Senator Rockefeller and the Senate Intelligence Committee Phase II Report

[Lasher]

Many of you have been frustrated with the way former Senate Intelligence Committee Charmian Pat Roberts (R) prevented release of the remaining sections of the Phase II report. The report is an assessment of intelligence gathering during the runup to the invasion of Iraq. Last year the Committee, over the objections of Roberts, released two of the Phase II sections. They addressed:

A comparison of prewar assessments with postwar findings on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program and potential links to al Qaida terrorists

the role of the Iraqi National Congress (INC) in providing prewar intelligence.

The remaining three sections address:

The quality of prewar intelligence assessments about postwar Iraq

Whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by U.S. Government officials made between the Gulf War period and the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom were substantiated by intelligence information

Any intelligence activities relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group (PCTEG) and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

It is widely believed that Roberts blocked the release of these sections because they would convey a negative assessment of the Bush administration's handling of intelligence they received. I have anticipated that Senator Rockefeller, once he became chairman of this committee, would promptly release them. I am encouraged by the following statement from a January 4 press release:

Rockefeller noted that, "We begin this year with a full plate. We have unfinished business that requires immediate attention, specifically the Fiscal Year 2007 Intelligence Authorization Bill and the remaining sections of the Committee’s review of prewar intelligence on Iraq. At the same time, we must look to the future, including a review of worldwide threats and hearings to assess the war in Iraq and the war on terror. The Committee will examine intelligence that supports those ongoing conflicts -- both in the short- and long-term – and will assess our ability to deal with emerging threats whether they are from international terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or elsewhere.”

Not bad for Jay's first day as Chairman.

[cui bono]

1. k & r

[salin]

2. I have been waiting for years - for one moment of testimony in those hearings

to get some airing. It appeared for exactly *one day* in the news. During the hearings the CIA reps who had been responsible for preparing the NIE explained that the form of the NIE that reached Congress was vastly stripped down from the original NIE that was reviewed (by the WH, I believe). What was stripped down were a lot of caveats and footnotes that qualified different 'claims' - explaining, for example, why X piece of intelligence may not be credible or may not have been verified by a second source. What was stunning was that when asked WHO had ordered and made the change - the authors/preparers of the report stated - on the record - that they really did not know how or why of at whose request the report as it was prepared for congress had been edited.

Significant in several ways - gets right to the heart of "everyone thought Iraq had WMDs" and that "people in Congress had the same intel as the WH" .... which is the core of trying to blame dems in congress equally as the WH - and framing the 'mistake' as bad intel that "anyone would have believed. It gets right to the point that NO what the WH had and what was given to the Congress was vastly different.

It also gets to the heart of the manipulation of intelligence to fool congress and the people as to the "why" of going to war (a story line much of the public now accepts thanks to the Downing Street Memos - but getting the details of WHO ordered the changes and what those changes were is important.)

Please Sen Rockefeller, *please* include what came from this part of the testimony and investigations in the final reports you release from this Investigation.

[Lasher]

3. For reasons like this, Jay might not release the segments as quickly as some expect

Surely Roberts, with his obvious propensity to shield the administration from scrutiny, controlled the investigation that was going on behind the scenes. In Jay's place I would want to make sure the report covers issues like the one you have described. This might take some more time, with a new staff that has been selected by Rockefeller. Maybe the best thing to do would be to release the remaining 3 sections now, but let it be known that all three could be amended later after more investigation.

Edit for spelling

[salin]

4. After reading this Larry Johnson piece - per the Negroponte demotion...

I hope that he released it sooner - or at least leaks the part to which I refer - rather than later.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3047433

Within this is his assertion that Negroponte was more analytical and thus dismissive of the intel regarding the "Iranian Threat" - to be replaced by those known within the intel community (according to Johnson) as more likely to try to "please their customers".

[Lasher]

6. Missed that angle, thanks salin

One of my fondest dreams about the Democratic takeover in the Senate is playing out.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. I'd like to see Pat Roberts and Warner pay for helping Bush start

the war based on lies! I think McCain knew it was all lies all along too! Not only the WMD scam but the connecting Iraq to 9/11 scam too. Bush was lying his ass off in that SOTU speech and he KNEW damned well he was lying.

