Change the course in Iraq
Nov 2, 10:38 AM | Harry Reid
Instead of uniting the country around a consensus nominee, the White House has chosen a potentially divisive candidate to distract from its current problems. A Supreme Court nomination is too important to be scripted from the Karl Rove playbook of distract, deceive, and divide.
And while George Bush attempts to distract the country, he knows CIA leak case is bigger than the indictment of Scooter Libby or Karl Rove. It is about how the Administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions. Now it’s time for President Bush to come clean with the American people.
Now we know there were no WMDs in Iraq and no connection to the terrorists who attacked America on September 11. Yet Republicans, led by George Bush continue to peddle a disingenuous tale: Claiming we attacked Iraq because of September 11th. Every day that these myths continue to be perpetrated by the White House our country becomes less and less safe.
George Bush needs to know this failure of leadership cannot continue. He needs to lay out the facts about Iraq and his strategy to achieve military, political and economic success to bring our troops home.
Join me and tell George Bush: You can no longer mislead Congress and the American people. It’s time for an Iraq success strategy that will bring our troops home by clicking here:
http://giveemhellharry.com/page/petition/iraq
Sadly, George Bush, Dick Cheney and Republican leaders have never admitted any of their mistakes to either Congress or the American people. According to the National Journal, in a story that was overshadowed last week: “Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby . . . decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”
A cloud also hangs over this Republican-controlled Congress for its unwillingness to hold this Republican Administration accountable for its misdeeds on these issues. What has been the response of this Republican-controlled Congress to the Administration’s manipulation of intelligence that led to this protracted war in Iraq? Basically nothing. Did the Republican-controlled Congress carry out its constitutional obligations to conduct oversight? No. Did it support our troops and their families by providing them the answers to many important questions? No. Did it even attempt to force this Administration to answer the most basic questions about its behavior? No.
That is why yesterday I motioned to put the Senate into a special closed session of Congress to force Republicans to discus these important issues of national security. If Republicans will not do their constitutional oversight duty, Democrats will force them to discuss these issues.
http://giveemhellharry.com/page/petition/iraq
Supporting the troops means providing them a strategy for success. We cannot continue to stay the course in Iraq – we must change the course. America can do better and our brave men and women deserve better.
Comment
- I commend you for your actions in the Senate yesterday. You give all of us hope that there might be real leadership among the Democrats after all. You stood up for us—thank you.
— Christy Cummings Nov 2, 10:43 AM # - Thank you so much, for giving the Inteligence Committee the kick they needed to get things done. It’s only taken them 2 years! Keep up the good work :)
— Veronica Odden Nov 2, 10:54 AM # - Senator Reid, you made me very proud yesterday. I can only imagine the kind of pressure you, Senator Durbin and other Democratic Senators were under in taking this courageous act of LEADERSHIP. I want you to know how very grateful i, and many, many other Americans are for your doing it.
— Martha Sullivan Nov 2, 10:59 AM # - GO HARRY!!!!
It’s so refreshing to have someone kicking sand into the faces of political Bullies.
VM
— Vaughn McIlrath Nov 2, 11:02 AM # - Dear Sen. Reid,
You are my hero!!! The democrats were dead and you are bringing them back to life! I know at least 100 people who sat in front of their TV’s yesterday afternoon and cheered out loud when you called for a closed session. There are so many liberal Democrats like myself who have lost all faith in our party. You are giving us hope. Thank you.
Bush & his entire administration should be investigated and the people of the United States should be told the truth, what happened, when and focus on bringing back our dignity, putting an end to this war we have already lost and get on with the business of taking care of our nation, our poor, our elderly and our children.
Sincerely,
s.m.kyle
teacher/parent/
end the war!
— blue cayuga Nov 2, 11:04 AM # - I just donated $25 to Searchlight—I had to say Thank You for showing genuine leadership and courage. I can’t tell you how excited I am to see real Democratic Leadership in action. Give ‘em Hell!
— Andy Nov 2, 11:05 AM # - THANK YOU ! THANK YOU ! THANK YOU !
Keep it up! Show them that the Democratic Party won’t take it anymore! We’re tired of seeing our friends and family and neighbors dying! We’re sick of watching helplessly as Conservatives screw with democracy! We want our children—not just American, but all children, even Iraqi children—to have a better future and a more stable world! We want to fix the problem of terrorism with humanitarianism! We want this nightmare to end. We stand behind you 100%!!!!!!!
— JMG Nov 2, 11:07 AM # - http://www.tompaine.com/cabal/
Please use imagery like this to help the Americans to understand the complexity of the red-con’s plans and actions. People just don’t know.
— humidhaney Nov 2, 11:09 AM # - Senator Reid,
I wish we could clone you, but the current mal-administration won’t let us.
Thanks for lighting a fire. Now let’s keep throwing some fuel on it.
Should you need some throat lozenges for the upcoming fillibuster, I suspect the donations will pour in from across the nation.
Damn right. Give ‘em hell, and with vigor!
— Mark Richards Nov 2, 11:15 AM # - Senator Reid,
Bravo!!!
It’s about time you guys got out there and gave them hell. Keep the heat on, especially with this issue. I think this is the one to turn things around.
Milly Glimcher
— Mildred Glimcher Nov 2, 11:19 AM # - Thank you Harry for taking a stand for ALL of us. We love our country but cannot stand our current inept administration, and long for real leadership. I loved your response to Frist’s comment about conferencing with him first – why should we allow him to thwart our efforts by giving the majority foreknowledge – it was wonderful! Thanks again for all you do for us.
— Melissa Nov 2, 11:19 AM # - I am so proud of you for taking the bull by the horns! It is about time we, the people, started raising some hell and you are the leader! Thank goodness someone FINALLY did this. The anger is this country is really building. We are sick and tired of this clowns in the White House. We want the truth and we want accountability. This charade has gone on far too long. It’s time to end this “Mission Accomplished” road show. Thanks for taking the lead. I, for one, am very grateful for your courage and leadership.
— Judy C. - Minnesota Nov 2, 11:22 AM # - Thank you for fighting for us.
Please keep it up!
— RAS Nov 2, 11:26 AM # - Could you be a bigger embarassment? You are a disgrace and a subhuman. You bring nothing of substance to the national debate, and are a complete lightweight. All the people who support the likes of you will have to account for their treason someday.
— Finlay Nov 2, 11:30 AM # - Thank you Mr. Reid!
— Frazier Nov 2, 11:32 AM # - Harry,
I’m not sure what a closed-door session means, but can’t the Democrats just begin hearings on the criminal activities of the current President?
Democrats don’t need the permission of Republicans for everything they do, do they?
Band together, tell the truth, make some noise.
Where are the Democrats?
— Steven Moore Nov 2, 11:33 AM # - Thank you Senator Reid:
I stood up and cheered yesterday. I am proud to be a Progessive and I am proud of you.
Fight the republications on every issue. Call for oversight on every issue. Shine a light on the actions they used to get us into this unnecessary war.
These people are wrapping themselves in the flag to hide there dirty tricks. Please help us redem American in the eyes of the world.
Be bold and have courage! The truth is on our side.
Willam Tomlin
Democrat
— William Tomlin Nov 2, 11:34 AM # - Thank your electorate for having the sense to sustain you in office. Thank you for working with the Democratic Party to speak truth to power. Thank you for helping our country evolve beyond its imperialistic mistakes in the Middle East. Bless you! Karen
— Karen McKinnon Nov 2, 11:35 AM # - ‘Finlay’ seems to be confused as to precisely where the treason lies in our country these days….......
Thankyou Senator, I have been asking for a very long time …..”Will the person in charge of passing out ‘Balls’ to the Democrats please proceed immediately.” Your action yesterday seems to confirm that it has begun …..What took so long?
— amish451 Nov 2, 11:38 AM # - Fantastic! I consider yesterday to be one of the greatest political “Stand up and be heard” moments of the past decade. Frist’s quote -”They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas” – proves that you hit them where it hurts – in their own sandbox where they believe they have complete and total control. And this statement coming from a man who is being investigated himself and whose party is being ravaged by criminal, ethical and civil investigations. Now, remind me again, Bill. Who is it that has no princliples?
— Bonnie Nov 2, 11:40 AM # - Finlay (post #14).
Finlay, I think you need a refresher course in current affairs.
— Judy C. Nov 2, 11:47 AM # - I hope yesterday was the first sign of history rewriting itself back into reason and out of extremism, rampant greed, lies, deception. Never has there been a time when Democratic chutzpah has been more necessary, lest we lose this precious (and obviously fragile) democracy forever. It’s time for American Bread and Circuises to end in all areas, and I do believe that yesterday was the real beginning!
Keep on, Senator—we’re 200% behind you and will support you in every way we can!
— Miriam Nov 2, 11:47 AM # - I’m so proud to be a Nevadan! Thank you for standing up for our right to know.
The cronyism, corruption and incompetence by this administration is mind boggling! One of the reasons for the war was to give administration cronys a license to steal.
First, contracts were awarded without having to bid. Then, the bill authorizing the supplemental $89 billion was stripped of language that would have made it a punishable offense to cheat the government by overcharging on those contracts. This Bush White House has taken “good old boy cronyism” and elevated it to an art form. Those stunts were nothing more than a blatant announcement that there will be no oversight of the almost $20 billion slated for Iraqi reconstruction. an anti-profiteering provision was supported unanimously until it went to conference and the White House let Republican Senators know it wanted it nixed. Of course, if it had gone through, Halliburton would have been subjected to fines and up to 20 years in jail, since it is currently charging $2.65 a gallon for gas imported to Iraq from Kuwait while the Iraq state oil company is able to import that same gas for 97 cents a gallon. That puts almost a third of the $900 million requested by the administration for importing petroleum products into Halliburton’s cash register. Cha-ching! That’s right up there with the $89 sheets of plywood. Cha-ching! And they haven’t even really gotten started yet. Between the larcenous conspiracy to rip off the American taxpayer by Bush’s corporate cronies and the administration’s choice to rule Iraq, Ahmed Chalabi, with his bookkeeping that loses billions at the drop of a decimal they should be able to dispatch that $20 billion in no time, especially when they misplace $9 billion of our tax dollars and can’t account for any of it.
