Roberts fires back at Democrats

Eagle Washington bureau ^ | Sat, Nov. 08, 2003 | BY ALAN BJERGA

[Laverne]

Sen. Pat Roberts lashed out Friday at Congressional Democrats, accusing them of using his inquiry into pre-Iraq-war intelligence for political gain.

"Until this reprehensible attack plan and strategy to derail this committee's important work is addressed, I'm afraid it will be impossible to return to business as usual," Roberts said on the Senate floor.

He said the investigation's quality is threatened unless Democrats "accept responsibility for destroying" the committee's nonpartisanship.

Roberts was one of a procession of Republicans decrying a memo prepared by Democratic staff on the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence, which Roberts leads.

The memo, leaked to Fox News commentator Sean Hannity on Tuesday, outlines a strategy Democrats on the committee could use to maximize political gains from the Roberts investigation. That, Roberts said, shows a lack of seriousness on the Democrats' part.

"They have damned the inquiry before it's finished," he said.

Democrats interpret the memo, and the motivation behind it, differently.

Frustrated by what they consider to be a too-limited investigation -- one that only looks at intelligence agency conduct without asking how the Bush administration used that intelligence in making its case for war -- they say they were only contemplating strategies to get past GOP stonewalling that was intended to protect the president.

"Numerous questions have been raised" about how Bush may have manipulated intelligence data to lead the nation to war, said Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. But Roberts has "rejected" any questioning leading in that direction, he said.

Reid also said the memo was likely stolen from committee Democrats and that because the information -- property of the Intelligence Committee -- mysteriously ended up in Republican hands, that matter is as serious as Republican demands to find out who wrote the memo.

But that view is being drowned out in many media outlets as conservative talk radio shows and the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, Washington Times and other publications -- plus dozens of Republican lawmakers -- have weighed in against what's being called "memogate."

On Friday, the Journal said in an editorial that until Democrats fired whoever wrote the memo, the Intelligence Committee should be "shut down, cleaned out and reconstituted later, preferably after the next election."

Roberts wouldn't go that far, saying the investigation would continue, whether or not Democrats apologized. But the tide is clearly turning toward a demand for an apology before the committee gets back to work.

When the memo first leaked Tuesday, Roberts' tone toward committee Democrats was more conciliatory. Roberts didn't attend a GOP news conference the next day criticizing the memo.

That wasn't the case Friday as Senate GOP leaders decided to keep pressing the memo. Roberts said he was upset that only one Democratic senator, Zell Miller of Georgia, had criticized the memo since Tuesday.

"I expressed an (early) interest in getting back to work in the Intelligence Committee," Roberts said, but "some senators across the aisle have taken this sentiment as an expression of readiness to close the books and pretend like it never happened.

"They are mistaken."

[Laverne]

One more article about the "memo"; keep up the fight, do not let this story die!

[petercooper]

I bet he got an awful lot of emails from FReepers.

[DarthVader]

He did and so did the RNC and NSRC. Roberts even referred to the Dems behaviour as treasonous.

[Semi Civil Servant]

This memo must have really made the Republican Senators mad. They're almost acting like ... men.

[awgie2]

Prediction:

Next weeks main steam media blitz...

"Republicans Bully Democrats...Shut down Senate over right wing judge confirmations while blocking Intelligence Committee investigation of President Bush."

One day later..."Republicans forced to halt filibuster and resume senate business...democrats demand independent council investigation over leaked intelligence committee memo."

You heard it here first.

[sd-joe]

Keep it up.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[Guillermo]

Well, Orrin Hatch DID say that the dems were subject to "Serious criticism."

If that isn't some tough talk, nothing is.

[Laverne]

Perhaps so awgie2; but the story in the alternative media will be factual and forceful (if we keep it up); and the mainstream media will be forced to tell the truth. Just like CBS finally admitted that the Reagan Mini-series was biased, so too will they have to admit that the Rockerfeller memo is near treasonous (well, maybe thats a little too optimisitc!!). None-the-less, the more pressure we bring to bear on the story, the more it will maintain or grow legs.

[PhilipFreneau]

>> Well, Orrin Hatch DID say that the dems were subject to "Serious criticism." If that isn't some tough talk, nothing is.

This fellow has been way too wimpy toward the demoncrats in the past decade. Billary must have something really big on him.

[demkicker]

If that isn't some tough talk, nothing is.

Please tell me you forgot your sarcasm tags.

[Always Right]

It is a disgrace at a time of war when brave soldiers are giving the lives for our great country, that Democrats see the President as the enemy and not Saddam or Osama.

[whereasandsoforth]

The spirit of the committee and the procedural rules deem that no partisan activity be allowed. The memo was written about the committee's business by some extention of the committee so thereforth is not the property of any one political arm. TS for the dems however it happened to come to the surface.

JayRock needs to be thrown out of the committee and then the senate immediately. The committee must be disbanded. No further intel can possibly be safe in the hands of this flawed body.

[TatieBug]

Freepers...we must keep calling D Senators on the committee. Doesn't do any good to Email if it's not your state...in my case, it doesn't do any good period since my CA Senators' mailboxes and phone lines are always full or busy. It's amazing how I can get through to Senators all over the country but not Boxer & Feinstein??? FOX is doing a great job keeping it out there..let's do our part! As in recall...activism works!

[Woahhs]

Prediction: Next weeks main steam media blitz... "Republicans Bully Democrats...

If so, it's time for some blind vituperative outrage directed at said media...CBS should look back fondly to the days when all they had to deal with was the "Reagans" fallout.

[Osage Orange]

You wrote:

"CBS finally admitted that the Reagan Mini-series was biased"

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

CBS flat out officially said it was biased? Point me in the direction of that article....I'd like to read it..!!

I like your optimistic outlook.....Somedays I have it, some days I don't.

FRegards,

[demkicker]

Roberts wouldn't go that far, saying the investigation would continue, whether or not Democrats apologized. But the tide is clearly turning toward a demand for an apology before the committee gets back to work.

When the memo first leaked Tuesday, Roberts' tone toward committee Democrats was more conciliatory. Roberts didn't attend a GOP news conference the next day criticizing the memo.

IMO, Pat Roberts is the one who should step down! Geeze, here we have material evidence of a plot to use information gleaned from the so-called non-partisan intelligence committee and turn it against our President to hurt his chances for re-election! The memo clearly states the intent of the Rats, to call for an independent council investigation regardless of their findings.

This, folks, is Outcome Based Electioneering! Thanks to the lack of moral outrage by Roberts, the intelligence committee is now impotent and useless. But, if the Dems say, "I'm sorry or forgive us, pretty please", all is well and back to business as usual?

Puhleeze, do us a favor Pat, grow a pair, or resign.

[PISANO]

What makes absolutely NO SENSE to me is Sen. Roberts demand for an apology! So what difference can that possibly make. I am sorry???? Does Sen. Roberts then think that all is well and all is forgiven and that any partisan attack later on is an entity unto itself??

The GOP has no political acumen at all. They are totally defenseless and INEPT against the Dims political machine.

[doug from upland]

I've tried to keep it alive in song --

THE LETTER

PROUD MARY

COUNTRY ROADS TAKE ME HOME

[Laverne]

New York Post ^ | 11/06/03 | Post Wire Services
November 6, 2003 -- CBS' canceled "The Reagans" miniseries was too "biased" for broadcast TV, network president Les Moonves admitted yesterday. "We had promised the public that we would do a fair version of the Reagans' life," Moonves said in a Yale speech reported by the New Haven Register. "Upon seeing the finished product, I felt the movie was quite biased against the Reagans," Moonves admitted.