The LEAPFROG Commission

[VaLabor]

It looks like Bush is going to back an "independent" probe into the "intelligence failure" surrounding Iraq's non-existent WMDs.
This quote from Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) says it all, though:

<snip> The panel, Roberts said, would have to be bipartisan and include only recognized experts whose recommendations could "leapfrog" over the current debate and quickly tackle the issue of how to fix intelligence deficiencies. "It would be helpful not only politically, but also for the nation," Roberts said. <snip>

See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1723-2004Jan31.html?nav=hptop_tb

Yes, you read that right! Leapfrog! In other words, the commission will skip over the messy issue of whether there was in fact an intelligence failure or whether the intelligence was manipulated and misrepresented and selectively chosen by the Bush Administration or whether some combination of the two occurred. It will proceed immediately to Step 3 -- how to fix the intelligence agencies. This methodology quite conveniently assumes that the only thing that was broken was the intelligence. To put it in Pat-Roberts-speak: The commission will LEAPFROG right over the truth!

It's the latest manifestation of Bush Administration obfuscation. It's the LEAPFROG COMMISSION!

Oh, but read on, from the same Washington Post article:

<snip> Sources said Bush intends to endorse a commission in the coming days while remaining publicly agnostic on the accuracy of the intelligence that the administration used to take the nation to war in Iraq. <snip>

Yes, that's right. The Bold One will assume the posture of the agnostic. "Hmm," he will wonder aloud, "Did those intelligence agencies give me bad data?" And he will join us all on our couches, watching as the commission announces that assumption and makes suggestions on how to improve intelligence.

Frankly, I am sick of wasting taxpayers' money on massive charades to cover up the Administrations lies. Apparently, the Bush Administration knew back in early May that there were no WMD's in Iraq. This from the Observer:

<snip> Senior American officials concluded at the beginning of last May that there were no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, The Observer has learnt.
Intelligence sources, policy makers and weapons inspectors familiar with the details of the hunt for WMD told The Observer it was widely known that Iraq had no WMD within three weeks of Baghdad falling, despite the assertions of senior Bush administration figures and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. <snip>

See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1136351,00.html

In other words, we've been spending millions of dollars since then, with this assanine "Iraq Survey Group," to pretend as though we-just-can't-seem-to-find-them-but-we-know-they're-here-somewhere. Millions of dollars looking for something that we know doesn't exist.

Whether it's the "Iraq Survey Group" or the coming-to-latenight-CSPAN-timeslots-near-you "Leapfrog Commission," it's the same old story: your tax dollars spent on meaningless searches to cover up Bush Administration lies. Indeed, the search itself is designed to obscure the lie. The Bush Administration assumes the viewpoint of the perplexed and hoodwinked victim. It's the lunchroom thief who steals your lunch and joins you in your fruitless search for that brown paperbag.

Oh, and what do you know? Enter Vice President Cheney, leapfrogging virtuoso!

On CNN:
Amid calls for an independent probe into prewar intelligence failures, Vice President Cheney has called key lawmakers to sayt he administration is open to a range of options, sources tell CNN.

See: http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/30/sprj.nirq.wmd/index.html

That is, Cheney wants to make sure the Bushies are able to DEFINE (and control!) the scope of this phony inquiry. Don't believe me? Let's go back to the Washington Post Article:

<snip> By joining the effort to create the commission rather than allowing Congress to develop its framework on its own, Bush will likely have more leverage to keep the focus on the CIA and other intelligence organizations rather than on the White House. <snip>

Remind you of something? 9/11 Commission?

At least this time, they're being upfront about it: The LEAPFROG COMMISSION...they couldn't have thought of a better name.