Hagel: Iraqi WMD Clouds Bush Credibility

Associated Press ^ | June 22, 2003 | Jennifer C. Kerr

[AntiGuv]

WASHINGTON - The question of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction has left a cloud over the Bush administration's credibility that won't be removed until Americans know whether the administration was straightforward with them, a Republican member of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday.

At the same time, the committee's chairman and its senior Democrat said it is too early to say whether prewar weapons intelligence was manipulated or hyped before the U.S.-led invasion in March, as some Democrats have suggested.

The committee began last week an inquiry into the administration's use of intelligence to justify the invasion, specifically assertions that President Saddam Hussein had thriving programs to develop chemical and biological weapons and had tried to obtain material for nuclear arms.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said the administration is cooperating with the committee hearings, and he expects the cooperation to continue.

"This is a cloud hanging over their credibility, their word," said Hagel. "They need to get that dealt with, taken care of, removed."

Hagel, who spoke on ABC's "This Week" program, said: "The world — certainly Americans — must have confidence in this administration. ... And to resolve this issue is certainly in the interests of this administration."

The Intelligence Committee chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts, said he had seen no evidence in the hearings' early going of any manipulation or other questionable administration tactics, but his panel hopes to answer that question once and for all.

"That's why we have all of the voluminous material from the ceiling to the floor from the CIA," the Kansas Republican said.

The panel's top Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, said he does not know whether intelligence may have been exaggerated to bolster the administration's case for going to war, but he added that he has misgivings over the possibility.

Rockefeller pointed to claims that Iraq sought uranium from Africa, which were later determined to be based on forged documents that came to the CIA through Italian and British agencies. President Bush mentioned the purported Niger-Iraq connection in his State of the Union address, apparently after the forgery had been discovered.

For now, Rockefeller said, "I am not going to conclude from that that the president was deliberately misleading."

Rockefeller and Roberts both appeared on "Fox News Sunday."

Their committee held one secret session last week. Roberts said three more hearings are planned, and they probably will be followed by an open hearing, which Democrats have demanded.

"At the end of it, doubtlessly, we will have a public hearing. We'll make a public report and probably a classified report," Roberts said.

The House Intelligence Committee is conducting a similar review on prewar weapons assessments, as is the Senate Armed Services Committee.

More than two months after the fall of Baghdad, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq, which has raised questions about the Bush administration's primary justification for invading.

Until recently, Bush and his aides had maintained prohibited weapons would be found. In his radio address Saturday, Bush made no such promise and said instead that documents and suspected weapons sites were looted and burned "in the regime's final days."

[Sonny M]

I think he's a jerk and I'm glad they didn't put him on the ticket.

I think thats the real reason he is acting like a jerk, because he didn't get put on the ticket. Some people become bitter, I guess he is one of them. He's also highly ambitious, and looking to make a run for the white house in 2008.

[faithincowboys]

I think there is more to Hagel than the average person perceives. This middle American Indepependent minded combat veteran is not the whole story. I've watched him and there is something disturbing about him. Even Mccain is not hitting Bush on Iraq. You and I know that reports of Hussein's WMD predate Bush's presidency. For the Left and willing accomplices like Hagel to suggest Bush invented it is dishonrable, dishonest and unpatriotic.

To lie to the American people to gain politically or to satisfy some mysterious third party (like I believe Hagel is doing) is disgraceful.

At the risk of sounding like Mcarthy, if I were a foreign government I would use a Heartland combat veteran to do my bidding rather than a Bernie Sanders Socialist type.

It would be a brilliant move to get a planted politician on intelligence committees, etc.

We know the Soviets infiltrated the State Dept.
And we saw how the Chinese bought elections in the 90's. It seems to me , to be very likely, that foreign powers would finance and control powerful politicians to shape policy, obtain intelligence, and every so often go on Sunday morning shows to blast the President.

[Cathryn Crawford]

He likes to be called monkey-boy. And he is pretty damn conservative.

