Bush Pulls Security Clearances From 92 Senators

[BR_Parkway]

Congress wasn't privy to the same intelligence - ShrubCo pulled most of their security clearances (hmmm, but not KKKar's)

"Bush issued an order limiting access to classified intelligence only to 8 members of Congress — the Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees."

10/5/01: Bush Pulls Security Clearances From 92 Senators

“We can’t have leaks of classified information. It’s not in our nation’s interest.” - President George W. Bush, 10/9/01

So no George, they didn't have access to the same info. They aren't trying to rewrite history - they're trying to make you give us the actual history of what happened, lies and all.

[EFerrari]

1. This is what your government looks like on crime.

[interupt]

13. Hey is it the photo or does that suit DESPERATELY need an iron

?

[EFerrari]

24. That suit needs to be behind bars.

Welcome to DU

[PurpleChez]

98. Give him a break. He probably just got in from a night of binge drinking.

Bwha-ha.

[SittingBull]

2. k + r

Kicked!


That's the ugly truth.

[rodeodance]

3. I recall this event.

[malaise]

5. MSM need to be reminded

Kick

[patricia92243]

4. I was not aware that the President had the power to say who had clearance

and who did not. The more I hear about things, it seems the Senate and the House are not of any real use. The office of President is the only real power and all else is window dressing.

WHY has the fact that Bush took away these people's security clearance not been said over and over. Why don't the senators involved say this when they are accused of knowing everything Bush knew. It seems SO simple to defend theirselves with this easy, truthful answer.

[BR_Parkway]

6. There's the question of the week - why did you pull Senators clearance,

but not Karls?

And every time some RW talking point gets thrown out that they saw the SAME intelligence the answer is "No we didn't, the WH took our clearance away and told us what they wanted us to hear, over 2000 troops dead and we want answers"

Should fit into any sound bite category out there.

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. The executive branch was supposed to be a "branch" of government, not

THE WHOLE government.

That office has gotten way too powerful, especially in the past 50 years. No matter who is in office, that needs to be changed.

[Burried News]

45. Yes. Spot on. There used to be talk of the "Imperial Presidency"

and how it needed to be reigned in. This was in the 70's as I recollect. But I have done a considerable amount of reading and blogging in the last four years and have not come across anyone besides you making this statement. Kudos. I will remember to put it in my posts from time to time and hope others will give it some serious thought. The Presidency has gotten too powerful and the Congress has abandoned key constitutional prerogatives; there is no longer a balance of power.

The effort to attack the judiciary by DeLay, Dobson et.al. also needs to be seen in this context. It is not enough to remove Bush from office. The office itself needs to have checks on it.

[Robert Cooper]

17. Review Watergate

The president only has absolute power as long as congress and the senate sit back and allow it.

Anytime the WH, Senate and Congress are held by -one- party you lose your 'checks and balances' and the president is the de-facto leader of all three.

[jaysunb]

65. This needs to be repeated

"repeatedly"

[slor]

7. Thanks for posting n/t

[rodeodance]

8. 10/5/01:--It was a clear warning sign of the secrecy to come.

[rodeodance]

9. lets media blast this info!

[BR_Parkway]

36. Exactly, every single time the phrase "Dems had access to the

same intelligence" gets used on the various talking head shows - the standard response should be "No, the White House restricted the information to only 8 of the Senators, the other 92 were excluded by his command!"

[serryjw]

95. Lets not get carried away

The access was given to BOTH minority leaders of BOTH houses to distribute at their discretion.

[PegDAC]

107. Access

Yes, the minority leaders had the information - AFTER the intelligence had been cooked. But they could not distribute classified information to anyone who did not have a clearance.

[ClintonTyree]

76. The warning sign of secrecy to come started well before that....

Cheney's energy meetings were the first harbinger of this administration's intent to mislead and withhold information.

Washington, DC - Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, said today that documents turned over by the Commerce Department, under court order as a result of Judicial Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning the activities of the Cheney Energy Task Force, contain a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as 2 charts detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts.” The documents, which are dated March 2001, are available on the Internet at: www.JudicialWatch.org .