Why object to an anti-profiteering provision unless profiteering was sinething expected and approved for whatever reason? It’s the same as why anyone would object to a bill that banned torture if you didn’t intend to torture.
They are so blatant because they don’t care what the people think. They are the elite and don’t accept any responsibility. They can’t admit a mistake. They have no respect for the rule of law because they feel it doesn’t apply to them.
I’ll be so glad when we can get them out of the White House and fumigate it.
— Joann F Nov 2, 11:48 AM # - Keep givin’ ‘em HELL Harry! It’s time we stopped obliging the elephant’s agenda and sent them pachyderming!
We DEMAND truthful answers and you’re the point man for us.
I beg you to make liar Frist & crew squirm some more. Let’s make him think the insider trading scandal is the LEAST of his worries!
— Bob K. Nov 2, 11:50 AM # - Joann F.: Great post. It’s so nice to see that some people actually do their homework and THINK. Good for you! We might have a chance now with Senator Reid spearheading the way. I will be first in line to help with the fumigation!
— Judy C. - Minnesota Nov 2, 11:53 AM # - Thank you for your leadership and courage. You’ve made us all very proud.
— Joan Nov 2, 11:53 AM # - Thank so much for your actions yesterday. It’s great to see Democrats standing up to these bullies. Keep up the good work.
— Ruth Ortbal Nov 2, 11:55 AM # - Dear Sen. Reid:
I’ve supported you as Senate Leader from Day one. I knew you’d lose patience at some point and let these bullies have it. Now is the time.
The Republicans are ruining the country financially, costing lives and suffering for our soldiers, and risking national security daily.
You did a great job stopping the Social Security attack.
Now 60% of Americans know the truth and DISAPPROVE OF BUSH.
These are all your supporters. Kick some you know what.
We all support you.
With respect,
A Democrat Since Birth
— autorank Nov 2, 11:56 AM # - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU HARRY, AND GO! GO! GO!
We the thinking people have needed a ray of hope for so long. We’ll send some oats for your white horse.
Keep it going for Americans!
— Kat & Reed in Oregon Nov 2, 11:58 AM # - good work yesterday – thanks a lot. and give ‘em hell, harry!
— lah Nov 2, 11:58 AM # - Thank you so much for speaking for all of us who believe our country is being lied to. Thank you for taking the risk of their retribution for your honesty and standing up for truth. I cheer you and your values. Thanks. Keep fighting for us.
— TONI CAMPBELL Nov 2, 11:58 AM # - Hooray for you – your courage and creative solution to stonewalling yesterday really made a difference – you’ve given Democrats reasons to be proud. Now, we need to keep after it – this is only the beginning. All they’re really required to do is to come back with a plan – then we need to make sure the plan is FINALLY put into action, so that truth can be discovered and uncovered as to the lies that got us into this war. I urge you also to start talking about EXIT STRATEGY. That is what Americans want you to do. You are our leader, and we are depending on you to begin this debate. The lies are obvious…..we don’t have time to wait until this inquiry and phase II plays out, in the time warp of senate slow motion…...lives and honor are at stake. Many democrats are speaking out for an end to the war, exit strategy. Please use your position as leader to encourage this debate. Barbara Carr
— barbara carr Nov 2, 11:59 AM # - I received your new site and am disappointed what came through as poor typing of words. Please correct, if possible. I thought it might be a scam. But I was heartened by the words.
Thanks for ALL you are doing. Your words and actions gives me hope to be able to sleep. This President is so detrimental to our country that his decisions (or whoever is running him) makes me feel like our direction is tht of an auger coring into a bottomless pit.
— Esther Sandberg Nov 2, 11:59 AM # - Finlay: Yes, Senator Reid could be a bigger embarrassment; by standing by and allowing the current administration to continue their political agenda which only enriches the rich and punishes the rest of our great nation. I’m tired of being ashamed to be an American because of all this administration has done. Right now I am one of the proudest Americans because of what Senator Reid did yesterday. A new day is coming and you had better get used to it. Like George said “Bring it on”. Thank you Senator Reid for standing up for ALL Americans.
— Barb B Nov 2, 12:01 PM # - Senator Reid:
I just wanted to thank you for taking such a strong stand. Hopefully other democratic senators do the same and back you up throughout this process. You can’t do it alone. This is the time for all the democratic senators to show they have a backbone and not wait until it’s “convenient” for them to finally speak up against this war.
— Sandra Elias Nov 2, 12:04 PM # - Atta’boy Sen. Reid!
I come from a long line of working-class Democrats and we’re all very proud of you and Sen. Durbin for giving these Republican bullies a good swift kick in the pants to remind them that although they may be in the majority, the rest of us are still in the game and we’re fighting back.
Sen. Frist and his Republican cronies seem to forget that they work for ALL Americans, not just the Republicans that voted for them and especially not for the criminals—yes, CRIMINALS—that LIED to the Congress and to the American people about our reasons for the ILLEGAL INVASION of Iraq.
Keep up the good work and GIVE’EM HELL!
— Gabriela Bilich Nov 2, 12:04 PM # - Give ‘Em Hell Harry.
We’ve needed this for a long time. The jig is up for the Grand O’l Party and it’s time to skewer them to their record and roast them in the public eye.
As of 11/02/2005 – 2,032 US military deaths. 15K US Military wounded, 120K + Iraq civilian Deaths, 300+Billion spent – The time for answers has come and gone, Now its time for accountability.
— Michael Harris Nov 2, 12:05 PM # - Give em Hell Harry. Tell Iraq to go to Hell. Tell those people we wish they were still dying at the rate 50-60 times what is happening from out of country terrorists. Tell them they are worthless, and that you as the all mighty American, can use them for political gain.
— BILL Nov 2, 12:11 PM # - Senator Reid,
Yesterday morning, I was feeling pretty low – hopeless and impotent. I asked a co-worker “Why does it seem that no one shares the indignant outrage that I feel over being duped, lied to, and betrayed by our own government? Why is no one willing to stand up and demand answers? Are they really going to get away with all of this?” That very day, Mr Reid, when I was at my most cynical, the Democrats made a stand. I applaud you, and I implore you to not let it end here. There’s much more to be done. You are the voice for those of us who cannot be heard.
— C.D. - North Carolina Nov 2, 12:14 PM # - A Democrat named Harry who’s willing to give ‘em hell can move mountains.
A few neocons shouldn’t be a problem.
See this link; distribute as freely as you like:
http://x11.putfile.com/11/30510442851.jpg
— Richard Walker Nov 2, 12:18 PM # - Senator, thank you again for standing up to the Republican thugs that have corrupted and mismanaged our government for the past five years (and beyond). I hope your actions light a fire under some of the more candyas$ed Democrats who want to continue to appease and “compromise with” the Republicans. If the Democrats stand up, stand strong, and stand together against this GOP onslaught, the so-called “hammerlock” the GOP has on the government will shatter. All it takes is guts, determination, and moral fortitude.
— Black Max Nov 2, 12:19 PM # - THANK YOU Senator Reid. I really appreciate your courage and am thankful that our Democratic leadership is fighting back! I encourage you to keep up the good fight.
Give ‘em Hell Harry!
— Elle Kauffman Nov 2, 12:24 PM # - Bravo!! Please keep up the pressure for an open and genuine investigation. It’s time the Bush administration was brought down. Thank you for a brilliant political move – keep them backed into a corner and keep the spotlight on. I have a horrible feeling (due mostly to being an old antiwar activist who has been repeatedly lied to by her government) that this administration knew that 9/11 was going to happen and did nothing about it, it being a “convenient catastrophe”. Nail them to the wall!!
Also, please work to defeat Alito. I refuse to live in a country that would permit this right-wing nut to sit on the Supreme Court.
Keep up the good work.
— Linda Fulcher Nov 2, 12:31 PM # - I also want to thank you for finally standing up to this administration. Now that yesterday is gone do not let it fade away. Keep throwing fuel into the fire and keep kicking sand.
let’s give em hell harry!!!! Now stop the Judge nomination!!!
— Bill Noble Nov 2, 12:35 PM # - Change the course in Iraq? Great idea. We can’t have those brown people voting and stuff, can we? We need to respect their cultural values, such as sawing the heads off of Christian teen-age girls and dropping Kurds into industrial plastic-shredders.
END THE WAR ON KURD-MUTILIATION!!! LET SADDAM RAPE WHOMEVER HE WANTS!!! CHRISTIAN TRAMPS DON’T DESERVE TO HAVE HEADS!!!
You give ‘em hell, Harry.
— SobekPundit Nov 2, 12:40 PM # - Senator Ried: There are millions of people out here on the Internet (though patriots they have been named activists to denegrade) who are waiting patiently to support moves of the nature you made yesterday. I am sure all are hoping hope against hope that you seize this issue like a bulldog and do not let go until the truth is told. Nothing can get better until this nation faces the truth.
