Bush pledges reforms in response to Senate report on CIA

AFP ^ | July 9, 2004 | self

[ejdrapes]

President Bush said this today in response to the Senate Intelligence Committe report:

"I look forward to working with members of Congress to put out reforms that will work," Bush said at a campaign event here, noting that he had not yet seen the report.

"I want to know the truth. I want to know the facts, ... and I want to make this the best system we can have."

The President also reiterated that Saddam Hussein had been intent on building weapons of mass destruction.

[Williams]

This report does not criticize Bush. It would be preposterous for Bush to start an argument with himself over a non-critical report. In case none of you have figured this out, Bush was smart enough to keep Tenet around and Tenet has been hung out to dry by all concerned.

[varon]

Saddam was a mad-man that ignored 17 UN resolutions -

I get a chuckle every time I hear mention of UN resolutions being ignored as one of the causes or justifications for war with Iraq. Reason being, it is mostly spouted by the same crowd that in the second breath derides the no good inept UN that is nothing more than a watering hole for tin pot dictators that hate the US and that we should get out of the UN and the UN should get out of the US.

So much hypocrisy in the selective love/hate affair with the UN.

[ejdrapes]

I want to know the truth. I want to know the facts.

This comment is LAME. What are people supposed to think - that he took us to war with out the facts? What facts doesn't he know?

[ejdrapes]

It doesn't matter what the report actually says, but how the media/democrats spin it. The 'spin' will be that a) the President went to war based on falty information or b) the Administration pressured the intelligence community or they cherry-picked the intelligence to support their pre-determined conclusions or all of the above.

[tobyhill]

You obviously missed the speech by Kit Bond. He had the Democrats plan for getting to President Bush. Why wait until these superficial committees can get to him right before election. Demorats are good at using the few dumbass Republicans for their dirty work by making them feel like their serving America. Roberts buckled to Rockerfeller like a wet noodle. This war is more than foreign terrorist, it's also domestic terrorist already in our government. I believe in preemptive strikes!

[goldwaterlives]

actually its a hate/hate affair with the UN.

I can't speak for everyone but when i bring up the UN resolutions isn't because i support the UN. Its because the other person supports it. To show them that even in their personal philosophy they should support the president on this point. To me it wouldn't matter if the UN had any resolutions.

[zook]

Isn't he on the intelligence committee? If so, why did he sign off on such a stupid report? And where are Hatch and Lott on this?

[Williams]

Why wait for anyone to attack Bush, the president should just go off his nut and start railing about a non-critical report?? I am beginning to think Free Republic has become a haven for juveniles and has lost the logical analysis that used to be prevalent here. You people are criticizing the president for not making a fool of himself, based on what the media reaction "will be." Luckily, George Bush is a far better president and politician.

[tobyhill]

That's exactly what the Dems want you to do, be passive! No one suggested he goes nuts, just make sure the Americans know the facts! The facts are we know he had them, where are they? The Iraqi Survey group need to pump out some preliminary reports of what they have found. I guarantee this committee didn't mention the Uranium we secretly shipped out of Iraq. While this committee did mention aluminum tubes not being used for Nuclear Weapons they were to be used in illegal rockets. These are facts! Be Passive, lose the election. Allow reports to be manipulated by Dems with Reps thinking their contributing to the gooder America, lose the election. I refuse to be passive and I refuse for you to question my FreeperLoyalism. If you don't like my opinions fine but don't you even dare comparing me to a Juvenile. I don't agree with the report that CIA failed on all intelligence because I know for a fact that the CIA corroborated all evidence. Some properly substantiated, some not as well!

[Admin Moderator]

Please use the original posted title.

[tobyhill]

Yes, Good Question, Lot already stated that he had WMD as with every hypocrite member of this committee.

[flaglady47]

Enough of this ridiculous "roll with the punches" attitude of this administration. You can't lie down forever. Go after that damnable Senate for their lack of oversight, their going along with Toricelli to basically make it next to impossible to have ground intel out there (spies) because of impossible standards set for who could be an informant or not. The dems are out in force, via these stooge committee reports (with the willing complicity of weak noodled Pubs, and the Bush administration more often than not DOES NOT FIGHT BACK! That's a prescription for losing, as it allows the dems and the administration's enemies to have their accusations hanging out there in the air, with no rebuttal or alternative scenario given. Just TELL THE TRUTH! That's our weapon. State the truth and say it with determination and force. Jam it down the throats of the unwilling and liberal media. Use the bully pulpit of the presidency to state the truth. But fight back, for heaven sakes. We're too much turn the other cheek. Passivity can make you lose elections, and in a worse case scenario can lose you your life. Ask the citizens of Iraq under Hussein. Ask the Jews under Hitler, until the very end of the war, when they started fighting back. The meek do not necessarily inherit the earth. Check out Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler, Castro. Get a grip Pubs, and learn to fight back or perish as a party.

[tobyhill]

Great post. You are exactly right. The Republicans need to quit taking it on the cheek and the President has been hit too many times. Some have stated that the President must stay above that and they are somewhat correct. It does not prevent the President from getting hatchet persons like the Dems. have and blam-blasting everyone of them including Kerrywards.

[Williams]

I don't know why I'm in such a feisty mood today, but "listen pal" I am second to none in posting articles blasting republicans for being passive, I have written vanity posts pleading for republicans to get tough, and I actually blame the republican party for failing to confront the dems for becoming more and more radical.

In this particular case, the president's comments were appropriate and I think the post itself can be criticized for headlining that the president's response was "lame." The report was by republicans and dems, it did not criticize Bush and he would have been a fool to start arguing about it.

[tobyhill]

I too take issue with the word "lame" but the fact remains, this committee only politicize the obvious without the facts of, where are they? we know he had them! With out the Whitehouse going toe to toe with these committees to answer the two questions of where are they or what happened to them in their opinion, this will continue one committee after another giving Moore credence to the DemoRats arguments. It just seems that this administration continues to allow committees to report the obvious without conclusions. Every day the Iraqi Survey Group finds out more and more but the political damage keeps getting worse. Does any of these committee members have nuclear science degrees? Did any of them work at chemical weapons depots? If any of them did then there is no way they could come up with this report! Uranium has been found in Iraq and chemical traces have been found in the water and sand. Newt is giving them heck now!!!