They were ready to carve up Iraq 2 months into their first term, well before 9/11 ever took place. As far as I'm concerned this is just another link in the MIHOP or LIHOP chain of events leading to 9/11.

These bastards cam into office knowing they were going to lie, cheat, steal, stonewall and mislead this country into a war with Iraq.

[seejanerun]

82. Yes! The energy meetings!

We knew there were shady deals being made way back then when they wouldn't even tell us who was there. The secrecy is killing us--that and the cowardice of a lot of congress people.

[FourStarDemocrat]

11. Excellent find, thanks! n/t

[SpiralHawk]

12. Telling.

This is telling.

Tell the truth.

Telling.

K & R

Thank you.

For Telling.

[kentuck]

14. kick !

This info needs to be out there.

[B Calm]

15. Great find!!

[Spike from MN]

62. Talk about a great find!

Holy f***ing sh*t! I have always compared the current administration with the Nazis but the quote you posted really demonstrates how accurate the comparison is. That same quote could very probably have been taken from any one of the meetings of the WHIG. Unreal. Thanks so much for posting it.

[noamnety]

16. Cheney: June 19, 2004

"Dick Cheney responded to the reports by attacking the New York Times, and said that he "probably" had access to better intelligence information than the 9/11 commission; the commission chairmen then called on Cheney to provide them with any documents that could substantiate his claims."

http://www.harpers.org/WeeklyReview2004-06-22.html#2004...

[noamnety]

48. whoops, June 17, 2004

He was being paraphrased there on the 19th, the original interview was June 17, on CNBC's Capital Report:

BORGER: Well, my reading of the report is that it says that, yes, contacts were made between al-Qaida and Iraq, but they could find no evidence that any relationship, in fact, had been forged between al-Qaida and Iraq.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: And you're talking generally now, not just 9/11.

BORGER: Not just 9/11. And let's talk generally and then we'll get to 9/11.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Talk generally.

BORGER: Generally.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: That's not true.

BORGER: So you disagree?

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Absolutely. Look at the Zarqawi case. Here's a man who's Jordanian by birth. He's described as an al-Qaida associate. He ran training camps in Afghanistan back before we went to war in Afghanistan. After we went in and hit his training camp, he fled to Baghdad. Found safe harbor and sanctuary in Baghdad in May of 2002. He arrived with about two dozen other supporters of his, members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which was Zawahiri's organization. He's the number two to bin Laden, which was merged with al-Qaida interchangeably. Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al-Qaida, same-same. They're all now part of one organization. They merged some years ago. So Zarqawi living in Baghdad. We arranged for information to be passed on his presence in Baghdad to the Iraqis through a third-party intelligence service. They did that twice. There's no question but what Saddam Hussein really was there. He was allowed to operate out of Baghdad. He ran the poisons fact ory in northern Iraq out of Baghdad, which became a safe harbor for Ansar al-Islam??? as well as al-Qaida fleeing Afghanistan. There clearly was a relationship there that stretched back over that period of time to at least May of '02, a year before we launched into Iraq. He is the worst offender. He's probably killed more Iraqis than any other man in Iraq today. He is probably the leading terrorist still operating in Iraq today.

BORGER: Now some say that he corresponded with al-Qaida only after Saddam was deposed.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: That's not true. He had been involved working side by side, as described by the CIA, with al-Qaida over the years. This is an old established relationship. He's the man who killed our man Foley in Jordan, an AID official, during this period of time. To suggest that there's no connection between Zarqawi, no relationship if you will, and Iraq just simply is not true.

BORGER: Well, let's get to Mohammad Atta for a minute, because you mentioned him as well. You have said in the past that it was, quote, "pretty well confirmed."

Vice Pres. CHENEY: No, I never said that.

BORGER: OK.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Never said that.

BORGER: I think that is...

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Absolutely not. What I said was the Czech intelligence service reported after 9/11 that Atta had been in Prague on April 9th of 2001, where he allegedly met with an Iraqi intelligence official. We have never been able to confirm that nor have we been able to knock it down.

BORGER: Well, now this report says it didn't happen.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: No. This report says they haven't found any evidence.

BORGER: That it happened.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Right.