— H. David Tattershall Nov 2, 12:41 PM # - What you did yesterday Senator Reid was give the people hope, hope that America is turning a corner towards justice; as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Since 9/11 and the following “rally around the flag” honest hard-working Democrats have had wait for that arc to bend yet again. A light of justice needs to be shown on the Bush Administration, on their lies, their fraud, their cronyism, their malice, and their greed. Please do not stop fighting for justice, and give ‘em hell Harry.
— G Meskus Nov 2, 12:41 PM # - Dear Sen. Reid,
I can’t tell you how elated I was yesterday when you forced the Senate into closed session and demanded that the Republicans deliver on their promises. I hope you saw the c-span pictures of the leaders outside the chamber, purple-faced, indignant , and practically jumping up and down because a Democrat had actually had the nerve to call them to account! I laughed and laughed.
You’re a breath of fresh air. There may be hope for us yet. You GO, Guy—-Give ‘em Hell.
— Frances Clark Nov 2, 12:41 PM # - Thank you for your action yesterday. I finally feel as if someone in the Senate can hear me.
— Deborah Ryder Nov 2, 12:42 PM # - Can I just say THANK YOU for yesterday’s move to force the Republicans to start really being accountable for their actions?!?!? Please keep up the terrific work as this is a tough but much needed battle. I support your efforts 100% and appreciate you bringing back democracy in action as well as pride in the American Government. I am so fed up with seeing our country lose ground in so many areas it is just disturbing. I am very glad you and the rest of the Democratic party are pushing forward. People are dying daily and this war is something that keeps that happening. Many blessings and much support!
— Suzanne Kemp Nov 2, 12:47 PM # - Harry,
The news has just came out about secret CIA
prisons in foreign contries! I suggest ANOTHER
closed door session to make sure the press know we mean business. Hussein, Hitler and Stalin all had secret prisons, and now thanks to Bush, we have them, too. Just like Vietnam,
“we have to kill people to save them.” We used to have friends, and now the world hates us (for good reason).
Dan Watson,
Bristol, Indiana
— Dan Watson Nov 2, 12:50 PM # - WAY TO GO,HARRY!!I’ve been so outraged since the 2000 election debacle in FL,the Fraudulent election in 2004!!!WE DEMOCRATS ARE,the party of integrity,truth and justice for ALL PEOPLE,whether here at home,or around the world!!These CRIMINALS IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION,MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY,OR CITIZENS OF IRAQ,ANYMORE!!Keep up the good work,WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK,AND WE’RE NOT BACKING DOWN!!A LIFELONG DEMOCRAT,AND DAMNED PROUD OF IT!!!!!!!!!Jeannie King
— Jeannie King Nov 2, 12:53 PM # - WAY TO GO! Finally we have some leadership that isn’t scared to stand up and get things done. The Republicans have shown that they only know how to steam roll over people, and what Reid did showed them that we simply aren’t going to take it anymore. Thanks for standing up for the little guy Harry, that is what being a Democrat is all about!
— idealistlefty Nov 2, 12:57 PM # - Thanks, Harry… You totally rule. Thanks for providing the leadership we’ve been waiting for. Keep up the good work and give ‘em hell!
-Storn
PS I just donated…
— Storn White Nov 2, 12:59 PM # - THANK YOU ENORMOUSLY HARRY!
Keep it up! We are so proud that our side isn’t gonna take it anymore. We’ve been feeling pretty downtrodden and discouraged, thinking we’ve been bound and gagged, but this revives our enthusiasm. We’ll be get back to making contributions (made more than ever during the last election). Looking forward to more good moves soon! GO FOR IT, HARRY!
Dan and Judith Greenburg
— Judith Wilson Greenburg Nov 2, 01:01 PM # - Thank you Senator Reid for taking a stance. I really don’t care if you are a Democrat or a Republican – I care that you are willing to stand up and finally start questioning what this whole administration has been doing and continue to bring to light the horrendous decisions and errors that have been made, at all points from the war right down to the environment. I believe that we (the larger majority), as a country, are not being represented in what our beliefs are nor what we stand for. I am tired of the arrogance reflected. I will wait and hope for the truth to unfold and not to be down played or covered up. Hopefully with the facts out in the open, more of the population will be willing to stand and say it is long past a time for a change in guard.
— Kim Nov 2, 01:05 PM # - I sent this letter to Pat Roberts on August 18, 2003 telling him to quit stonewalling and do his job.
To Senator Pat Roberts: On Iraq, all too obvious are the following undeniable facts
http://informeddissent.org/2003/08/to-senator-pat-roberts-on-iraq-all-too-obvious-are-the-following-undeniable-facts.html
I hope your move produces better results. It’s been too long and the facts available to the public are more than enough to justify pushing this thing forward to the exclusion of other business. After all, when THIS government succeeds at doing business, we all lose. The People’s business needs tending to now.
Thank you.
— Michael Miller Nov 2, 01:07 PM # - Dear Mr. Reid,
Heartfelt thanks are in order to you and your colleagues for your stand in the Senate yesterday. Everybody we know has been waiting for this. The founders of our beloved republic wanted a system of checks and balances, not a Congress full of syncophants for the Exectutive branch. We’re hoping that yesterday’s action was just the first shot across their bow. Keep reminding everyone: the neocon lies are getting people killed.
One last thing: where can we donate?
— Don Lange Nov 2, 01:09 PM # - Senator Reid: Thank you so much for your courage and your action in the Senate yesterday !! Finally, someone is standing up for the people of the U.S. and trying to get at the truth. I too have been very discouraged by the lackluster performance of many of our democratic senators and representatives…
and was so pleased that you took action !! I, like many that I know and talk with, feel very strongly that we are not being considered…and these people are supposed to be representing us ! As of yester-
day, 61% of this nation OPPOSE what is going on in
Iraq ! Are our representatives listening ?? So,
thank YOU for doing what needs to be done ! You have my support and prayers !!
— Linda Griffith Nov 2, 01:20 PM # - YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are the leadership our voice has been looking for, for so long, and yesterday’s actions spoke louder than words.
FIGHT EARLY, AND FIGHT OFTEN!!!!
— Todd Harris Nov 2, 01:22 PM # - Thank you,Harry! It was heartening to see you take a stand, take command, and do so with passion and conviction. We needed to see it. It has given us hope that some of our elected officials are doing what we hired them to do: rep-resent the interests of the people, their constituents.
It was a brilliant maneuver, and caught the republicans without any relevant, scripted talking points. It was beautiful to watch. The right wing media pundits….....well….....the shills were especially shrill.
How do you feel about cloning?
— Tam Nov 2, 01:23 PM # - Dear Senator Reid
The more you and other Democratic leaders oppose the entire Bush agenda, foreign and domestic, the more inclined I am to support you. I am grateful for the resistance you are now Congress, and for your own integrity.
But talk about “success” in Iraq is meaningless. It is daily more evident that THE OCCUPATION ITSELF IS THE PROBLEM, and that there is no “success” in Iraq except withdrawal, renunciation of the grandiose, arrogant, untlmately doomed and financially crippling designs of an American Imperium, and a vision of national destiny that emphasizes respect for our own bestvalues, internationalism, modesty, and prudence in the use of our power.
I’ll support any candidate or office holder who recognizes this, and oppose or withdraw support from everyone who doesn’t. For me, its a defining issue.
— Brian Wren Nov 2, 01:37 PM # - Yesterday was the first time in 6 years that I felt like someone was actually looking out for the people of this country. Thank you for your courage and conviction and don’t ever let up!!!
Aloha from Hawaii,
J. Nunes
— joseph nunes Nov 2, 01:39 PM # - Boy, you surprised me! I really didn’t think you had such fight in you! Hurray for Harry!
Grateful that at long last someone is standing up to the Bush agenda. Get the answers. Get the truth about the prelude to the Iraq War and how US citizens were lied to. Anyone who was against the war at the time was considered a traitor. No time to ask questions…Bush was in a hurry to hoodwink us and do what he chose to do. Well, he accomplished his mission all right and now we need to accomplish our mission—expose the truth.
You’re my new superhero, Harry.
Thanks!
Jacqueline
— Jacqueline Nov 2, 01:39 PM # - Finally! Thank you Harry. Your actions on the Hill today make me proud to be a Democrat again.
Please keep giving ‘em hell Harry! There are millions of us right behind you.
— Melissa from Kentucky Nov 2, 01:44 PM # - FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS I’M PROUD OF THE DEMOCRATS – FOR TAKING ACTION! Good work, Harry! Take the bull by the horns and give ‘em hell!
— Phyllis J. Nov 2, 01:49 PM # - THANK YOU!!! Please do not let the matter rest with getting the concealed report. Get the report but don’t accept it as the final word. There is reason to believe it has been watered down. The momentum is with you. Push forward. Hold hearings and if the Republicans will not allow subpoena power, call on the public to shame them into a real investigation. It’s the first time in many years that the Democrats have shown some gumption. GO FOR IT!!
— Carol A. Watson Nov 2, 01:58 PM # - I laughed out loud when I saw Frist in front of the cameras literally trembling, and saying the stupidest things! I was actually moved to make a contribution to the DNC, something I haven’t done since August, 2004. WAY TO GO, HARRY! Hold em’ accountable.
— TLM Nov 2, 02:01 PM # - Harry,
I believe you and the Democratic Party are a bunch of loose cannons who have no agenda but to discredit Bush and his administration! You are part of the party of “NO”...No Substance!
Get a life Harry…you guys make a lot of smoke but there’s no fire!