Look at how Bush lied about firing Rummy right before the election and then when confronted about the lie he admitted he'd lied, because he wanted to influence the outcome of the election by doing so. Every time he steps in front of a camera he lies. And so do the other GOPers. It boils down to this almost total lack of trust we see now, between the GOP and the American people and the people around the world. No THINKING person, trusts them anymore. If you can't trust your own government...you are in a WORLD of shit!

And Our government don't trust us...or they wouldn't be spying on us! Tapping our phones, tampering with our mail, messing with our bank accounts, snooping into even the books you read. No other president needed to invade our private lives like Bush has done. The Bush administration are criminals and liars and they need to be fired ASAP, before they invade and break another country that they can't fix.

Edit...Don't you think Bush acts just like this dude?



Part George, Part Elvis, Part Devil?

[Lasher]

7. Me too, Hubert

Wasn't it handy for Roberts to get sent off to another committee? That's OK, let's see how everybody reacts when Jay throws all this out there for everyone to see.

Is your couch still burning?

Edit: Yup, and just like Jessco he's impaired due to too much huffing in his past.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. My couch is on fire!

I hope the flames last till the trout stocking truck runs!

I wish Cspan would go HD so we could see the GOPers sweat!

EDIT...The Intelligence Committee is no place for a DUMMY like Lying Pat Roberts. I wouldn't even have given Lying Pat Roberts a job sweeping up the room, after the Intelligence hearings. Too dumb...

[Hubert Flottz]

9. K and R!

:kick:

[Gregorian]

10. This is going to be FIREWORKS.

I haven't been paying attention to Rockefeller. He's a sleeper.

All it took was a brief interview on Olbermann, and it is obvious he's one of very few who have been feeling just like us.

He's written Cheney TWICE with his thoughts. He's baffled by the tag along Congress over the last five years, towing the republican line without any resistance. He's pissed.

I expect a hailstorm of fire from this man.

[Oilwellian]

11. I'll believe it when I see it

I'm skeptical of the man who voted "yea" for the war and kept quiet about the illegal wiretaps.

[Gregorian]

13. I know. Nothing is making sense. n/t

[Lasher]

15. I get confused too

I'm pretty sure Jay kept quiet about the illegal wiretaps because that was classified information that he was not at liberty to share. In cases like this only a few members of Congress are privy to the information and they can be persecuted if they share the information with anyone else. I'm sure Junior would love to catch him in an indescretion of that nature.

Did you know that Jay also voted for the torture bill? I have no idea why he would have voted to support such a thing.

[Lasher]

14. Rockefeller has tried to be bipartisan

It is the historic character of the Senate Intelligence committee to be more bipartisan than average. Rockefeller has done everything he could to support that model. The problem is, the GOP installed a partisan hack as chairman. Watch out for the relatively quiet, easy going guys who finally get pushed far enough to get really mad.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/HowSenate_Intelligence_chairman_fixed_intelligence_and_diverted_blame_fromWhite_House__0811.html

[speedoo]

12. Having a good Dem like Rockefeller charing this committee is crucial.

Maybe even more important than having a Dem chairing the Judiciary Committee.

Roberts was, and is, a traitor, with blood on his hands.

I will feel so much better if we can increase our Senate majority in 2008. Lieberman scares the shit out of me.:puke:

[Lasher]

16. Jay is the guy who can lay it out for all to see: These assholes lied us into war

One good thing about Phase II is, it's pretty much ready to go already and just needs to be released.

On the subject, and talking about Lieberman: Right now there's an episode on CSPAN. The right wing neocon think tank American Enterprise Institute is supporting a media fest featuring John McCain and Joe Lieberman, who have just returned from a 'fact finding' trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. I can't believe CSPAN would broadcast such a slobbering one-sided example of propaganda. Of course, John and Joe think it's a swell idea that we invaded Iraq and they think the troop surge is a brilliant idea. Just a few more decades of patience and sacrifice, that's all it will take to achieve 'victory', whatever that means.