BORGER: But you haven't found the evidence that it happened either, have you?

Vice Pres. CHENEY: No. All we have is that one report from the Czechs. We just don't know.

BORGER: So does this put it to rest for you or not on Atta?

Vice Pres. CHENEY: It doesn't add anything from my perspective. I mean, I still am a skeptic. I can't refute the Czech plan. I can't prove the Czech plan. It's ...(unintelligible) the nature of the intelligence (unintelligible).

BORGER: OK, but let's...

Vice Pres. CHENEY: But that is a separate question from what the press has gotten all in a dither about, The New York Times especially, on this other question. What they've done is, I think, distorted what the commission actually reported, certainly according to Governor Thompson, who's a member of the commission.

BORGER: But you say you disagree with the commission...

Vice Pres. CHENEY: On this question of whether or not there was a general relationship.

BORGER: Yes.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Yeah.

BORGER: And they say that there was not one forged and you were saying yes, that there was. Do you know things that the commission does not know?

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Probably.

BORGER: And do you think the commission needs to know them?

Vice Pres. CHENEY: I don't have any--I don't know what they know. I do know they didn't talk with any original sources on this subject that say that in their report.

BORGER: They did talk with people who had interrogated sources.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Right.

BORGER: So they do have good sources.

Vice Pres. CHENEY: Gloria, the notion that there is no relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida just simply is not true. I'm going to read this material here. Your show isn't long enough for me to read all the pieces...

BORGER: Sure it is.

[lonestarnot]

18. Pieces of Eight.... now that was a treasure wasn't it?

[Left_Winger]

19. Great info...

and kick!

[Poet Lariat]

20. PNAC's anyone?

Can't get any real work done with all these Senators looking over my shoulder.

Thanks BR_Parkway

[emulatorloo]

21. kicking and nominating n/t

[bluedog]

22. how come the Minority leaders

didn't say anything about the intel?

[BJW]

32. because they would be committing a crime

[karynnj]

46. Couldn't they have said that their information was

showing very different things than the scrubbed information and that this was leading to erroneous conclusions. A general statement of this type issued by all 4 Democrats jointly would not violate security.

[Straight Shooter]

23. "... leaks of classified information ... not in our nation's interest."

No matter the situation, he only says what is expedient to cover his scrawny arse.

edit: I suppose he's accusing the Senators of being capable of leaking classified information. How many times in history has a Senator leaked classified information; does anyone know?

[BJW]

33. read the linked article

the clearance was pulled because some Senators were talking openly about how they had been presented with intelligence info that if America retaliated for 9/11 attacks, that America would face additional terrorist attacks.

[Straight Shooter]

43. Well, that's just nonsense if they call that classified information.

Of course America would retaliate and of course that would ratchet up the terrorists to strike again.

It's a no-win situation. They hit us, we retaliate, they strike back. The other scenario: they hit us, we do not retaliate, they strike again because we're perceived as weak.

What kind of fool in America would believe after the attack of September 11, 2001, that if we did not retaliate that they would not strike again? That's just common sense. The problem is we dissipated our strength and our resources. For me, also, it's whom do we strike that is at issue. I remain unconvinced that we retaliated against the true perpetrators of this heinous act.


I would add, I don't believe for a second that we were struck because they hate our freedoms. I think bush and his cronies saw this thing coming from a mile away. Probably when bush was presented with the August PDB, Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S. I bet he stuck his little jaw out and said, "Bring it on."

[bnr65432]

25. He was against leaks of classified information before he was for them

Stupid Flip-Flopper

[DistressedAmerican]

26. Great Get! I Recall That. I Had Forgotten.

Kicker and nod for sure!

[Old and In the Way]

27. Gee, just a month after 9/11....hmmm.

Was this to shut down intelligence knowledge to the Senators with regards to pre-9/11 warnings? Or pre-Iraq War marketing? Or a combination of both.

This kind of blows Bush's case that everyone had the same level of intelligence. Conclusion? Bush is a liar.