In 1998, you and every Democrat stated that Iraq had WMD’s and chemical weapons, when Clinton needed to justify his bombing of a pharmaceutical factory and distract from his tonsil-hockey misgivings with Monica. Now you, Former Sen. Bob Graham and Mr. Vietnam Hero Kerry, Howard Dean and dum-dum Rep. Conyers claim there were no WMD’s…get real and find another job, because the one you have isn’t working out.
In June 2003, 500 tons of uranium was found, of which 1.8 tons were highly enriched. We are not all dumb Democrats Harry…you are so Un-American!
Seminolejoe, Seminole FL
— SeminoleJoe Nov 2, 02:05 PM # - GOD BLESS HARRY. The Democrats and most likely many Republicans are behind you. For the first time in many, many months I am enthused and feel that there is hope for this great Nation of ours.
Can someone please explain to me why the President still holds this office? What else does he have to do to be impeached?
— Vera from New Jersey Nov 2, 02:06 PM # - Right on, Senator! It’s time the US government started treating the American people as adults. Tell us the truth and let us make an informed decision about our support or condemnation of US policies.
— Stiff Mittens Nov 2, 02:27 PM # - Way to go, Harry! Now is the time!
A concern about framing: I’m worried that “Change the Course” invokes the “Stay the Course” frame that the GOP used (not so much anymore). This triggers unwanted connotations of George Bush having follow-through and the courage to keep on truckin’ in the face of dissent. Maybe find a counter-positive message that has connotations of “support our troops”? Tricky. “Resolve Iraq Debacle”? “Finish Freeing Iraq”? Sorry to be the critic with no good suggestions… anyone?
— justin from denver Nov 2, 02:28 PM # - Good stuff Harry. You are really making me think about this administration’s actions. Keep looking you’ll find what we all are looking for….the truth.
— Jason Davidsaver Nov 2, 02:35 PM # - THANK YOU FOR FINDING A BACKBONE AND STANDING UP TO THESE BULLIES! As Joe Wilson said on TV last night, the only way to deal with schoolyard bullies is to confront them.
The real truth about how we went to war is going to come out sooner or later. Then the “Seninole Joes” of the blog world will have to do more to defend their positions than resort to name-calling. You did a good thing yesterday Senator Reid. Thanks for helping the Democrats find their voice.
— Ken from Sacramento Nov 2, 02:35 PM # - Thank you Senator!
Can we fire these guys?
What does it take to get fired at the White House?
How can I get a job there?
— Jessica M Nov 2, 02:42 PM # - “FINALLY!” : That was my first thought yesterday when I heard what you did. Thank you for doing SOMETHING. Hopefully this is just the beginning. You’re my hero.
— Valerie Nov 2, 02:46 PM # - This adminstration will go down in History as the most corrupt government that ever held office in our Nation. It appears that Karl Rove told GWB that He will be a War time President ? Was that their means of getting Bush to serve a second term.
To boast to the World about our ‘Awesome’ bombs and how it was going to be a ‘Slam Dunk’ to destroy Iraq, reminds me of another man that also had no soul. Karl Rove, Cheney, Rumsfield and GWB are sick with power, it was Bush Sr. that spoke of ‘ONE WORLD ORDER” when he was in office. Power corrupts and He who controls the ” OIL ’ controls the world.
George W. Bush makes Watergate and Richard Nixon look like Mother Theresas. Where is the OUTRAGE ? Bush should have been impeached when we knew he lied two years ago. He let Mr. Tenet fall on his sword and used Colin Powell.
GWB is a disgrace and unfit for his job !
— Chris Miller Nov 2, 02:50 PM # - THANK YOU !!! Senator Harry Reid For finally standing up to this sick Senate…these are supposed to be the “most” upstanding statesmen in our country. It’s an embarrassment to say the least. It’s so obvious… the snatch and grab mentality, power and money. That’s all that is important ! No ethics or integrity any more. If everyone had the nerve to stand up and serve their constiuents as Americans and not as various splinter groups, we would all be better off. There is so much corruption in Washington that both the houses need a good airing out!!! This seems to be a good place to start…Come together Democrats…stand for the truth, and get these people to clean up their acts.
— Deborah McNamee Nov 2, 02:50 PM # - GIVE THEM HELL HARRY! You will fire up your HUGE base with brilliant offensive actions like this! We are behin dyou 100% The majority of this country does not want to watch it go down in flamse! Thank you for fighting back! THANK YOU! KEEP UP THE FIGHT!
— Philip Morton Nov 2, 02:54 PM # - KUDOS TO YOU SEN. REID. ITS WONDERFUL TO SEE THE DEMOCRATS FINALLY STANDING UP AND SHOUTING “ENOUGH ALREADY!” WHICH ECHOES THE VOICE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. IT SHOWS IF WE YELL LONG ENOUGH AND LOUD ENOUGH WE WILL FINALLY BE HEARD AND YOU ARE OUR VOICE. PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND REST ASSURED YOU AND EVERY OTHER DEMOCRAT RUNNING IN NEXT YEARS ELECTION WILL HAVE MY VOTE.
— b massa Nov 2, 02:55 PM # - THANK YOU! My hope is somewhat restored. Don’t let up until you get to the bottom of this horror. Iraq was a terrible mistake turned into a horrific boondoggle. The American people deserve to know how this happened.
— Becky Stauffer Nov 2, 02:57 PM # - Good for you for taking a stand! We democrats had better get a backbone, and soon. I believe we could WIN the Senate in ‘06 if we stand up for our beliefs. We should be proud of our beliefs, not try to hide from them to mollify a bunch of arrogant, right wing nuts.
— Gayle D. Peterson Nov 2, 02:57 PM # - That’s the way to get their attention!!! I’m sooo happy that you took a stand yesterday. Today I’m more proud to be a Democrat than I have been in quite while. We’re so tired of being the Republican shenanigans, and it’s time to speak up and be heard. We need to show the American people that we are the party with a conscience. Democrat, Liberal, and Progressive are not dirty words. It’s time that the country and the world finds out the truth about this administration and the sales job it did to get us into this mess in Iraq. The emperor has no clothes, and it’s time for him and his gang to be exposed.
I wish you were my senator. Hopefully Paul Hackett or Sherrod Brown can get in there next weekend and fight this battle with you.
Give ‘em hell, Harry!
— edwardz Nov 2, 02:59 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
We’re all familiar with the adage, “without hope the people perish”.
Yesterday, YOU gave me hope, hope for America as I remember it. I’m sixty-one years old, a breast cancer survivor living on SSD.
In Missouri, the likes of Matt Blunt have usurped the spirit of Harry Truman. One of the first things Blunt attacked in Missouri was Medicaid, forcing many, many disabled, elderly and the working poor and their children off any form of pubic assistance ie:health care. But I digress.
Thank you, thank you for your bold inititive yesterday on the Senate floor! We MUST TAKE BACK AMERICA!!! YOU HAVE RESTORED TO AMERICANS THE BEAUTIFUL SOUND OF RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!!!
GIVE ‘EM HELL HARRY, INDEED!!!! WE HAVE TO IMPEACH THE MORON RESIDING IN THE WHITE HOUSE ALONG WITH HIS, (YES), CABAL!
— Cheryl from Missouri Nov 2, 03:00 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
I want to add my heartfelt THANKS to all the people who are cheering you on for your stand!
BRAVO! WE STAND BEHIND YOU ALL THE WAY!
George Bush been a disgrace for a President, and if he did what was truly right for the world (which INCLUDES the environment) he and his crooked cronies would step down immediately.
— Donna Stafford Nov 2, 03:03 PM # - Let’s deconstruct Seminolejoe’s criticism of Reid and the Democrats. It’ll be fun, and though Senator Reid and his staff won’t see much they haven’t already recognized, maybe it’ll help others recognize where Joe and other Republicans are coming from.
I believe you and the Democratic Party are a bunch of loose cannons who have no agenda but to discredit Bush and his administration! You are part of the party of “NO”...No Substance!
Attack point 1: no substance, no agenda except to torment Bush. Combat this by explaining in clear and straightforward language that most Dems believe invading and occupying Iraq was a horrendous mistake that needs to be rectified in one way or another. There is dissent within the party as to what exactly should we do now that we find ourselves in this particular crapper, but the general bent is to find an honorable exit that will secure the safety of both the Iraqi people and our own military personnel.
Get a life Harry…you guys make a lot of smoke but there’s no fire!
Generalized insult, implying that the “life” Reid and other Democratic lawmakers should be leading is kowtowing to their Republican betters. No response necessary, except perhaps a well-place spit missile at the speaker’s feet. As for “lot of smoke but…no fire,” if you feel compelled to go over five years of evidence that not only is there a fire, but the house is burning down around our ears, go ahead.
In 1998, you and every Democrat stated that Iraq had WMD’s and chemical weapons, when Clinton needed to justify his bombing of a pharmaceutical factory and distract from his tonsil-hockey misgivings with Monica. Now you, Former Sen. Bob Graham and Mr. Vietnam Hero Kerry, Howard Dean and dum-dum Rep. Conyers claim there were no WMD’s…get real and find another job, because the one you have isn’t working out.
Ah, now we’re hitting our stride. Notice how he creates a farrago of fact, fiction, and insult to craft a well-rehearsed attack on Democratic integrity. In 1998, many, not all, Dems believed that Iraq “probably” had WMDs. Most Dems were willing to let the UN inspectors root them out, which they were doing quite well. He also references the Sudan pharmaceutical factory bombing, which if he read something besides Limbaugh’s Web site, he would know that Clinton had plenty of good reason to believe that the site was an al-Qaeda weapons facility. Instead, he invokes a discredited “wag the dog” theory so he can get in his all-purpose attack point—“tonsil hockey” with Lewinsky. There was a time when even the mere mention of Monica would freeze some Dems in their tracks. That time has long passed. Clinton committed adultery. Bush committed treason. I know which one offends me more strongly. The rest of this is just personal smear, even sinking to childish labels such as “dum-dum.” But sometimes even childish insults strike deep at a subconscious level, which is why some Republican seminars on how to attack the opposition emphasize schoolyard insults and taunting. Most liberals prefer to take the high road, not wanting to get into a “neener neener” contest.
