Posted on 08/18/2004 7:11:16 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Republicans continue to press Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry to release his attendance records from his tenure on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Television ads that began airing Monday call into question the Massachusetts Democrat's commitment to reforming America's intelligence community.
Kerry served on the panel from 1993 to 2000 and according to official records missed 76 percent of the public committee hearings during that time. During his eight years of service on the committee there were 49 open, public hearings. Of these 49, Kerry attended just 11. Among the most notable of those he missed is the June 8, 2000, hearing on the report of the National Commission on Terrorism, which warned about the terrorist threat faced by the United States and recommended numerous steps to address that threat.
In 1994, the year following the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Kerry missed every committee hearing, including a hearing on the report of the Joint Security Commission.
The report warned in part, "The bombing of the World Trade Center and the assassination of two CIA employees in Virginia heightened our sensitivity to the fact that terrorist activities against Americans can occur domestically as well as abroad."
Not included in the attendance figures is Kerry's presence at closed-door meetings. Those records could only be released to the public with the senator's permission. Republicans in Congress are challenging Kerry to make a full disclosure of his attendance records for his tenure on the committee.
On Sunday's "Meet The Press," Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said that both Kerry and Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) should allow the release of their attendance records.
He said, "The easiest way out of this is for John Kerry and John Edwards to request of Senator Rockefeller and myself to release the attendance hearings -- not only the public hearings, which they have rebutted, but the closed hearings."
Sen. John Warner (R-VA), another member of the committee, said that Kerry should simply release the attendance records if he disputes the Bush-Cheney ad.
"So I would go to what is solid, incontrovertible fact, and that is the records that each committee keeps with regard to the attendance at every hearing of all the members, whether they're there or not," Warner told CNN. "Now, those records are available. John Kerry, if he questions the authenticity of this ad that's out there now, should simply get those records and put them into the public domain."
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) added his voice to the controversy when he issued a similar challenge.
"So I would like to call on Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry today to publicly release their attendance records at the private, or classified, hearing on the intelligence committee so the American people can really know the truth," Cornyn said.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), also a member of the committee, said, "The fact of the matter is, even though he claims to have gained a lot of that expertise by serving on the senate intelligence committee, during his eight years of service on the intelligence committee there were forty-nine public hearings held by the intelligence committee, and John Kerry was absent from thirty-eight of those forty-nine hearings."
He added, "That does not include the classified hearings. ... And I would hope that he would agree to release to you the record of his attendance at meetings and hearings of the Senate Intelligence committee over the last year and a half, or his total service on that committee."
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) also called on his Senate colleague to disclose his attendance records.
"The other illustration of lack of leadership with regard to this issue is the question of the intelligence," Kyl said. "And since I served on the Intelligence Committee with Senator Kerry for eight years I believe, I call for him to disclose his attendance at the briefings and hearings of the Intelligence Committee. The classified briefings and hearings of course are not on our public record, but he could make his attendance public."
Kyl continued, "John Edwards was on the committee and came on later, and he missed half of the public hearings as well. But I think that they should both disclose their record of attendance in the Intelligence Committee."
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) also weighed in.
He said, "This is something that needs to be done, and I join Senator Roberts, Senator Chambliss, Senator Cornyn and others in calling on him to do so, so that the American people can judge the whole picture for themselves."
You realize these guys have already tallied the records and they must be damning indeed.
I am sure he had a good excuse for not showing up for work...he had to perfect his skiing and wind surfing.
I suspect that the Republicans who are on the committee and are calling for Kerry and Edwards to release the attendance records know exactly what they would show.
Someone just lead it already!
Oh yeah, only the Democrats seem to leak sensitive or private information for political gain. Then, more often then not, they claim the Republicans did it... Even when it is against the Republican best interest.
Democrats suck. Kerry sucks. If Kerry gets into the White House, it will be President Kerry giving blow jobs to foreign dignitaries, not interns.
Excuse my language... Just a little pissed at him at the moment.
I heard Sean Hannity say, he has it on good authority, that Kerry's attendance at the closed meetings was worse than it was in the open meetings - and that's saying something.
It's funny that this guy won't release Military or Senate records, but he was all over the President to release his ANG records. The press should give this guy the same proctological exam they gave the President. And being a former Naval Aviator, I want him to ditch the Navy flight jacket. He didn't earn that either.
Don't forget his hair. It's very, very important.
He did. Here it is:
I had no good excuse for not showing up for work before I had a good excuse for not showing up for work.
Yeah, but he was Vice Chairman.
Doesn't that count for anything?
If all of the cards are not on the table by now, they are probably going to stay in the deck.
There is scarcely time left to expose any new "revelations" on Kerry, however damaging they might be, short of a major scandal that would disqualify him from running.
That would be Zell feeding him that I would imagine.
>>>I suspect that the Republicans who are on the committee and are calling for Kerry and Edwards to release the attendance records know exactly what they would show.<<<
Of course they do! Now it's time for ALL AMERICANS to know. This is a Presidential election. If effing wants to talk the talk he should walk the walk.
Didn't effing say once "I dont fall down"? Right. Kerrys on his face in the mud and thinks he can wipe it off before we all catch on. What a slime ball.
Is there any way of finding out where Kerry actually was on days he missed meetings?
Kids Favor John Kerry, Fox News in Myers/Neopets.com Political Poll
he's only wearing it for attention and it doesn't even look good on him.
A lot of people probably want to rat on this creep.
But Zell would be a good bet.
I don't know.
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