[flyarm]

28. what was the date of the start of anthrax?? dems were majority

then...and then the scare of the anthrax...the downing of american airlines flt in rockaway ny...( out of kennedy)...think of all that went down then...what was date of fall of enron??

there was alot of stuff this admin did not want the dems to see besides their work up to the war!!

fly

[bluedog]

29. anthrax..........Sept 18,2001

The 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States occurred over the course of several weeks beginning on September 18, 2001 (after the September 11, 2001 attacks). Letters containing anthrax bacteria were mailed to several news media offices and two US Senators, killing five people. The crime remains unsolved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks

[LunaC]

41. "The crime remains unsolved"

The investigation eventually centered around the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, one of the nation's main anthrax research centers.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,126244,00.html


Certainly raises suspicions.....

[alfredo]

30. bush is so full of shit.

He must be impeached then thrown in prison.

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. How many ways, how many times can this POS lie and continue

to get away with it?

[vickitulsa]

37. I believe it's all those lies that will eventually bring him down.

I was just cable channel surfing and came across Oliver Stone's "JFK" on FX (of all places), as Donald Sutherland's retired military "black ops" Deep Throat type character was filling in Kevin Kostner's US Attorney Jim Garrison character on just what REALLY went down when JFK was assassinated. Most of you may recall this amazing scene ... always the best in the movie, IMO. The two men are walking around outdoors (so as not to be overheard on "bugs") in Washington DC.

The Deep Throat guy offers Garrison a LOT of information, one shocking thing after the other about the govt/CIA/military. You can see Garrison's mind is about to explode just trying to take it all in -- as do our minds (the viewing audience).

THEN ... then one sentence by the Deep Throat guy near the end of this scene just froze me in my tracks, and I'll paraphrase it here for you:

"Deep down the American people have a real thing about The TRUTH," or maybe he said "... are real suckers for The TRUTH." Something like that. "They want to know what REALLY HAPPENED."

And following up on all the other complicated govt/military conspiracy stuff he'd just been laying out for Garrison, this statement had a tremendous impact. Why? Because that statement itself has THE RING OF TRUTH! Doesn't it?

I believe Americans are really pissed about being LIED TO, "taken in," DUPED, misled and USED by this administration. Took 'em long enough, yeah, but they're finally "getting it"! THAT is why the polls recently are turning up the results that they are. Already about two thirds of the country are saying that they do believe this (fake) President was DECEPTIVE and LIED about the reasons leading to war in Iraq!

Think about it -- that's just a stunning statistic! And it's turning up that way in poll after poll now -- not in just one or two. They are not just suspicious, they are convinced now; and that means they are NOT gonna be changing their minds and going back to believing that liar's bullshit.

To me, this means it's really all over but the shoutin' for this administration, and hopefully the blowback and spillover will quickly diminish the power of that entire neocon bunch and their corporate sponsors and collaborators.

I think people in America really ARE sick and tired of being ripped off and lied to and forced to sacrifice in and for this country while the super-rich just get tax breaks and rightwing warmongers carry on with their efficient big-money machine. The "military industrial complex" Ike warned us about has been thriving for waaaay too long now and has flourished blatantly under W's reign.

Remember what we keep hearing? ... about how "perception is everything"? Well, the perception is now clearly OUT THERE among regular Americans that George W LIED TO US ALL to take us to war in Iraq, and two thirds of Americans BELIEVE that and are totally and permanently PISSED at him and his cronies about it.

So many once TRUSTED him and followed him in accordance with that trust. Now those very people may well be the angriest ones of all, and they are NOT going to believe any more of what he has to say, period. Nor are they likely to be in a forgiving mood about it because of how SERIOUS his crimes are!

(I'm still doing my part to get the word out, though; we can't relax now!)

[flyarm]

40. what this admin of criminals never counted on is the internet!!

they never counted on us keeping files and records of all they have said..and now there are millions of us with all the statemtns and facts in our files..if one person doesn't have it another does...and we have proof of all their lies...and proof of all the facts as they occured..they counted on americans having a short memory..and the meida hiding the truth for them..well then we appear ..and we have kept most of all that has occured..they are fucked!

thanks you all you brave patriots!! who have worked diligently to keep all this info...

i know i have files up the kazoo...and i have a very good and long memory!!

fly

[BadgerKid]

80. we are the unofficial official record. n/t

.

