Help, please. Building Talking Points on DMS letter

[TayTay]

What is it: http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/

What does it mean: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/

Why a letter? Why write to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence? What happens next?
(TayTay doesn't know the answers to these questions. She prays that she is making an informed guess, but is not sure.)

KerryGoddess posted that hearings would go before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Rules of that committee state:

http://intelligence.senate.gov/rules%20of%20procedure.h ...

Rule 6. Investigations
No investigation shall be initiated by the Committee unless at least five members of the Committee have specifically requested the Chairman or the Vice Chairman to authorize such an investigation. Authorized investigations may be conducted by members of the Committee and/or designated Committee staff members.

The members of the Committee, from whom five sigs are needed are:

REPUBLICANS
Pat Roberts, Kansas Chairman
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah
Mike Dewine, Ohio
Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Trent Lott, Mississippi
Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
Saxby Chambliss, Georgia

DEMOCRATS
John D. Rockefeller IV West Virginia, Vice Chairman
Carl Levin, Michigan
Dianne Feinstein, California
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Evan Bayh, Indiana
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey

Why The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence?

Because this committee has oversight responsibilities on the US intelligence agencies. They are supposed to monitor the CIA, NSA and other Intel gathering bodies and make sure they are doing their jobs correctly. Obviously, something went wrong in the build-up to the Iraq War. There were no weapons of mass destruction. This is a link to the conclusion of their WMD report: http://intelligence.senate.gov/conclusions.pdf

The Bush Admin has responded to the fact that there were no WMDs by saying:
-- that everyone in the world thought there were WMDs, so this makes it okay.
-- that the CIA and other Intel agencies were derelict in their duties and mis-informed the Admin. (This is a blatant lie.)
-- that Congress (Esp. the Senate) had the same Intel as the White House and knew what the Bushies knew. The Downing Street Memos strongly suggest that this is also a lie. "The facts were being fixed around the policy" is exactly backwards and a mockery of what a build-up to something as serious as war should entail.

------ need more, people ---------

Why write a letter? Why does Sen. Kerry want to do this?

------------ pure conjecture here, not more than that, CORRECT ME AT WILL ----------

Sen. Kerry voted for the IWR purely based on the pushed notion that Iraq posed an immediate threat to the security of the US. He stressed, over and over, that all alternative means shy of war should and must be tried first. He also wanted to see the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq as a direct effort to get Saddam Hussein to show that he wasn't activating his weapons program. Kerry's vote was based on the presence of WMDs in Iraq that were capable of being activated and used against this country and that they posed a threat. The DSM point to the Admin knowing that this case was weak and that the case being pushed to the US Congress (and the UN in Colin Powell's speech) was, at best, weak, at worst an outright lie. So, this goes to the heart of Kerry's vote and the reasons and conscience that drove that vote.

Part II coming... (tomorrow, time constraints)

[ginnyinWI]

1. He always said that Bush rushed to war

and now he wants to be able to say (and have proof) that Bush also lied to everyone. And if he lied to Congress, that's impeachable. So we'll just have to see where this all leads. Seems the prosecuter is building a case for impeachment step by step--or at least to totally discredit Bush and everyone connected to him, and give a serious blow to the Republican party. Go get 'em, Johnny!

[Island Blue]

2. George W. Bush = LIE

Last year during the campaign, Shrub Co. had 50% (+/- 1%) believing and repeating that John Kerry was a flip-flopper. Of course WE all know that was just silly and untrue.

George W. Bush however, IS a liar. That has now become a documented fact (we always knew it). I think for our part, it is important to start framing him as such when talking to people who might not be as well informed as we are about the DSM. "George Bush lied about why we needed to go into Iraq." "Six soldiers died today because George Bush lied to congress and to the American people."

Lying is what ultimately brought about Bill Clinton's impeachment. Oh how I wish the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was only lying about getting a bj.

I love the way Kerry is methodically laying the ground work here. I know that has always been his style rather than shooting from the hip and I think it's exactly the right approach to take. This isn't a stump speech to fire up the masses. This is serious stuff.