In June 2003, 500 tons of uranium was found, of which 1.8 tons were highly enriched.
Nothing like some falsified facts to create a new attack point. True, in June 2003 the IAEA moved to secure 500 tons of uranium, including 1.8 tons of LOW-enriched uranium, from the Tuwaitha nuclear energy facility near Baghdad. What Joe doesn’t want you to know is that all of this uranium had been under IAEA seal since 1991. They weren’t “found” because they weren’t “hidden;” the IAEA, and the US, knew they were there, and knew they were were secure, the whole time. He also doesn’t want you to know that none of this uranium was anywhere near weapons-grade; in other words, you would have as much chance of making a nuclear bomb out of that uranium as you would making one out of Play-Doh. Yes, Joe, it could have been enriched and refined until it would have served as the makings of a nuclear device, but not when it was under seal, and not when Iraq had been denied anything approaching the technology to enrich and refine the uranium. So in other words, Joe is hyping nothing into something, in this case making a false claim for Saddam’s nuclear program that even the administration has not seriously tried to make. But hey, it sure sounds scary and authoritative, doesn’t it? (Hey Joe, while we’re playing, if the uranium was so threatening, why did Bush wait over two years to secure it?)
We are not all dumb Democrats Harry…you are so Un-American!
Some folks play you out with flowers and violins. Joe, true to his programming, plays you out with an insult to your patriotism. Again, that accusation used to stop decent Democrats in their tracks and make them flounder about defending their love of country. I think we’re past that now.
This smelly little diatribe is a gem of its kind. It should be copied and framed as a prime example of the kind of rebuttals conservatives make towards any argument on virtually any subject raised by Democrats. The ignorance, arrogance, willingness to attack on the most personal level, and flat-out asininity of this post is amazing.
But it’s probably not worth the time I’ve spent tearing it to shreds.
— Black Max Nov 2, 03:05 PM # - Nice work yesterday Harry :-)
— froodish Nov 2, 03:09 PM # - Good job senator! I’m not a Democrat i’m a third party member but i’m glad you are finally willing to challenge the other side.
— Jason Gooljar Nov 2, 03:11 PM # - You’re the BEST!!! Thank you for your courageous actions yesterday. Keep it up!
— Terry Nov 2, 03:18 PM # - THANKS HARRY! KEEP GIVING THEM HELL!
We need this cry to reverberate through the halls of government and in the MSM! Keep kicking the a**es of shady politics and corrupt politicians.
PS – Don’t be afraid to light fires under the butts of some of your colleagues too…we won’t mind..in fact we need you to do that, beacuse, apparently, “we the people” can only do so much!
— 60th Street Nov 2, 03:21 PM # - Thank You, Senator Reid. It is about time we get some real answers and not the same lies we have been getting since 9-11-01. While your at it lets have a law stating nobody who ever used cocaine can be President and make it retroactive and get rid of George Bush. How can a christian? use cocaine?
We as a country need to know the real reasons behind the war in Iraq. We need to know how this administration has manufactured evidence and lied to our country. This has to be an impeachable offense and one of the worst crimes ever by an American. Democrats also need to let the United States know how previous republican administrations actuall gave weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein and how some of these same people are responsable for this war. How are republicans safeguarding our national defense when they give WMD’s to terrorist?
Take over Senator Reid and give this country real leadership.
— Randy Radford Nov 2, 03:25 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
At long last! A leader to stand up to the bullies running our government! This is what proud Progressives such as my children and I need—some small ray of hope—a beacon to follow. But most of all, it is what this country needs. It is high time that this country got back to the concept of checks and balances that our founding fathers so carefully put in place. Progressives have been hog-tied for too long by this manipulative, corrupt, power-hungry oligarchy that has hijacked our government and our national conscience.
The road you have chosen will not, of course, be an easy one. But rest assured that you have many, many Americans behind you and cheering you on. This issue is but one of the many that face us at this point in history. Please, please, please, continue to challenge the status quo. And above all, please continue to lead. There are plenty of us who will follow.
Thank you! Thank you!
— Sando256 Nov 2, 03:31 PM # - you are a poor excuse for a senator. why don’t you move to france with teddy, john and dick d. its no wonder the senate is rated the lowest on most poles.
— davis Nov 2, 03:40 PM # - 1. www.factcheck.org/default.html
2. “One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.”
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
“Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.”
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.”
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18,1998.
”[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S.Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.”
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
“Hussein has … chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.”
Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.
“There is no doubt that … Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of alicit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.”
Letter to President Bush, Signed by Joe Lieberman (D-CT), John McCain (Rino-AZ) and others, Dec. 5, 2001
“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.”
Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.
“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.”
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
“Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is inpower.”
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.”
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.
“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical andbiological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course tobuild up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons…”
Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002.
“I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force—if necessary—to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believethat a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.”
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002.
“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years … We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.”
Sen. Jay Rockerfeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002.
“He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do”
Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002.
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members … It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.”
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002.
“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.”
Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002.
”[W]ithout question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime … He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation … And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction … So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real …”
Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003.
— seminolejoe Nov 2, 03:43 PM # - Aren’t the freepers amusing? Account for our treason, indeed! What a bizarre thing for a person to say, considering how treasonous it was for the neoconservative cabal to lie us into a war that’s getting good kids killed and later expose the identity of an undercover CIA operative and endanger national security! But I guess these freepish sheeps only watch FoxNews, which means they know plenty about the case of that girl in Aruba, but nothing about the danger our country is in. Wake up call to any red-state fascists (http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/red-state-fascism.html) who might be reading this: Harry Reid’s good for the Senate, good for the Democrats, and good for the country, which really makes him a rarity in today’s political landscape. As much as you trolls hate him, we love him more than you hate him, because he’s decent. He’s just plain decent. Pay attention in the coming weeks, you may learn a thing or two.
— Jillian St. Andre Nov 2, 03:51 PM # - THANK YOU FOR DEMANDING THE CLOSED SENATE SESSION. It’s past time to stand up to Bush and cronies, and not back down until purveyors of the Iraq war have been help accountable. The damage to our country has been profound.
— Tad Lathrop Nov 2, 03:57 PM # - Yesterday I saw a man stand up and do something for America(the people). When our nations leader is suppose to be our first protector, I saw a man stand up for us, to find the truth not only for the normal American but, for the ones that go above and beyond. Our military forces fight and die for us everyday and the least we can do to support them is to make sure that when they fight, they have someone leading them that will take the time to find the truth before commiting their lives to a cause. God is the Truth! Not a man standing behind a podium proclaiming to tell the truth. Let’s find out what really happened. The Noble Soldiers of our military deserve atleast that much! Senator Ried, I Salute You!
— Chanda Nov 2, 03:59 PM # - Yes! Please don’t let this one go, Harry. The people need to finally see that Dick Cheney is the real person running this country. We’ve gone to war for greed and Haliburton. All you have to do is “follow the money.”
— M.S Nov 2, 04:03 PM # - I just wanted to say BRAVO for your calling a closed session yesterday. I was proud to be a Democrat yesterday and it was the first time in awhile. Thanks and keep up the fight!
— Eileen Nov 2, 04:07 PM # - Factcheck.org
Bush’s “16 Words” on Iraq & Uranium: He May Have Been Wrong But He Wasn’t Lying
Two intelligence investigations show Bush had plenty of reason to believe what he said in his 2003 State of the Union Address.
July 26, 2004
Modified:August 23, 2004
Summary
The famous “16 words” in President Bush’s Jan. 28, 2003 State of the Union address turn out to have a basis in fact after all, according to two recently released investigations in the US and Britain.
Bush said then, “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa .” Some of his critics called that a lie, but the new evidence shows Bush had reason to say what he did.
A British intelligence review released July 14 calls Bush’s 16 words “well founded.”
A separate report by the US Senate Intelligence Committee said July 7 that the US also had similar information from “a number of intelligence reports,” a fact that was classified at the time Bush spoke.
Ironically, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who later called Bush’s 16 words a “lie”, supplied information that the Central Intelligence Agency took as confirmation that Iraq may indeed have been seeking uranium from Niger .
Both the US and British investigations make clear that some forged Italian documents, exposed as fakes soon after Bush spoke, were not the basis for the British intelligence Bush cited, or the CIA’s conclusion that Iraq was trying to get uranium.
None of the new information suggests Iraq ever nailed down a deal to buy uranium, and the Senate report makes clear that US intelligence analysts have come to doubt whether Iraq was even trying to buy the stuff. In fact, both the White House and the CIA long ago conceded that the 16 words shouldn’t have been part of Bush’s speech.
But what he said – that Iraq sought uranium – is just what both British and US intelligence were telling him at the time. So Bush may indeed have been misinformed, but that’s not the same as lying.
Analysis
The “16 words” in Bush’s State of the Union Address on Jan. 28, 2003 have been offered as evidence that the President led the US into war using false information intentionally. The new reports show Bush accurately stated what British intelligence was saying, and that CIA analysts believed the same thing.
