Rice to Withhold Bolton NSA Transcripts

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

Hmmm. . .What are they so afraid of?

The State Department is refusing to make public internal documents sought by Senate Democrats in their attempt to seek more information about repeated clashes between John R. Bolton and American intelligence agencies over Syria, administration officials say.

In rejecting the request, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the information involves "internal deliberations" and their disclosure could have a chilling effect on debates within the administration.

The decision was spelled out in a letter that Ms. Rice sent Friday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is evaluating the administration's nomination of Mr. Bolton to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations. Republicans on the panel had declined to endorse the Democratic request, but the State Department had not previously made its position clear.

The decision by Ms. Rice prompted a sharp new protest from Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, the top Democrat on the panel, who described the move as a lack of cooperation by the administration into the panel's examination of Mr. Bolton.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/09/politics/09bolton.html

[n2mark]

1. Makes me wonder

what they are trying to hide.

[Imagevision]

35. Where as Powell clearly states he isn't qualified for the job.

[Erika]

2. They want nothing to be released to the American public

The sheeple are more easily controlled that way.

[DRoseDARs]

3. Dems to withhold Bolton confirmation

Fine, you don't want to play nice? There's plenty to convict him on without those documents. Do not pass Senate, do not collect a confirmation, do not let the door hit your ass on the way OUT.

[Jandar]

4. Maybe,

If the refusal servers to convince a couple republican committee members to vote against his conformation. We'll see.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Was about to post the same thing -- withholding this information...

SHOULD raise some suspicions.

[ashling]

32. just raise suspicions?

how about raising a contempt of Congress citation?

[DeepModem Mom]

36. Trying to be realistic re. "moderate" Repubs who might vote no...

on Bolton. How I wish this WOULD result in contempt of Congress, as you suggest quite rightly it should --

[spanone]

44. You are correct "it should" but knowing our press, it won't.

[annabanana]

23. We could encourage them

Drop a couple of polite notes to the Republicans here:

http://foreign.senate.gov/about.html

[PurityOfEssence]

6. No advising, just CONSENT

What a high-handed bunch of thugs.

We'll give you what we want you to have and you'll give us what we want; it's not that hard to understand, is it?

[Changenow]

7. Didn't Biden demand DOS cooperation

when he agreed not to hold the vote at the last hearing. Didn't Luger assure Biden he'd get cooperation?

[rockedthevoteinMA]

33. Yes, and Yes. n/t

[endarkenment]

40. And the compromising fair and reasonable dems

get kicked in the balls every time and then come back for more.

[Miss Chybil]

8. A government of the people, for the people and by the people...

Bullshit.

[Benhurst]

20. It all depends on how you define "people." Aren't members

of the Bush* Crime Family "people," too?

[Miss Chybil]

34. There are "people" and there are "THE people." We are THE people.

They are the aristocracy.

[me b zola]

41. BFEE are monsters, not people

[jmatthan]

9. An Under Secretary sees them

but not US Senators!!

Amazing.

Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland
http://jmpolitics.blogspot.com

[Wizard777]

13. Point of order

Is the National Security Adviser an Under Secretary to the Secretary of State? Hasn't anyone told her of her new job?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

10. That's not the first time they've used this excuse, is it?

I'll be dipped if I can call the other occasion to mind right now, but I know it's out there.

[DrRang]

25. How can it have a chilling effect . . .

How can anything have a "chilling effect on debate" with these bozos? Bush has gotten rid of anybody who disagrees with him.

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. Hey, Cheney got away with hiding the Energy meetings - they figure

they can just wait it out and the truth will stay buried. So disgusting, that easy assumption that the bullies will ALWAYS have their way.

Condi has a LOT to hide:

[burrowowl]

12. What!!!????!!!!

In rejecting the request, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the information involves "internal deliberations" and their disclosure could have a chilling effect on debates within the administration.

'chilling effect on debates within the administration'

are there some who are fed-up or scared of being PURGED?

[IndianaGreen]

14. I think Condi needs a subpoena to come before Congress

and tell them precisely what the Hell she meant by "internal deliberations." This is a cover-up to salvage Bolton's sorry ass.

[annabanana]

24. "within the administration"

Yeah, all FOUR of them.....

sheesh

[flordehinojos]

15. can anybody chargeher with OBSTRUCTION of ... or IMPEDING the SENATE to do

its job.

just now it dawned on me that condoasses' smile is just as fake as that of laura. bush must have a fetish for fake smiles. oh,yes!