[FreedomAngel82]

57. I so agree

I think that Bush will be the only one to bring himself down and with his lying. He isn't fooling anybody since he's so out there. As I told in another post of mine even my own grandma is doubting Bush and his faith! This is a person who really believed in Bush just shortly a while ago. What changed? I don't know, but mostly what she said is she was starting to doubt him because of all the lying. This gave me hope in my country and all the poll raitings as well. It shows that the public isn't stupid and we do want to know the truth and I wouldn't be surprised if many people already know the truth but are waiting to say anything so they're not seen as "consperiacy theorists". Oh and I love that scene too you're talking about in the JFK movie. And wow that movie was on F/X?

[SammyWinstonJack]

101. Yes, best scene in that movie and I hope you are right. I am waiting

for the outrage of Americans to bubble to the surface, when it does, bush and the GOP are out for a long time. Can't think of anything better to heal this Country. Thoughtful reply, btw!

[OneTwentyoNine]

34. Bush: "Senators had the same intel I had before going to war in Iraq"

Bullshit,doesn't sound to me like they did. This is big if the MSM will take some time to report it instead of Beth Holloway going BACK to Aruba.

[FreedomAngel82]

58. Exactly

And as I told my grandma earlier this evening he gets CIA and FBI briefings and things like that that Senators don't get. They only get what comes to them.

[bluedawg12]

35. These Sen's should be screaming this from the roof tops, then

and now!

[nashville_brook]

38. AFTER the Aspens turn in autumn, they lose their leaves making it easier

to see the whole landscape.

little K n R for saturday.

[BR_Parkway]

44. How poetic! n/t

[Marie26]

39. So wouldn't this mean...

When Cheney told Republican Senators about the "CIA prisons," wasn't he was leaking classified intelligence to people w/o security clearance? Isn't that a violation of the Intelligence Act? No wonder they shut down Frist so fast when started self-righteously demanding an investigation of the leak! If the senators didn't have security clearance, they can talk to whoever they want. It's CHENEY who originally disclosed classified information by talking to them.

"Vice-President Dick Cheney discussed the existence of secret US prisons abroad with a group of Republican senators last week, according to Senator Trent Lott, the Mississippi Republican."
"Details about Mr Cheney's meeting emerged on Tuesday just hours after Republican congressional leaders released the draft of a letter calling for an investigation into whether a story in the Washington Post last week about the prisons was based on leaked, classified information."

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9978485/

[roguevalley]

42. then this limits the sources of leaks. It was a senator that told of the

gulags. He can't blame them. They don't have access.

[CountAllVotes]

47. I smell a crook & a cover-up in place

Why is it that a U.S. Senator WOULD NOT HAVE a security clearance? I rather believe that this is part of what goes with the job of a Senator!!

WE MUST CATCH THIS LIAR AND CROOK AND THROW HIM IN JAIL BEFORE MORE DAMAGE IS DONE!

[Justice Is Comin]

49. I hate to pull the shade halfway down on this.

But nowhere in his directive does it say he pulled the security clearance from anybody.

You are assuming that conclusion by inference. Note the actual memo.

http://thinkprogress.org/wp-images/upload/bushrestricte...


Part (ii)

"The only members of congress whom you or your expressly designated officers may brief" are those as specified.


That does not mean that those people cannot then relay the intelligence if deemed appropriate by them, to the other members with authorized secret and top secret clearances.

We have to be careful about getting too far out on the limb with the assertion that anyone had their clearances revoked. I personally don't think I make make that leap by extrapolation with this memo. Further, I can't think of a minuscule reason on this earth, why this wouldn't have been stated long long ago if it were true. Not one senator or house member has ever said this.

[Marie26]

50. You're right.

It doesn't look like this memo revokes security clearances at all. It just limits who top Administration officials can share classified information with. Very sneaky. So all of Congress retains their security clearance, but it's basically worthless because Bush has ordered that Executive officials (CIA, FBI, etc.) can only share classified law enforcement info with eight Congressmen. He doesn't restrict the legislative branch at all, instead he restricts the executive branch officials to accomplish the same purpose - keeping Congress out of the loop. So I guess this means Cheney wouldn't breach security by talking about the secret prisons w/Senators. Darnit. So, Bush can still share classified info w/Congress when it suits his purpose (i.e. fake Niger documents), but restricts CIA officials from sharing any other information w/Congress. This ensures that Congress only gets the info he wants them to get.

