Dems Want Probe Into Bush's Iraq Claims (New Demand)

[Nambe]

Associated Press

--- "This is a very important admission," said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota. "It's a recognition that we were provided faulty information. And I think it's all the more reason why a full investigation of all of the facts surrounding this situation be undertaken."

Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, also said that the development underscored a need for more investigation.

"The reported White House statements only reinforce the importance of an inquiry into why the information about the bogus uranium sales didn't reach the policy-makers during 2002 and why, as late as the president's State of the Union address in January 2003, our policy- makers were still using information which the intelligence community knew was almost certainly false," Levin said. ---

Privatize bush It’s a Good Thing

[The Magistrate]

1. Good For The Senators

This matter needs a thorough airing. It clearly was a deliberate lie, known to be a lie each time it was uttered. The forgeries could not have imposed upon anyone knowledgeable, or been put together by anyone competent in the craft: that they were forgeries was clearly known to the White House long before the State of the Union address.

[The Blue Flower]

2. Parliament findings

I've been wondering ever since this story broke today whether the * admin doesn't feel safe admitting this because the Parliament's findings were that the information was forged, but there's no PROOF that Blair intentionally lied. Maybe they're hoping to get through this relatively unhurt because they think that no one can prove intention.

[the_sam]

4. They can't prove it because...

They were only provided access to a small portion of what would've been needed to report an accurate evaluation of what really happened.

[Bandit]

9. So we should allow a Pre-emptive attack on another country with limited

intellegence? We were told they had completely reliable information and knew not only the amounts of WMD but also the locations. Now they are saying they really didn't know very much and what they did know might have been faulty. I'm sure glad the "Adults" are in charge.

[The Magistrate]

11. Indeed, Sir

That is the point which must be hammered home remorselessly: repeatedly these reptiles said they had precise information about precise quantities and precise locations of these things. Each such statement was a lie; a deliberate lie; known to be a lie by the mouth that uttered it. There can be, by now, no doubt whatever of that fact.

[TahitiNut]

13. The biggest Red Herring in history?

Has it passed notice that the WMD lies were a gross compounding of the appalling doctrine of "Preemptive War"? By focusing on the accuracy and integrity of WMD claims, are we not tacitly accepting this doctrine?

There's no small part of complicity on the part of those who'd continue to dispute/defend such claims while failing to acknowledge the irrevocably specious nature of a doctrine that relies on infallible prescience to foretell some future act.

[The Magistrate]

14. It Does Not Seem So To Me, Mr. Nut

Though opinions may certainly differ. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of that proposition, it is a popular one, which many people are in agreement with. Even those who agree with it, may be moved by realization the proclaimed justification was a deliberate lie, for while they may feel it can be justified if the looming danger is real, they may well know it mere aggression, impossible to justify, where there is no real threat.

[TahitiNut]

20. May I be so bold to suggest ...

... that I cannot foresee any rationalization for a preemptive war that would not be called "secret" and would thus be withheld from the People under whose sole authority any war might be Constitutionally declared? It therefore is in total opposition to any sense of the Constitution wherein the authority to declare war would be segregated from the purported justification. This single, simple observation should suffice to portray the illegitimacy of that doctrine. This is not theoretical or hypothetical. It is real and actual and has blown a huge hole in the foundation of this rePublic.

[The Magistrate]

25. A Sound Point, Sir

If you may forgive an antiquarian's musings, it seems to me that basic hole was wrought long ago by the lapse of the old custom of voting a formal declaration of war in Congress assembled. The current practice of open-ended resolutions, and later report under the farce known as the War Powers Act, have already removed that decision from the people and their representatives, and placed it essentially in executive hands, with no more review than any monarch is subject to.

[TahitiNut]

26. Well, my memory's not what it once was,

but I don't recall any US military incursion in the last 50 years where there wasn't already armed hostilities (if only a 'civil' war) and where the rationale wasn't made (mostly) public. Yes, I now know the Gulf of Tonkin incident was mostly a fabrication, but it was the rationale not for incursion but expansion. Panama was, until Afghanistan, the least legitimate 'regime change,' IMHO. Clearly, the War Powers Act is a poor excuse for reins on the warhorse. It seems to me though that all trace of legitimacy, however fragile, is now dissolved.

[The Magistrate]

6. The Intention, Sir, Is In The Context Of The Act

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. If these reptiles expect that sort of sophistry to weigh with the people en masse, they are more foolish than it is safe to give them credit for.

[placton]

3. Be still, my beating heart!

Daschle! Levin's been pretty good in the past, keeping his powder pretty dry though. But Daschle seems to be doing everything to get re-elected, and he must be smelling the "odor" a bit.

These guys need to start quoting from the Pearl Harbor congressional investigation, and others in the past. Pearl Harbor's the best, because now we can start calling this Bush's "Pearl Harbor investigation."

[David Zephyr]

5. "It's Not About Sex, It's About The Lies"

Dick Cheney railroaded this false information to the American Public to start a war that would within 30 days from its start result in a secretive contract with Halliburton for $7 BILLION of U.S. taxdollars. The contract did not go out for bid. Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton and STILL is on their payroll.