[LunaC]

16. They're trying to keep the OSP under wraps

Bolton has already battled allegations of exaggerating intelligence on Cuba's alleged biological weapons program but if they dig in the right places they'll discover his role in the "Office of Special Plans" and how he helped create the "faulty intelligence" leading to the Iraq war.

The Office of Special Plans (OSP) was a secret group of analysts and policy advisors with no status in the intelligence community. Nevertheless they reported directly to the White House and National Security office with cherry-picked intelligence from questionable sources to support the case for invading Iraq. The OSP circumvented formal, well-established oversight procedures, ignored intelligence that didn't further their agenda, expanded the intelligence on weapons beyond what was justified and over-emphasized the national security risk. They became more influential than the C.I.A. or the Defense Intelligence Agency who didn't even know the ultra-secret OSP existed for at least a year.

Because they were based in the Pentagon, it was assumed that the OSP was an intelligence-gathering agency that was second-guessing the C.I.A. but in actuality it was the White House Military Marketing Machine charged with the task of writing the PNAC's "Get Saddam" sales pitch for the public. Shading and bending reality to suit their own purpose, it wasn't important for the OSP's stories about Saddam to be factual, only that the average American believed them to be - in true Hollywood fashion.


Full chronology included in sig line link.

[leftchick]

21. Yes indeedy.

They can't have the OSP popping up at the same time as the memo. They are actually having to play whack-a-mole here.

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. See also this complementary thread - interesting!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3622343#3622371
Thread title: "White House Defies Biden and Lugar on Bolton Intercepts"

[Seabiscuit]

18. We, the People, to withold Rice toilet paper.

Tit for tat, Condi!

[mhr]

19. It Must Be A Smoking Gun - Otherwise Why The Fear

eom

[annabanana]

22. 'ts all the proof I need that Bolton was up to his hiney

In the great intell massage refered to in the Bush/Blair memo. My guess is that there are smoking guns all through that stuff.

[LynneSin]

26. Now Joe, stick with your gun and get this nomination DEAD

Obviously they aren't co-operating; therefore, this guy's nomination should be dead in the water.

[Avalux]

27. * in Russia promoting transparency in government - HA!

Really though; it's not even funny anymore. Especially when this kind of shit is pulled - ever heard of a sharpie Condi? We have a right to know.

[rodeodance]

28. the argument is very similar to the one Cheney used to keep his meetings

secret (regarding the energy meetings--and while these were 'extertal' industry types--and these are internal-the logic is the same--the 'chilling effect")

....In rejecting the request, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the information involves "internal deliberations" and their disclosure could have a chilling effect on debates within the administration.

[leesa]

29. The Cheney excuse...'We can't open that to scrutiny, it may force future

discussions to be honest'

[rodeodance]

30. good one!!

[priller]

37. That's exactly right, it's the same argument

Remember, Cheney argued that if the energy deliberations weren't secret, then he couldn't get "unvarnished truth" from others.

Of course, no one ever calls them on this nonsense.

[JerseygirlCT]

31. This part had me rolling on the floor laughing:

"chilling effect on debates within the administration."

Too funny, the irony, really.

[underpants]

38. If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about

That is the standard Repub line about illegal searches and siezures and all Furth Amendment arguments.

[cyberpj]

39. JOE BIDEN'S EMAIL - tell him to STAY STRONG ON THIS

The next meeting on this isn't until Thursday at 10am so we have plenty of time to tell Joe to hold his ground.

[e-mail]

[xxqqqzme]

43. wouldn't hurt 2 let

Reid know the dems need 2 stand firm.

[me b zola]

45. Thanks for making that easy!

Perhaps a letter/email thread devoted to this is in order:shrug:


Who else besides Kerry is on the committe? We should write to them as well;)

[cyberpj]

46. Here's a link to the list of all members - each with their own link

http://foreign.senate.gov/about.html

And I did also put the please email thread in GD-Politics

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1771833

[me b zola]

47. Thank you!

cyberpj, :yourock:

[dandrhesse]

42. She should be jailed for obstruction of justice. Don't Congressional Comm

have the legal power to supoena documents? If not then they need to go another route but that is flat out wrong and IMO criminal.

[Javaman]

48. This admin withholding information? I'm shocked, I tell you tell,

simple shocked...

[warrens]

49. What internal debates?

Your ass starts debating the Nazi crew, you wind up on the street, pronto.