[Justice Is Comin]

53. You got it.

It's only a restriction of the pipeline from the actual sources of intelligence.

And this is by no means-- even though this is the case--the smoking gun, because several of the designated people to which the information can be given, are democrat. It is not as if only republicans receive the direct information and all democrats are excluded from the loop.

That would be nice if this memo proved that it did. But it doesn't. The minority senate and house representative leaders receive the same information as the republicans leaders do. That's us. It's up to them then to distribute it to others.

What's important, is what did the OSP put in the meatloaf before they served it to these 8 designated people.

[TankLV]

92. Wrong. The conclusion is that ONLY the REPUKES received any information.

Period.

Don't forget the countless times the REPUKES held meetings with ONLY REPUKES - democratic persons SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED. Happens weekly.

Not to mention the CLOSED DOOR MEETINGS where repukes only were in the room to VOTE ON LEGISLATION and said no DEMS were "invited" because THEY HAD ALL THE VOTES ANYWAY.

No, you can't make such an unproven statement that democrats had any of the same information, let alone clearances, when the repukes have continually pulled stunts like that! The record PROVES otherwise!

STOP GIVING THE REPUKES THE BENIFIT OF THE DOUBT - they have long ago LOST all respect to that aspect!

[FreedomAngel82]

61. So that seems even worse to me

:\

[Marie26]

64. me too

There are limits to what Bush can do to the Legislative Branch, but there's no limit to what he can do as head of the Executive Branch - and he's been pretty good so far at using that power to make an end-run around all the other branches of government. It makes the whole concept of "checks & balances" pretty weak - how can they check Bush if they don't even know what he's doing?

[TankLV]

91. And we should take what you say seriously, why?

A new poster with low post count who disables their profile should be trusted with what their opinions are, why? Especially when they dovetail in nicely with what the repukes are spewing?

We have the proof. Read all the previous posters and their evidence.

Your assumptions don't hold water.

[serryjw]

97. I posted my agreement above BUT (SMOKING GUN!!!)

this is a fun timeline of dems request for INTEL info

quote....
For more than two years, Senate Democrats have pressed Republicans to
address the misuse of intelligence. At every turn, Republicans have
blocked efforts to investigate how intelligence was used in the run-up
to the war in Iraq. Below details the long record established by
Democrats to investigate this matter.

end quote.....
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/4318

Who has the article on the TWO differnet VERSIONS of the intel?

HERE IT IS...YOUR SMOKING GUN!
http://mediamatters.org/items/200511040008

A MUch better version of the above
http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/entity.jsp?entity=st...

[PegDAC]

108. Not necessarily

Classified information cannot be given to anyone, clearance or no, who is not deemed to have the "need to know" by the classifying authority.

[usregimechange]

51. Did this really happen?

[fishwax]

52. thanks for the link

I remember that happening, and that's exactly what I was thinking of as I read about his little speech yesterday ...

[tamtam]

54. Nominated

Thanks for the reminder

[nolabels]

60. Kicked and nominated

Ole smirky bottoms is getting more squirrelly everyday

[Wordie]

55. I read how they made some of the info avail only if the congresspeople

went to a special room to read it, where they could not bring pen and paper, nor copy anything in any other way, and this was all done at the last minute before the vote, so many were not even able to form a clear idea of exactly what it was they were voting for!

What a stupid move for Bush to make those claims!

Recommended! (I'm number 95...will it get to 100?)

[FreedomAngel82]

56. So why them and no Karl Rove?

Is Libby still going there?

[Renew Deal]

59. I believe that this is soon after Hatch leaked that we were listening

to Bin Laden's phone call's.