Here's Robert Scheer's article in the LA Times today fingering Cheney.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-scheer8jul08,1,2825279.story

[Fleshdancer]

7. This is going to get messy

I have a feeling this is going to explode into something big (for good reason). The fact that it's on the news channels is a good sign.

My biggest concern right now is the low morale of our troops. Hearing this will only make it harder for them to handle their sitting duck status in Iraq. My heart goes out to their families too...life stands still until your loved one gets back from war.

[dusty64]

18. It IS big, but

will it get any coverage. I never heard a peep about the "bring em on" travesty from my local media.

[kainah]

28. it has been getting a lot of coverage today

and I think the "bring 'em on" statement softened the media up to the idea of hitting this harder now. I do think things are shifting. And remember, for once the storyline is easy: He lied to take us into war. He lied, people died.

[Room101]

8. Drip , Drip please!

...

[PBinOregon]

10. They Crossed A Line

I do believe that * and pals crossed a line that is unacceptable to the American people, and that this is finally coming out. And I believe the Democratic leadership has, at last, the opening they feel good enough about to take. It's long overdue.

It just might be that Dean, Kucinich, Graham and other strong voices are giving them the push to do the right thing. They're doing it, and that's vital.

Here's to a very hot summer for Bush, Inc.

[hedda_foil]

12. The Long Hot Summer of Smirk's Discontent?

Oh please, Lord, please BRING IT ON!

[Nottingham]

15. I agree with Levin! We need to know the NAMES!

and who made this BIG MISTAKE cause went to WAR over this Bullshit!

[LauraK]

16. The Brits sent a disclaimer to the White House...Paper trail

does exist. Impeach dimson NOW.

[UpInArms]

17. looks like Cheney knew -

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=422942

The claim: Senior White House officials claim Mr Wilson's findings never reached them.

The verdict: Mr Wilson says his mission came at the request of the Vice- President, Dick Cheney.

[DrBB]

19. Right on LEVIN--love this angle of attack

"The reported White House statements only reinforce the importance of an inquiry into why the information about the bogus uranium sales didn't reach the policy-makers during 2002 and why, as late as the president's State of the Union address in January 2003, our policy- makers were still using information which the intelligence community knew was almost certainly false," Levin said.

This is IT, I think--the wedge that gets them into it bigtime. The question "Did the president lie" is easy to dismiss as partisanship. But there is an equally nasty issue built into the Crime Family's COVER story--namely, if you DIDN'T know it was bogus, if this report really DIDN'T get to you...

WHY THE FUCK NOT???

Isn't it a rather, ahem, important matter, this question of you know, a nuclear threat to the United States??? And you're telling us a year and 9 months after 9/11 that you can't keep TRACK of something like this? People don't TELL you things????

To me this is much harder to wriggle off of, since it's based on taking them at their word rather than accusing them (initially) of lying. Which makes it much harder to deny an inquiry. "Aren't you concerned that such important reports on such critical matters are simply going missing? What ELSE has gotten lost in the bureaucracy then? What else don't you know about that you should?"

I'm so pleased to see Levin taking this angle of attack--I think it's a killer.

[gulliver]

22. "nuclear threat to the United States"

There just isn't any excuse for being that wrong about something that important. And that happened over a year after the lesson 9/11 supposedly taught us about getting serious with intelligence. It's inexcusable.

[dfong63]

23. if bush* was deceived, then why

... why isn't he mad as hell and turning over every stone to find out who deceived him? why aren't heads rolling? why isn't he busily formulating bold new guidelines to make sure such a deception can never occur again? and why hasn't he apologized to the american people, and to the world?

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

21. On an unrelated note,

when Daschle was giving that statement, did anyone else notice Ted Kennedy in the background glaring at him? I think he was pissed at Daschle hogging the camera...

[Oilwellian]

24. Oh please....give me a break.

Pffffttttt!

[kainah]

27. This AP report is all over the country's newspapers

and it should be appearing in many next to a story headlined "9/11 Panel Complains about Access to Documents." :bounce:

[mike6640]

29. Just Saw Levin on CNN

Amazing approach. He was only slightly critical of *admin. His Justification was:

"Someone in the bowels of the CIA made a conscious descision to withold this critical information from the policy makers. We need to get to the bottom of this."

We all know much to the contrary, and I think Levin does too.

He will not be allowed to investigate *, Pugs wouldn't allow that. The CIA will undoubtedly be able to produce evidence in their defence.

I hope.

[Hailtothechimp]

30. Here's the email I sent to my Rep. (Jan Schakowsky) tonight

When George W. Bush gave his State of the Union Address this year, he lied to you, your colleagues, and all of the American People about Iraq seeking uranium from Africa. The White House has even admitted as much.

As a result of the war which was at least partially premised on this falsehood, hundreds of our brave servicemen and women have already lost their lives, along with thousands of Iraqis we will never hear about. This is more than a shame. It is a high crime which warrants the impeachment of George W. Bush.

I thank you for your service to this nation, and to the people of Chicago and the northern suburbs. I also thank you for opposing the war as you did. Now that the truth has begun to come out, I implore you to do what must be done for the good of the nation. Please shoulder your constitutional duty to remove this president from the office he is no longer fit to hold. Thank you for your attention to this request.