The “16 Words”
During the State the Union Address on January 28, 2003, President Bush said:
Bush: The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
The Butler Report
After nearly a six-month investigation, a special panel reported to the British Parliament July 14 that British intelligence had indeed concluded back in 2002 that Saddam Hussein was seeking to buy uranium. The review panel was headed by Lord Butler of Brockwell, who had been a cabinet secretary under five different Prime Ministers and who is currently master of University College, Oxford.
The Butler report said British intelligence had “credible” information—from several sources—that a 1999 visit by Iraqi officials to Niger was for the purpose of buying uranium:
Butler Report: It is accepted by all parties that Iraqi officials visited Niger in 1999. The British Government had intelligence from several different sources indicating that this visit was for the purpose of acquiring uranium. Since uranium constitutes almost three-quarters of Niger’s exports, the intelligence was credible.
The Butler Report affirmed what the British government had said about the Niger uranium story back in 2003, and specifically endorsed what Bush said as well.
Butler Report: By extension, we conclude also that the statement in President Bush’s State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that “The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa” was well-founded.
The Senate Intelligence Committee Report
The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reported July 7, 2004 that the CIA had received reports from a foreign government (not named, but probably Britain) that Iraq had actually concluded a deal with Niger to supply 500 tons a year of partially processed uranium ore, or “yellowcake.” That is potentially enough to produce 50 nuclear warheads.
Wilson: Bush’s Words “The Lie”
(From a web chat sponsored by Kerry for President Oct. 29, 2003)
*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:24:53 AM)
I would remind you that had Mr.. Cheney taken into consideration my report as well as 2 others submitted on this subject, rather than the forgeries
*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:06 AM)
the lie would never have been in President Bush’s State of the Union address
*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:14 AM)
so when they ask, “Who betrayed the President?”
*** Joe Wilson (Oct 29, 2003 11:25:30 AM)
They need to point the finger at the person who inserted the 16 words, not at the person who found the truth of the matter
The Senate report said the CIA then asked a “former ambassador” to go to Niger and report. That is a reference to Joseph Wilson—who later became a vocal critic of the President’s 16 words. The Senate report said Wilson brought back denials of any Niger-Iraq uranium sale, and argued that such a sale wasn’t likely to happen. But the Intelligence Committee report also reveals that Wilson brought back something else as well—evidence that Iraq may well have wanted to buy uranium.
Wilson reported that he had met with Niger’s former Prime Minister Ibrahim Mayaki, who said that in June 1999 he was asked to meet with a delegation from Iraq to discuss “expanding commercial relations” between the two countries.
Based on what Wilson told them, CIA analysts wrote an intelligence report saying former Prime Minister Mayki “interpreted ‘expanding commercial relations’ to mean that the (Iraqi) delegation wanted to discuss uranium yellowcake sales.” In fact, the Intelligence Committee report said that “for most analysts” Wilson’s trip to Niger “lent more credibility to the original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports on the uranium deal.”
The subject of uranium sales never actually came up in the meeting, according to what Wilson later told the Senate Intelligence Committee staff. He quoted Mayaki as saying that when he met with the Iraqis he was wary of discussing any trade issues at all because Iraq remained under United Nations sanctions. According to Wilson, Mayaki steered the conversation away from any discussion of trade.
For that reason, Wilson himself has publicly dismissed the significance of the 1999 meeting. He said on NBC’s Meet the Press May 2, 2004:
Wilson: …At that meeting, uranium was not discussed. It would be a tragedy to think that we went to war over a conversation in which uranium was not discussed because the Niger official was sufficiently sophisticated to think that perhaps he might have wanted to discuss uranium at some later date.
But that’s not the way the CIA saw it at the time. In the CIA’s view, Wilson’s report bolstered suspicions that Iraq was indeed seeking uranium in Africa. The Senate report cited an intelligence officer who reviewed Wilson’s report upon his return from Niger:
Committee Report: He (the intelligence officer) said he judged that the most important fact in the report was that the Nigerian officials admitted that the Iraqi delegation had traveled there in 1999, and that the Nigerian Prime Minister believed the Iraqis were interested in purchasing uranium, because this provided some confirmation of foreign government service reporting.
“Reasonable to Assess”
At this point the CIA also had received “several intelligence reports” alleging that Iraq wanted to buy uranium from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and from Somalia, as well as from Niger. The Intelligence Committee concluded that “it was reasonable for analysts to assess that Iraq may have been seeking uranium from Africa based on Central Intelligence Agency reporting and other available intelligence.”
Reasonable, that is, until documents from an Italian magazine journalist showed up that seemed to prove an Iraq-Niger deal had actually been signed. The Intelligence Committee said the CIA should have been quicker to investigate the authenticity of those documents, which had “obvious problems” and were soon exposed as fakes by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“We No Longer Believe”
Both the Butler report and the Senate Intelligence Committee report make clear that Bush’s 16 words weren’t based on the fake documents. The British didn’t even see them until after issuing the reports—based on other sources—that Bush quoted in his 16 words. But discovery of the Italian fraud did trigger a belated reassessment of the Iraq/Niger story by the CIA.
Once the CIA was certain that the Italian documents were forgeries, it said in an internal memorandum that “we no longer believe that there is sufficient other reporting to conclude that Iraq pursued uranium from abroad.” But that wasn’t until June 17, 2003—nearly five months after Bush’s 16 words.
Soon after, on July 6, 2003, former ambassador Wilson went public in a New York Times opinion piece with his rebuttal of Bush’s 16 words, saying that if the President was referring to Niger “his conclusion was not borne out by the facts as I understood them,” and that “I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq’s nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat.” Wilson has since used much stronger language, calling Bush’s 16 words a “lie” in an Internet chat sponsored by the Kerry campaign.
On July 7, the day after Wilson’s original Times article, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer took back the 16 words, calling them “incorrect:”
Fleischer: Now, we’ve long acknowledged—and this is old news, we’ve said this repeatedly—that the information on yellow cake did, indeed, turn out to be incorrect.
And soon after, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice acknowledged that the 16 words were, in retrospect, a mistake. She said during a July 11, 2003 White House press briefing :
Rice: What we’ve said subsequently is, knowing what we now know, that some of the Niger documents were apparently forged, we wouldn’t have put this in the President’s speech—but that’s knowing what we know now.
That same day, CIA Director George Tenet took personal responsibility for the appearance of the 16 words in Bush’s speech:
Tenet: These 16 words should never have been included in the text written
for the President.
Tenet said the CIA had viewed the original British intelligence reports as “inconclusive,” and had “expressed reservations” to the British.
The Senate report doesn’t make clear why discovery of the forged documents changed the CIA’s thinking. Logically, that discovery should have made little difference since the documents weren’t the basis for the CIA’s original belief that Saddam was seeking uranium. However, the Senate report did note that even within the CIA the comments and assessments were “inconsistent and at times contradictory” on the Niger story.
Even after Tenet tried to take the blame, Bush’s critics persisted in saying he lied with his 16 words—for example, in an opinion column July 16, 2003 by Michael Kinsley in the Washington Post :
Kinsley: Who was the arch-fiend who told a lie in President Bush’s State of the Union speech? . . .Linguists note that the question “Who lied in George Bush’s State of the Union speech” bears a certain resemblance to the famous conundrum “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?”
However, the Senate report confirmed that the CIA had reviewed Bush’s State of the Union address, and—whatever doubts it may have harbored—cleared it for him.
Senate Report: When coordinating the State of the Union, no Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysts or officials told the National Security Council (NSC) to remove the “16 words” or that there were concerns about the credibility of the Iraq-Niger uranium reporting.
The final word on the 16 words may have to await history’s judgment. The Butler report’s conclusion that British intelligence was “credible” clearly doesn’t square with what US intelligence now believes. But these new reports show Bush had plenty of reason to believe what he said, even if British intelligence is eventually shown to be mistaken.
Sources
President George W. Bush, “ State of the Union ,” 28 January 2003.
Chairman Lord Butler of Brockwell, “Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction,” 14 July 2004.
“Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq,” Select Committee on Intelligence United States Senate, 7 July 2004.
Walter Pincus, “ CIA Did Not Share Doubt on Iraq Data; Bush Used Report Of Uranium Bid ,” Washington Post, 12 June 2003.
Mohamed ElBaradei, “ The Status of Nuclear Inspections in Iraq: An Update ,” Statement to the United Nations Security Council by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General, 7 March 2003.
Joseph Wilson, “What I Didn’t Find in Africa,” New York Times, 6 July 2003.
Joseph Wilson,The Official Kerry-Edwards BLOG: “Transcript of Chat with Ambassador Joe Wilson,” 29 Oct 2003.
Michael Kinsley, ”...Or More Lies From The Usual Suspects?,” Washington Post, 16 July 2003: A23.
Ari Fleischer, “ Press Gaggle ,” 7 July 2003.
Ari Fleischer and Dr. Condoleeza Rice, “ Press Gaggle ,” 11 July 2003.
George Tenet, “Statement by George J. Tenet Director of Central Intelligence,” Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 11 July 2003.
— seminolejoe Nov 2, 04:12 PM # - Thank you Senator! You are a hero, keep up the great work! Don’t stop, don’t give up, don’t let the noise machine stop you!
— Ruth Adkins Nov 2, 04:20 PM # - Give ‘em hell Harry? More like GO TO HELL HARRY!
— Karl Nov 2, 04:29 PM # - Boycott Dominos Pizza and call their corporate headquarters at 800-468-4726 and make the demand that the CEO David Brandon get George W Bush to withdraw the nomination of Samuel Alito and nominate a moderate to the Supreme Court or that you will boycott Dominos pizza. Dominos pizza CEO David Brandon supports the antiabortion movement. Pass the word.