<snip>
"Yet on the day of the attack, September 11, Republican Senator Orin Hatch from Utah came before the microphones and told TV newsmen he had just been briefed by intelligence officials and informed that the United States had decoded bin Laden’s satellite telephone communications and monitored conversations in which bin Laden and his associates gloated over the successful terror attacks. This, of course, raised the question: if the US was able to monitor bin Laden’s conversations after September 11, then why not prior to September 11? The next day Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called a press conference and denounced congressmen who released classified information, pointedly characterizing such lapses as criminal offenses."
<snip>

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/mar2002/lec3-m12.shtm...

[smurfygirl]

63. can I have a source or link on the original post

so I can read the whole article....

I really need this info so I can debunk some recent e-mails.

[slipslidingaway]

69. Follow the memo to congress link here.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/2001/10/gwb100901.html

[thereismore]

66. Lying coward. nominated. nt

[goodboy]

67. Great job, BR_parkway! KICK NOMINATED KICK AGAIN!!!!

[UnwillingSkeptic05]

68. Wow. . .

This just stinks of just plain evil, but then again, that's all that ever comes from the White House during Junior's Reign.
Take rights to information from Congress but leave it to the Rove bastard?
Too bad America hasn't woken up yet, nobody would have to put up with Bush's forked tongue except his prison guards.
Bleah.

Good information though, politics comes up all too often around here, and the more info like this, the more you get to watch the "Gaping Fish" look on folks faces when they scramble to come up with something against it.

[Justice Is Comin]

72. Welcome in.

But just be careful buying into the conclusion that the original post states....that Bush yanked clearances and left only 8 people with them.

Just read the actual memo carefully. No one lost their clearance. No one.

[TankLV]

94. That is JUST YOUR opinion. The record has the OPPOSITE conclusion

of what you are trying to claim.

READ THE WORDS.

I saw and heard and read that "edict" when bunkerboy issued the , edict the FIRST time - and the whore media and our then spineless dems did nothing about it!

[Justice Is Comin]

102. YOU read the words.

I would bet on it that NOBODY had their clearance pulled. I explained it in my earlier description.

Go around saying this if you like, but I think you will be dead wrong.

[PegDAC]

109. You can lose

access to classified information without losing your clearance. I know more than a few people it has happened to.

[lynch03]

70. Why the hell wasn't this posted like a year ago

WHen the neo cons were saying blah blah blah, democrats made the same conclusions based on the same intel the bush administration saw. Or was it?

[DanCa]

71. It's time to call shrub co murder inc. Shrub -bush co is too cutesy a term

for these traitors.

[progressivebydesign]

73. Is that unprecedented? I'm literally speechless. Did Gannon have one?

Just wonderin' How about Miller? Didn't she think she had one?

Did the Senators get the security clearances back? WHy didn't they speak up and fight this? Oh yeah.. this was when everyone was gaa gaa over Bush and thought he could do no wrong.

[DRoseDARs]

74. I have to wonder if all 8 of the remaining senators are also signed PNACs

[upi402]

75. THANK YOU, now if we can get it on TV news

TVnews traitors

[formercia]

77. We're not trying to rewrite History, George

we're just trying to make it right.

History has always been what the victor says it is, and is thus subjective.

We're not talking about History, we're talking about the truth as to what really happened.

Big difference.

[paineinthearse]

78. Deja Vu

This has been posted before, is there something new? Am I missing something?

[formercia]

83. perhaps so, but too important to let die

from neglect.

[BR_Parkway]

84. When Shrub's speech and all the RW talking points are coming

back to "they saw the same intelligence we did" - it's relevant again as a reminder and hopefully picked up by the lazy MSM to point out that no, they didn't see the same things, they saw only what the mis-administration wanted them to see.

It's a part of the whole lying us into war - certainly familiar to most DUer's, but news to many Americans. For many, it'll be the first time they've heard alot of what we've all been yelling about for the past 4-5 years.

The American public at large is just beginning to discover why we're so "angry" on the left.

[Patchuli]

96. I hadn't seen it before so it should be re-posted

until it becomes common knowledge. the pResident is lying about what the Democratic senators knew and obfuscating the truth of the matter away from himself because he lied.

