Senate Intelligence Report LIVE Thread

CNN and Cable news ^ | July 9, 2004

[TomGuy]

Going on now. Roberts spoke, blamed CIA and intelligence agencies. Rockerfeller speaking, blames intelligence agencies and administration and (some) to the Congress.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Everyone relax. The report is BS and it has been given on a Friday. So who cares? Friday, Sat and Sun are slow news days.

This is a RAT talking point that the RNC and Bush team already knew was going to come out. If any of you think that Rove doesn't already have a counter to this, you haven't been paying attention.

1. They knew the report would contain an addendum by RAT senators condemning Bush.

2. Tenet was fired. He was CIA. He was a Clinton appointee.

3. Bush will call for an increase in the CIA budget by (x) and the Senate will have to vote on it before the election. What will Kerry and Edwards do?

The Bush team once again used the NY Slimes and the other rags to flush the Libs out. The game is getting old. Like playing peek a boo with your kid sister.

[go-ken-go]

please tell us what Bond said.

[Solson]

Do you have a link to the 'memo'? Thanks.

[shield]

Click here for her view point on this report.

[estpeter]

"Roberts is very weak"...reminds me of the elder Bush administration. Hope and pray that GWB will come out swinging some day soon or else we are all in deep,deep trouble.

[Normal4me]

Wow, I am impressed with our lack of intel now. I guess everything is just great in the world. NK isn't seeking nucular weapons, Iran isn't building nuke plants, al queda isn't a threat, Bin laden and Zarqawi don't exist, saudi arabia doesn't harbor terrorists, those four airliners didn't really crash on 9-11...

Can we caption pictures of Kerry again now? ;-)

[go-ken-go]

Why in the world is he on this line, when we need all the Repub. to get behind the Pres. against this report?
The marriage amendment is very important, but, he could say something about the report.

[OneLoyalAmerican]

My Senator Dickie Durbin (with a B like Binladen) spinning the report now.

[tobyhill]

It's not a matter of who will forget the report, it's the matter that the report forgot the facts. This report is based on what hasn't been discovered instead of what everyone should know what had been discovered and still will be! It's politics based on a Democrat plan as just read by Kit Bond!

[tobyhill]

It's all a figment of our imagination, soon we will wake!

[TomGuy]

FoxNews already has a transcript of the news conference up:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,125188,00.html

[TomGuy]

Rush talking about this right now.

He says what I did --- this whole report is the Senate's CYA.

[TomGuy]

This is a curious news release. Notice the date on it. Then why was the news conference held today?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: BILL DUHNKE

JUNE 17, 2004 PHONE: (202) 224-1700

Senate Intelligence Committee Unanimously Approves Pre-War Intelligence Report

WASHINGTON, DC– Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, the Committee's Vice Chairman, issued the following joint statement:

"Today, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted unanimously to approve its report on pre-war intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs, ties to terrorists, threat to regional stability and violations of human rights. Today's vote is the culmination of over one year of intense scrutiny by the Committee of the Intelligence Community's pre-war assessments. The Committee is currently engaged with the Central Intelligence Agency over the issue of classification. The Committee is extremely disappointed by the CIA's excessive redactions to the report. Our goal is to release publicly as much of the report's findings and conclusions as soon as possible. We will work toward that goal, as we continue our work on phase two of the Committee's review."

[OXENinFLA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1015980/posts

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,102258,00.html

Transcript of a memo written by a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee staff suggesting how to make the greatest gain off of intelligence data leading to the war against Iraq.

---

We have carefully reviewed our options under the rules and believe we have identified the best approach. Our plan is as follows:

1) Pull the majority along as far as we can on issues that may lead to major new disclosures regarding improper or questionable conduct by administration officials. We are having some success in that regard. For example, in addition to the president's State of the Union speech, the chairman has agreed to look at the activities of the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as Secretary Bolton's office at the State Department. The fact that the chairman supports our investigations into these offices and co-signs our requests for information is helpful and potentially crucial. We don't know what we will find but our prospects for getting the access we seek is far greater when we have the backing of the majority. (Note: we can verbally mention some of the intriguing leads we are pursuing.)