Call your Senator and tell him or her that unless he or she votes against Samuel Alito, you will boycott Dominos pizza and they will lose alot of money and that you’re boycotting them because they give money to the Republican Party and the CEO David Brandon supports the antiabortion movement with money.
Tell Republican contributors that you have had enough of the actions of the Republican Party and you will not take it anymore.
http://www.hoflink.com/~dbaer/petitions.htm
— buckfush Nov 2, 04:29 PM # - Senator Reid, Could you check and see if the Administration, in public statements just prior to the war, made any references to the findings in UN Inspection Reports that were distributed on Feb. 28 and March 7?
— Rebekah Nov 2, 04:37 PM # - harry
wow what a speach…you are truly a “masterpeice”. now here is my only question for you. why are you not calling upon people to question bill clinton when he attacked iraq? bill clinton did it with the same intelligence people. after all bill clinton did hire george tenet. some say the attacks or war did not happen under clinton? but two embassy bombings, the bombing of the U.S.S Cole, and countless other attacks were waged on U.S. interest. how come no one is attacking clinton? people in your position say “bush is out of touch with american people” if that is so, how did he win two terms to office? j/w b/c i still cannot figure that out. so here is my statement to you…quit playing your little political game, and fight for american security….it is obvious Saddam Hussein poised a threat to the U.S. and our interest. clinton waged a war in kosovo region, why? b/c of genocide. what about the genocide in iraq…over saddams 30 years of control he killed over 3 million people. get your head in the game and stop playing politics
— drew holifield Nov 2, 04:41 PM # - You have given me hope. I want the truth behind the decision to invade Iraq told, and the deception revealed. We can only heal the division in this country and change the direction of this country if we know the truth. Please keep up the good fight and know that more than half of America supports your efforts. What can I do to help?
— Linda Tipton Nov 2, 04:41 PM # - If we went to war based on false and doctored intellegence, this White House has blood on their hands….the blood of innocent Iraqi citizens and over 2000 of our bravest. Bush (and his cronies) should be held accountable. If the evidence shows that the White House lied…Bush should not only be impeached, he and his buddies (like Rummy)should be criminally prosecuted. They should also be sued by the American people in civil court for the billions of taxpayers dollars they’ve squandered in the so-called ‘war on terror’.
Maybe that’s why it’s taken so long for these reports to be filed…they know the truth, and they’re in over their heads!
AMERICA WAKE UP! SPEAK UP! THAT’S PATRIOTIC!
— Alison Nov 2, 04:43 PM # - THANKS Harry THANKS for being a man and standing up for whats right. I hope you get our party straighten out! Way to go give em hell harry!
— Mickey Nov 2, 04:44 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
Thank you for your brilliant stand in the Senate yesterday. As a well informed New Yorker, I am aware of an incredible amount of information that the Bush administration must reveal to the American people about the misuse of data in the runup to the war in Iraq.
I’m very proud that one of my senators was at your shoulder.
Camille
— Camille Hardy Nov 2, 04:45 PM # - Fantastic move Senator Reid. Undoubtedly the vast majority of America is behind you all the way!!! Keep the pressure up on Iraq for sure, but don’t wait too long to expose the criminal behavior in war profiteering by admin cronies, as well as the disaster profiteering down in New Orleans by admin cronies!!! Oh, and of course then there is playing the bankruptcy game of enforcing ‘personal responsiblity’ while allowing corporations to escape from pension responsiblities, and of course shifting them to the taxpayer. These bastards have treated the American treasury as their own personal plaything in all policy decisions, and the chance is there now to expose these criminals for what they are for all to see!!! America needs you NOW Harry. Keep the pressure up every day!!!
— Eugene Iovine Jr. Nov 2, 04:49 PM # - Thank you for standing up to those who are hijacking Democracy in Democracy’s name. The Orwellian tactics and “on message” news interviews from Bush’s mouthpieces repeating the same words and phrases over and over, show us how the lockstep tactics of the Republican leadership have kept the truth from the American people. Thank you for re-framing the discussion. The war is a mess, we were all deceived. Bush is a “bubble boy” president, a figurehead and a bully to boot, spreading fear (bird flu this week) to distract and frighten. How can any country imagine they could spread democracy from the barrel of a gun?
— carole Nov 2, 04:54 PM # - Clinton was impeached for lying to a grand jury about his relationship with Monica….
In the grand scheme of things, I say BRING BACK THE BLOW JOBS!!!
— Alison Nov 2, 04:55 PM # - Nice job, Senator.
— Rebekah Nov 2, 04:55 PM # - Thank you so much for standing up for the American people! We all know what the administration did…and we all are the ones paying for it…2,000+ deaths, billions in tax dollars spent, $3/gallon gas, heating costs out of control, with an increasing sense of helplessness to actually do anything about any of it. Meanwhile, the “Bushies” and their big oil cronies are getting rich as a direct result of the administration’s policies.
We need you to continue to stand up for us and to hold the Republicans’ feet to the fire! The crimes they have committed cannot stand!!
— Dana Nov 2, 04:57 PM # - I repeat: Senator Reid, Could you check and see if the Administration, in public statements just prior to the war, made any references to the findings in UN Inspection Reports that were distributed on Feb. 28 and March 7?
Thank you
— Rebekah Nov 2, 04:58 PM # - I’m all for this administration being held accountable for the state of things in Iraq.
Iraq – without some formulative plan, was never going to be a quick fix.
And it is obvious this administration had NO clue, NO idea, and NO plan on how to extricate the US from this quagmire.
— Mark Nov 2, 05:03 PM # - Thank you so much Mr. Reid. You are serving your patriotic duty quite well. It is so refreshing to witness your determined leadership, especially in the face of the media who has for the most part ignored bringing accountability to the administration. We need to bring full accountability to those who deserve it.
I recently discovered some documents which indicate the Bush administration (Cheney, Libby, Rumsfeld and others) had a motive to lie to the country and deceive Congress into supporting a “just” war. These documents support your claims that the administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence.
In case you are wondering about these documents, I’ve included them below, with footnotes to their original sources, which is then followed by the full documents which I quoted from..
Also, I recently wrote a blog-piece about a whistle-blower whom you may or may not have heard of. She saw firsthand how intelligence was manufactured. If you are interested in this writing of mine please visit:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-wheeler/plamegate-and-the-missing_b_9146.html
Keep up the exceptional work Congressman!
Sincerely,
Brian Wheeler
Below is some writing, info and links which may provide you with sources or insights that you are unfamiliar with:
Why would Libby be upset with Joe Wilson’s editorial piece which undermined the administrations claims that Saddam sought uranium from Niger. Why would Libby or anyone else, need to retaliate against such patriotic and truthful service? Why would Libby and the foreign policies he was involved with, be threatened by Wilson’s words of wisdom?
For a clear answer to these questions, all one has to do is visit the Project for the New American Century’s (PNAC) website, and read some of the material in their Letters/Statement’s section. To make this process simple, a meticulous analysis has been done (highlighting and compiling revealing information) and is presented below.
But first, who is PNAC and who participated? In 1997 William Kristol and Robert Kagan established a neoconservative advocacy group, which calls itself the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). This same year they published a Statement of Principles document, declaring their foreign and defense policies, as well as their vision of “American global leadership”. Signatories on this core document included Dick Cheney, John Bolton (a former director), Donald Rumsfeld, other Bush administration officials, such as Elliott Abrams, Paula Dobriansky, Peter Rodman, Zalmay Khalilzad, former administration official Paul Wolfowitz (now World Bank president), Dubya’s brother Jeb Bush, and you’re truly I. Lewis Libby.
The Highlights:
In a January 26th, 1998 Letter to President Clinton[iv] the PNAC wrote:
…we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding…In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course… We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor.
The document later reads:
…the current policy…is…dangerously inadequate. The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action…In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.
We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your Administration’s attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam’s regime from power.
A Statement of Principles
In their 1997 founding document, Project for a New American Century’s Statement of Principles[iii], signatories include I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Dick Cheney, and other big players such as Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and others.
Also agreeing with such ideology is John Bolton, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Pearle and others who have signed PNAC documents. All these guys (the specific names mentioned in this paragraph) signed the 1998 Letter to President Clinton, and therefore stated publicly, in 1998, years before 911 even occurred, that the US should invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam’s regime through using the patriotic hearts, minds and souls of the US military.
A Letter to Bush
Making the political connections even more pronounced is PNAC’s September 20th, 2001 letter to President Bush[vi] in which they wrote:
In order to carry out this “first war of the 21st century”… the following steps are necessary…
One of which was sub-headed “Iraq”:
…It may be that the Iraqi government provided assistance in some form to the recent attack on the United States. But even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the attack, any strategy aiming at the eradication of terrorism and its sponsors must include a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.
The PNAC goes on to say:
The United States must therefore provide full military and financial support to the Iraqi opposition. American military force should be used to provide a “safe zone” in Iraq from which the opposition can operate. And American forces must be prepared to back up our commitment to the Iraqi opposition by all necessary means.
Congressional Ties
As painful as this may be to read, and as painful, yet fulfilling as it is for me to write, the PNAC’s foreign policy gets even clearer in the May 29th, 1998 letter to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott[vii] where the PNAC wrote:
Mr. Speaker and Mr. Lott, during the most recent phase of this crisis, [that “the U.S. policy of ‘containment’ of Saddam Hussein was failing”] you both took strong stands, stating that the goal of U.S. policy should be to bring down Saddam and his regime. And, at the time of the Annan deal, Senator Lott, you pointed out its debilitating weakness and correctly reminded both your colleagues and the nation that “We cannot afford peace at any price.”