[ProSense]

79. Thanks for posting this excellent piece of journalism. Wonder why

this went unreported for four years? Maybe the MSM should have their licenses pulled for dereliction of duty.

[npincus]

81. sent to Olbermann

time to get this on air

[wryter2000]

85. "I'll retire to Bedlam..."

They lose their clearance and Turdblossom keeps his. Yup, that's about right for the Keystone Government.

[fortyfeetunder]

86. Obviously misguided approach.

Despite the limited access to classified data. Methinks the leaks are still there, otherwise Plamegate would not have existed!

Better look harder Bushie!

[lala_rawraw]

87. You need to include the Roberts article for context...

[sui generis]

88. dear senate grow some fucking balls

It is long past time for the senate to rescind Bush' so-called "war time" powers.

[jamesinca]

89. A little more/better research please

There is something that needs to be clarified here. Look at the date on the Gannett news service article (10/01/01), they are reporting on an article that was in the WaPo. Look at the date on the WaPo article, it is dated as 5 days later. Gannett can not be reporting on an article that has not been published yet. This needs to be cleaned up before the argument is done like they did Dan Rather.
------------------------------------------------------
Gannett News Service reported on 10/1/01 that Bush was restricting information because, “The Washington Post reported last week that various lawmakers had been told there would be more terrorist attacks if the United States retaliated.”

Here’s what the Washington Post reported:

Asked whether more terrorist attacks are inevitable if the United States retaliates, Shelby said, “You can bet on that.” U.S. intelligence officials have told members of Congress there is a high probability that terrorists associated with Osama bin Laden will try to launch another major attack on U.S. targets here or abroad.

[smurfygirl]

90. I agree. I would like more info and research if someone has time

This is an extremely important issue.

What was kept from these senators and how exactly was it kept from them?
This not only clears dems but throws shit in the face of the administration.

[jamesinca]

100. research and time, because impeachment is serious

treason is also very serious. They need to be sure of things, so I hope they spend the time researching this. The repub run House did not care for the serious nature of impeachment, they thought it was just something to play politics with back in the '90's.

They also need to be careful in all parts of the message. Dan Rather was thrown to the wolves because the font type of the memo was not the same that was in use back int he early '70's. The message was correct, but the font type was off so it was dismissed. In this article, the Wa Po article is dated 5 days after Gannett reported on it. They could not have reported on the Wa Po article before it came out. The right wing will "Dan Rather" this thing if that little problem is not corrected.

[GoreDean2008]

93. This Is Like A Military Dictatorship

This is the type of behavior that you would see only from a military dictator. We need to fight for democracy in America.

[Francine Frensky]

99. Can you help DU this ajc editorial?

Jim Wooten, repub. editor, had this very anti-dem opinion column today:

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/wooten/2005/...

he says all the dems have is negative comments about bush, and are trying to rewrite history on the war vote.

let's hit him with this find.

anyone else care to help?

[truthout]

104. Jim Wooten would laugh with good reason....

This document is just a "memorandum" reminding those that directly work under the executive branch of their responsibilities. It in no way takes away any security clearances of the congress.

I'm surprised that very few if any know that those in congress have different levels of security clearance. Those on the intelligence committees have a higher level of security in certain areas than the rest of the members of congress. As for punishment in leaking classified info, just ask Sen. "leaky" Leighy why he was thrown off the senate intelligence committee for.

I see that the question keeps coming up... "why stuff like this isn't reported on and treated like another explosive controversy?" The truth is that if people just dug a little deeper on what is brought up and get the whole story plus learn how the federal government works as it applies to a story like this, there would be less rumor-mongering and more serious attempts at getting to the real things going on.

Oh and by the way... 'Justice is coming' is right and TankLV is wrong on this. Tank, can you point out WHERE this memorandum says that it took away the security clearance of the senators?

[carolinalady]

103. So this goes back to my question about Cheney--last week

why was he discussing "top secret national security stuff" like the secret prisons to senators without clearance? He needs to be fired. This is the second time.

[havocmom]

105. Kick for those who were away for the weekend

[scrutineer]

106. No - 96 senators denied

Actually, Bush pulled security clearances from 96 senators and 431 representatives – a total of 527 members of congress.