By the way Tay Tay, nice work on your post - looking forward to Part Deaux today.

[TayTay]

3. I may not get to part 2 until Sunday.

I have a party to go to today. (Local pols day. And it's going to be wicked hot. And I'm a winter or at least fall person. Sigh! What I go through for democracy, let me tell ya.)

Bush is a liar. He has nearly broken the military with his half-baked plans for the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq. 1736 soliders have died in combat and thousands more will suffer with injuries for the rest of their lives. Countless more of our troops will suffer psychological problems as well. The rate of homelessness, drug addiction and depression among returning vets is on the increase. Unfortunately, the budget to treat those who volunteered to give their lives for their country is on the decrease. Shame on Bush and Shame on the Congress for not demanding accountability.

There was an article cited on DKos today about the shame of the Bush Admin and their $1 Billion dollar deficit in the Veteran's budget. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/25/03649/8345
Leading Vets groups are beginning to realize that Rethugs are not their friends and have been using them for political purposes. The tide is turning in America. Sen. Kerry is doing his job as a Legislator by insisting that Congress hold oversight hearings. I just wish that more Dems would join in his call for a hearing. Hell, just do it for the troops. People who risk their lives for their country deserve to know the truth about why they are being put in harm's way.

BTW, I love my Junior Senator. He's had a great week. So here's some floaty hearts for my Greatly Esteemed Junior Senator: :loveya:
Ya do us proud there Big Guy. I'm wicked happy about the call for hearings. It's awesome. And you rock, you really, really do. :loveya:

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :applause:

[ginnyinWI]

4. I had a thought last night, still with me today--

As heartbreaking as it was to see Kerry not get the presidency, what is happening to Bush and the Republican party right now might almost be worth the pain.
Rather than having the Democrats clean up their messes for them periodically,and thereby escaping having the public really see how bad their policies are for America, he Republicans are starting to really be held responsible for what they've wrought.
I hope this process continues: I hope they crack, shatter and fall into a heap. The Dems seem to be really geared up for the fight. I hope the neocons get as thoroughly discredited as the McCarthyites and go away permanently. Let the old moderate conservatives retake possession of the party--they were much more sane.

But I do still very much hope JK gets his chance to be in the White House. He's so qualified and ready for it.

[whometense]

6. It seemed to me

that as foul and repellent Rove's words were the other day, they betrayed an underlying panic. Any time you see Rove out in the spotlight that seems to mean they're scared. Which is to say that John chose his timing well when he hit back yesterday.

[ginnyinWI]

7. you know, that's right!

That rat doesn't like coming out into the light of day, does he? The last time I remember seeing him is after the first(?) debate, I think it was, and he was spinning the chimp's horrible performance as fast as his twitchy little mouth could form words. At the time I was thinking, hmmm he didn't trust this job to anyone else--it must be panic time. I do think this last statement took him by surprise. He didn't think he'd get any sort of blowback from anyone. Smug little creep.

[Island Blue]

8. I was thinking of something similar today while I was working

I was thinking that in '08, after Shrub Co. has royally fucked up this country, we are really, really going to need a true statesman with experience in Washington to lead us back to reality. (I just happen to know of such a person by the way!) I'm sure there will be some folks crying that we need an outsider (say maybe a Governor) but isn't that how we got into this huge mess we're in now?

[whometense]

5. I'm a winter/fall person too.

Hope you don't wither too badly. ;-)

There are surprisingly few of us, even in New England. I'm planning to wimp out indoors today as much as possible.


Oh, and I'm not ignoring your thread - I love what you've compiled here. This just isn't my strong suit. Floaties for John :loveya: :loveya: who is, I hope, enjoying the ocean this weekend. He's earned a respite.

[TayTay]

9. I hope he's on the islands too

72 degrees there. 97 for a high here. Sigh! (And the islands are so beautiful. Too bad nobody lives there anymore.)

[Island Blue]

10. Unbelievable!

Y'all were 27 degrees hotter than we were down here in my part of NC! Of course this is on the coast, it may have been hotter inland - I haven't paid much attention to the Weather Channel.