2) Assiduously prepare Democratic "additional views" to attach to any interim or final reports the committee may release. Committee rules provide this opportunity and we intend to take full advantage of it. In that regard, we have already compiled all the public statements on Iraq made by senior administration officials. We will identify the most exaggerated claims and contrast them with the intelligence estimates that have since been declassified. Our additional views will also, among other things, castigate the majority for seeking to limit the scope of the inquiry. The Democrats will then be in a strong position to reopen the question of establishing an independent commission (i.e. the Corzine amendment).

3) Prepare to launch an independent investigation when it becomes clear we have exhausted the opportunity to usefully collaborate with the majority. We can pull the trigger on an independent investigation at any time-- but we can only do so once. The best time to do so will probably be next year either:

A) After we have already released our additional views on an interim report -- thereby providing as many as three opportunities to make our case to the public: 1) additional views on the interim report; 2) announcement of our independent investigation; and 3) additional views on the final investigation; or

B) Once we identify solid leads the majority does not want to pursue. We could attract more coverage and have greater credibility in that context than one in which we simply launch an independent investigation based on principled but vague notions regarding the "use" of intelligence.

In the meantime, even without a specifically authorized independent investigation, we continue to act independently when we encounter foot-dragging on the part of the majority. For example, the FBI Niger investigation was done solely at the request of the vice chairman; we have independently submitted written questions to DoD; and we are preparing further independent requests for information.

Summary

Intelligence issues are clearly secondary to the public's concern regarding the insurgency in Iraq. Yet, we have an important role to play in the revealing the misleading -- if not flagrantly dishonest methods and motives -- of the senior administration officials who made the case for a unilateral, preemptive war. The approach outline above seems to offer the best prospect for exposing the administration's dubious motives and methods.

[Solson]

Thanks!

[MinuteGal]

I just heard a few remarks from GW on the report....it was so weak, trite and Casper Milquetoast I cringed. I hope he gets his act (and some uncompassionate conservatism) together by tonight or tomorrow.

A questions to the 'Rats and liberals.....if the intelligence buck stops with the President, then shouldn't the UN food/oil scandal stop with Kooky Ananananabanana?

I gotta picture of that, yah.

Leni

[ArmyBratproud]

This is just the Senate trying to move any possible blame from itself. We have heard from the current Weapons Inspector, over the past couple of months, that there has been Sarin and Mustard gas found. A stockpile of chemicals stored right next to a stockpile of shells. It does not matter when it was made...Saddam was not allowed to have it...and he claimed that he did not. The weapons inspector has also stated that Iraq's weapons developement was at the point where they could develope weapons in very short notice. THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT THE SENATE SEEMED TO HAVE FAILED TO MENTION IN THEIR DOG AND PONY SHOW PRESSER!
ANY FAILURE OF THE CIA CAN BE DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE SENATE AND THEIR REGULATION PUSHES!!!!
Congress has screwed over the CIA so much it is unreal.
Things like the Church act which did not allow the CIA to share info with other groups and vice versa. Then there is the whole Gorelick issue. He memo to push for "The Wall". The Senate is just trying to cover their own sorry butts.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Why? No one cared about the 9/11 report. This is more anti-Bush trash and after the folly of the 9/11 report, the American public will say that this is garbage also.

The RATS just keep digging a deeper hole. This is another "whine" by the RATS. People are sick of it and will really get a good whiff once they hear the Tenet was a Clinton Appointee.

Like I said... relax.

[ArmyBratproud]

I remember that memo leak issue. Talking about trying to use the Senate report as a political weapon agains the Administration. Wasn't it somebody who was connected to ole Rockaheller himself?

[ArmyBratproud]

"I can not understand why the repubs don't take atleast a defense instead of just rolling with the punch after punch after punch"


Roberts himself is a fence riding punk who is always willing to make deals with the dems. He and too many other Repub Senators, like McCain, only care about what they can get out it.
It's like Roberts did not even notice the reports of Sarin and Mustard Gas found...or the Weapons Inspectors reports about how far along and how ready Iraq's weapon's developement plans were.
Our only hope is that the Administration...as well as some of the non RINO repubs come out and point this stuff out.