Posted on 12/20/2005 10:58:25 AM PST by slowhand520
Roberts Rakes Rockefeller - Tuesday, December 20, 2005 @ 12:53:30 PM
Yesterday, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee (and probable source of many leaks of secret information) released a hand-scrawled letter he had written to VP Cheney two years ago after being briefed on the NSA domestic intel effort. Rockefeller, trying to score political points, raised the letter as proof of his doubts about the NSA program, and that his hands were tied, unable to do anything about it. This morning, Intel Committee Chair Pat Roberts (R-KS) released this statement which blows Rockefeller out of the water:
"I am puzzled by the release yesterday of a July 2003 letter from Senator Rockefeller to the Vice President regarding the recently exposed intelligence collection program, which was authorized by the President shortly after September 11, 2001.
“In his letter and accompanying press statement, Senator Rockefeller asserts that he had lingering concerns about the program designed to protect the American people from another attack, but was prohibited from doing anything about it.
“A United States Senator has significant tools with which to wield power and influence over the executive branch. Feigning helplessness is not one of those tools.
“If Senator Rockefeller truly had the concerns he claimed to have had in his two and a half year old letter, he could have pursued a number of options to have those concerns addressed:
1. First, he could have discussed his concerns with me or other Members of Congress who had been briefed on the program. He never asked me or the Committee to take any action consistent with the “concerns” raised in his letter.
2. Second, he could have raised objections with the Vice President during one of the many briefings we received. I have no recollection of Senator Rockefeller objecting to the program at the many briefings he and I attended together. In fact, it is my recollection that on many occasions Senator Rockefeller expressed to the Vice President his vocal support for the program. His most recent expression of support was only two weeks ago.
3. Finally, he could have pursued any number of legislative remedies. He chose to pursue none.
“Senator Rockefeller could have taken any of these approaches to adress his “lingering concerns.” He did not. He chose instead to write a letter to the Vice President and for two and a half years, keep a copy of the letter in the Intelligence Committee vault and say nothing to anyone.
“For the nearly three years Senator Rockefeller has served as Vice Chairman, I have heard no objection from him about this valuable program. Now, when it appears to be politically advantageous, Senator Rockefeller has chosen to release his two and a half year old letter. Forgive me if I find this to be inconsistent and a bit disingenuous.”
So do we, Sen. Roberts. So do we.
Posted By: Jed Babbin
Finally.
Can't wait to see the prime time interview on National TV..and I won't hold my breath.
Rush has the Drudge Page up on his computer right now.
This is one large BITCH SLAP, BITCH SLAP, BITCH SLAP, BITCH SLAP. I could go on, but you get the idea.
LOL! Yes.
poor little Dems, just can't win.
The rats need to start jumping off the ship. It's sinking!!!
The only reason I can see him doing this is that SOMEONE has something on him.....
Seeing that it relates to Cheney...it reminds me of the "Cheney sent Wilson to Niger" thing.
So one would suspect that Cheney never got the letter.....because it was never sent.
Since I see no VITAL information in the letter itself.....and if it was so important and/or urgent, one would think it would say CC to everyone who was at that meeting and he wouldn't HOLD the letter for 2 1/2 years.
And he never brought the issue up at a subsequent meeting??????
asked a few moment ago.....maybe you know?
I have searched everywhere for another source for this statement released today by Roberts.....do you or perhaps anyone else here....know where I might find?
Nah, I sent an E-Mail linking to the story. I assume others did as well. I don't think he was on this thread. he probably caught the headline of the E-mails during commercial break.
That's putting it mildly. He also is seriously intellectually challenged, in other words, dumb as a box of rocks (or Rockefellers, whatever).
They'll spin this as some secret inside plot by Karl Rove.
It was hand written in order to fake it.
Word processing date stamps the document (but even date stamping can be faked..Jay just didn't know how and it was too likely to leak if he had a sec'y type it up)
No, but you could E-Mail the American Spectator for the sourcing. You might get an answer. They are reliable though so I'd say it's legit.
Heh-heh. Caught with his pants down. What a phony.
I'm having a heart attack...a Senate Republican is ACTUALLY putting aside this insane "collegiality" nonsense to FINALLY call these Demo Liars for the vile, lying vermin that they are?? Get me the nitro glycerin and smelling salts...
Thank you. I assume they were reliable, but can't seem to find this anywhere but on their site.
I'll keep looking and will e-mail them as well.
Thanks.
That's gonna leave a mark!
This thing stinks to high heaven. In my mind, this looks more and more like a set-up.
John D. Rockefeller IV, a wealthy man representing a poor state, had been the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee for six months when he sat down to a secret briefing on July 17, 2003. What he heard alarmed him so much that immediately afterward he wrote two identical letters, by hand, expressing his concerns.He sent one to Vice President Cheney and placed the other -- as he pointedly warned Cheney he would -- in a safe in case anyone in the future might challenge his version of what happened. Rockefeller proved prophetic. Yesterday the 21-year Senate veteran from West Virginia released his copy of the letter -- which when written, was so sensitive he dared not allow a staffer to read it, let alone type it.
I read a thread from West Coast Conservative from the Kansas City Star about the Press Release from Roberts, is this what you are looking for?
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