[faithincowboys]

Monkey boy President? Who did you get that from Ted Rall? Begala? Molly Ivins? If you want me to take you seriously don't use Maureen Dowd speak to slam the President.

[ValenB4]

I have long watched Hagel, and I suspect he might have an allegiance to a foreign power. I don't think it's France, but it could be the Russia. He just has something a little off about him.

There's something a little off about you. Maybe you should apply for a job with the CIA. Believe me, the day you start taking me seriously is the day I will check myself into Chit-Chat Farms.

[cyncooper]

monkey boy president

Well! You are breathtakingly revolting in your commentary.

And as wrong as wrong can be, but one wouldn't expect one of such immense dimness to perceive such.

Poor thing.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Well! You are breathtakingly revolting in your commentary.

And as wrong as wrong can be, but one wouldn't expect one of such immense dimness to perceive such.

I enjoy your commentary on our monkey-boy friend. Very nice, very nice indeed!

[ValenB4]

That's a pretty good insult. I like breathtakingly revolting. Very good. Immense dimness is also good.

[faithincowboys]

Well, I think it is probably a tad more rational to think Hagel (who knows that Iraq was thwarting inspectors, had previously gassed the Kurds, that Congress passed the regime change in Iraq act in 1998, that Clinton and the Dems cited an Iraq-WMD-Terrorism nexus, etc, etc) is playing fast and loose for a foreign power than to think our "monkey boy" President invented Hussein's WMD, got us into war for an Oil junta, was the puppeteer behind Clinton's Op. Desert Fox, that Bush's oil buddies created in their labs, Mrs. Anthrax, Dr. Germ and Chemical Ali. All of those folks got their names for benign, non-WMD reasons, I'm sure.

I am left to assume malevolent motivations where Mr. Hagel is concerned because there is so much on the damn record that wouldn't allow an intelligent, honest man to say the things he says.

And when somebody borrows heavily from Maureen Dowd columns, I am left to believe that they aren't the average Freeper.

[ValenB4]

I'm not the average Freeper. I can balance a ball on my nose and jumps through hoops.

[faithincowboys]

Yeah, I know. You're too busy reading Dowd and snickering about Rall's nerdy,noxious toons to read up on the facts.

If you had even a one night stand with the truth, you might be worth something.

Right now, you're coming off like a creepy cross of Daschle and Mcaullife.

You should really change that, it's not attractive.

[faithincowboys]

And ride the small yellow bus and wear your retainer at the same time. Truly talented!

[ValenB4]

Those are pretty funny. I'll give you that. But I'm too busy getting laid to keep this going. Ciao.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Funny...so am I.

[faithincowboys]

What a lousy lay. Typing and doing the deed. I guess blow up dolls aren't too demanding!

Sorry that was a bit harsh, but you left yourself so open. And you do love to throw venom, so I guess it was fair.

[ValenB4]

I was throwing venom not at you, but at the Monkey Boy. You took it personally and now I have to check into Chit Chat Farms because this blow up doll is very high maintenance and only goes to the finest restaurants. And then doesn't eat.

[faithincowboys]

Well, I have to bite-- why on God's Earth do you hate "Monkey Boy" so much? And does your blow-up doll think it's normal that you hate the Prez so much and frequent sites where everybody else thinks the Prez is a swell guy? Might it be the same reason you continue to take your doll to expensive restaurants even though she doesn't have a digestive system?

Do you like to urinate in the wind?

[Cathryn Crawford]

You never take me to fine resturants. You treat your blow-up doll better than me. That's sad. Very sad. I'm going to go find a blow-up doll of my own.

[ValenB4]

I don't hate him. I believe he has engaged us in an unnecessary war with consequences that will come back to haunt us. Not an illegitimate opinion, despite the villaininzing by the neocons. I actually was on the Bush bandwagon before most. I do like tinkling in the wind - when it's from the direction behing me - that way I can get a nice flow that would hit automotons, incapable of independent thought, like you.

[ValenB4]

Good luck. Then you'll finally have someone you can beat in a debate.