of taking this path.

[Keith]

I agree...leave this to others...let the Dems seem like the partisan hacks...

[TomGuy]

A couple of YEARS late, but it seems in line with typical GOP SOP*.


*Standard Operating Procedure

[mr.pink]

The blame Bubba bit is getting really tired, and worse...it reeks of GOP panic which surely the Fems will capitalize on.

The guys who sold this war to Bush approached Clinton to do the same thing and Clinton smartly showed them the door. IMO it's a big mistake to protect those users while chasing Bubba's ghost.

Some folks tried to warn the President not to trust this group. More than a couple resignations are in order, and IMO, trials for a few as well (military or otherwise).

[cripplecreek]

About time. In fact they should hand over everything they can find about the clinton administrations fumbling lack of intrest to every media outlet they can find.

AND while they're at it, pointing out that corporate corruption didnt suddenly arise on the 2000 election eve might be a good idea.

[mercy]

Read Robert Baer's book, "See No Evil". Although he does not harp on Bush Sr. it is clear the rot began during his and even the Reagan admin's tenure. The CIA failed so miserably that the principles should be jailed for aiding and abetting terroism resulting in the deaths of thousands. Guys like Sandy Berger, and Tony Lake would shoot themselves if they had a soul.

[ambrose]

Some folks tried to warn the President not to trust this group.

The Jooooooooooooos?

[mercy]

The fact that Tenet is still head of the CIA should make us all retch. It's an obscenity!

[mr.pink]

The Jooooooooooooos?

The DOD's "Office of Special Plans".

[cyncooper]

Rep. Porter J. Goss, R-Fla., said he heard a 1998 speech in which then-President Clinton warned that something must be done about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.

"Unfortunately, he did not complete that task before his term expired," Goss said at a Capitol Hill press conference.

Goss said the Clinton administration gutted intelligence assets in the 1990s and today's intelligence analysts "did the best they could with what they had."

Goss also said Clinton rarely, if ever, met with intelligence officials and that top officials in the administration were not "particularly engaged" on the subject.

Gloves coming off.

[sinkspur]

Some folks tried to warn the President not to trust this group

"It's Dem Damn JOOS again!"

Pink, you're so friggin' transparent.

[ambrose]

Go Pat Go!

[mercy]

So you are against the Iraq invasion and regime change?

What would be your answer to quelling the rise of radical Islamism? What country would you suggest we base our troops and infrastructure in?

Or should we just sit back and watch it all go to hell and then learn tolive with $8 a gallon gasoline and cold homes and shut down factories?

[cyncooper]

It certainly is. So nothing happened under Clinton's watch that warranted ramping up instead of down? GHWB faced a different set of circumstances, and I for one have no qualms about going down this path.

[cyncooper]

You know what I'm tired of? I'm tired of the idea being falsely presented that George W. Bush came up with the idea that Saddam needed to be removed out of whole cloth.

That's what I'm tired of.