They continue:
Now that the administration has failed to provide sound leadership, we believe it is imperative that Congress take what steps it can to correct U.S. policy toward Iraq. That responsibility is especially pressing when presidential leadership is lacking or when the administration is pursuing a policy fundamentally at odds with vital American security interests. This is now the case. To Congress’s credit, it has passed legislation providing money to help Iraq’s democratic opposition and to establish a “Radio Free Iraq.” But more needs to be done, and Congress should do whatever is constitutionally appropriate to establish a sound policy toward Iraq.
They go on to write:
U.S. policy should have as its explicit goal removing Saddam Hussein’s regime from power and establishing a peaceful and democratic Iraq in its place. We recognize that this goal will not be achieved easily…
They then write:
To accomplish Saddam’s removal, the following political and military measures should be undertaken:
—We should take whatever steps are necessary to challenge Saddam Hussein’s claim to be Iraq’s legitimate ruler, including indicting him as a war criminal;—We should help establish and support (with economic, political, and military means) a provisional, representative, and free government of Iraq in areas of Iraq not under Saddam’s control;—We should use U.S. and allied military power to provide protection for liberated areas in northern and southern Iraq; and — We should establish and maintain a strong U.S. military presence in the region, and be prepared to use that force to protect our vital interests in the Gulf – and, if necessary, to help remove Saddam from power
In their concluding paragraph, the PNAC writes:
“In short, Saddam’s continued rule in Iraq is neither inevitable nor likely if we pursue the policy outlined above in a serious and sustained fashion.”
The signatory reads:
Sincerely….Donald Rumsfeld, John R. Bolton, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, William Kristol, Elliot Abrams, Robert Kagan, R. James Woolsey, Paula Dobriansky, William J. Bennett, Peter Rodman, Jeffrey Bergner, Francis Fukuyama, Robert B. Zoellick, Vin Weber, Zalmay Khalilzad, William Schneider, Jr.
Plus all of the PNAC members (particularly those who signed the Statement of Principles document such as Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, Jeb Bush…etc) also append their signatures to this letter to Mr. Lott and Mr. Gingrich, just by being part of the PNAC organization and supporting it’s principles. For a full list of PNAC participants and who signed what, please visit:
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/org/pnac.php
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/charts/pnac-chart.htm
To see a list of who these “neocons” are (according to Wikipedia), visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_described_as_neoconservatives
To see what “Neoconservatism in the United States” means (according to Wikipedia), visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism_in_the_United_States
GO GET EM HARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Original Documents:
January 26, 1998
The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing you because we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding, and that we may soon face a threat in the Middle East more serious than any we have known since the end of the Cold War. In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this threat. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor.
The policy of “containment” of Saddam Hussein has been steadily eroding over the past several months. As recent events have demonstrated, we can no longer depend on our partners in the Gulf War coalition to continue to uphold the sanctions or to punish Saddam when he blocks or evades UN inspections. Our ability to ensure that Saddam Hussein is not producing weapons of mass destruction, therefore, has substantially diminished. Even if full inspections were eventually to resume, which now seems highly unlikely, experience has shown that it is difficult if not impossible to monitor Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons production. The lengthy period during which the inspectors will have been unable to enter many Iraqi facilities has made it even less likely that they will be able to uncover all of Saddam’s secrets. As a result, in the not-too-distant future we will be unable to determine with any reasonable level of confidence whether Iraq does or does not possess such weapons.
Such uncertainty will, by itself, have a seriously destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do if we continue along the present course, the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world’s supply of oil will all be put at hazard. As you have rightly declared, Mr. President, the security of the world in the first part of the 21st century will be determined largely by how we handle this threat.
Given the magnitude of the threat, the current policy, which depends for its success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners and upon the cooperation of Saddam Hussein, is dangerously inadequate. The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.
We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your Administration’s attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam’s regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. Although we are fully aware of the dangers and difficulties in implementing this policy, we believe the dangers of failing to do so are far greater. We believe the U.S. has the authority under existing UN resolutions to take the necessary steps, including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf. In any case, American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council.
We urge you to act decisively. If you act now to end the threat of weapons of mass destruction against the U.S. or its allies, you will be acting in the most fundamental national security interests of the country. If we accept a course of weakness and drift, we put our interests and our future at risk.
Sincerely,
Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitage William J. Bennett
Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky
Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad
William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W. Rodman
Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber
Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick
http://www.newamericancentury.org/Bushletter.htm
September 20, 2001
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President,
We write to endorse your admirable commitment to “lead the world to victory” in the war against terrorism. We fully support your call for “a broad and sustained campaign” against the “terrorist organizations and those who harbor and support them.” We agree with Secretary of State Powell that the United States must find and punish the perpetrators of the horrific attack of September 11, and we must, as he said, “go after terrorism wherever we find it in the world” and “get it by its branch and root.” We agree with the Secretary of State that U.S. policy must aim not only at finding the people responsible for this incident, but must also target those “other groups out there that mean us no good” and “that have conducted attacks previously against U.S. personnel, U.S. interests and our allies.”
In order to carry out this “first war of the 21st century” successfully, and in order, as you have said, to do future “generations a favor by coming together and whipping terrorism,” we believe the following steps are necessary parts of a comprehensive strategy.
Osama bin Laden
We agree that a key goal, but by no means the only goal, of the current war on terrorism should be to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, and to destroy his network of associates. To this end, we support the necessary military action in Afghanistan and the provision of substantial financial and military assistance to the anti-Taliban forces in that country.
Iraq
We agree with Secretary of State Powell’s recent statement that Saddam Hussein “is one of the leading terrorists on the face of the Earth….” It may be that the Iraqi government provided assistance in some form to the recent attack on the United States. But even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the attack, any strategy aiming at the eradication of terrorism and its sponsors must include a determined effort to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. Failure to undertake such an effort will constitute an early and perhaps decisive surrender in the war on international terrorism. The United States must therefore provide full military and financial support to the Iraqi opposition. American military force should be used to provide a “safe zone” in Iraq from which the opposition can operate. And American forces must be prepared to back up our commitment to the Iraqi opposition by all necessary means.
Hezbollah
Hezbollah is one of the leading terrorist organizations in the world. It is suspected of having been involved in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Africa, and implicated in the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Hezbollah clearly falls in the category cited by Secretary Powell of groups “that mean us no good” and “that have conducted attacks previously against U.S. personnel, U.S. interests and our allies.” Therefore, any war against terrorism must target Hezbollah. We believe the administration should demand that Iran and Syria immediately cease all military, financial, and political support for Hezbollah and its operations. Should Iran and Syria refuse to comply, the administration should consider appropriate measures of retaliation against these known state sponsors of terrorism.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority
Israel has been and remains America’s staunchest ally against international terrorism, especially in the Middle East. The United States should fully support our fellow democracy in its fight against terrorism. We should insist that the Palestinian Authority put a stop to terrorism emanating from territories under its control and imprison those planning terrorist attacks against Israel. Until the Palestinian Authority moves against terror, the United States should provide it no further assistance.
U.S. Defense Budget
A serious and victorious war on terrorism will require a large increase in defense spending. Fighting this war may well require the United States to engage a well-armed foe, and will also require that we remain capable of defending our interests elsewhere in the world. We urge that there be no hesitation in requesting whatever funds for defense are needed to allow us to win this war.
There is, of course, much more that will have to be done. Diplomatic efforts will be required to enlist other nations’ aid in this war on terrorism. Economic and financial tools at our disposal will have to be used. There are other actions of a military nature that may well be needed. However, in our judgement the steps outlined above constitute the minimum necessary if this war is to be fought effectively and brought to a successful conclusion. Our purpose in writing is to assure you of our support as you do what must be done to lead the nation to victory in this fight.
Sincerely,
William Kristol
Richard V. Allen Gary Bauer Jeffrey Bell William J. Bennett
Rudy Boshwitz Jeffrey Bergner Eliot Cohen Seth Cropsey
Midge Decter Thomas Donnelly Nicholas Eberstadt Hillel Fradkin
Aaron Friedberg Francis Fukuyama Frank Gaffney Jeffrey Gedmin
Reuel Marc Gerecht Charles Hill Bruce P. Jackson Eli S. Jacobs
Michael Joyce Donald Kagan Robert Kagan Jeane Kirkpatrick
Charles Krauthammer John Lehman Clifford May Martin Peretz
Richard Perle Norman Podhoretz Stephen P. Rosen Randy Scheunemann
Gary Schmitt William Schneider, Jr. Richard H. Shultz Henry Sokolski
Stephen J. Solarz Vin Weber Leon Wieseltier Marshall Wittmann
http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqletter1998.htm
May 29, 1998
The Honorable Newt Gingrich
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
H-232 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20515-6501
The Honorable Trent Lott
Senate Majority Leader
United States Senate
S-208 Capitol Building
Washington, DC 20510-7010
Dear Mr. Speaker and Senator Lott:
On January 26, we sent a letter to President Clinton expressing our concern that the U.S. policy of “containment” of Saddam Hussein was failing. The result, we argued, would be that the vital interests of the United States and its allies in the Middle East would soon be facing a threat as severe as any we had known since the end of the Cold War. We recommended a substantial change in the direction of U.S. policy: Instead of further, futile efforts to “contain” Saddam, we argued that the only way to protect the United States and its allies from the threat of weapons of mass destruction was to put in place policies that would lead to the removal of Saddam and his regime from power. The administration has not only rejected this advice but, as we warned, has begun to abandon its own policy of containment.
In February, the Clinton Administration embraced the agreement reached between the UN Secretary Koffi Annan and the Iraqi government on February 23. At the time of the agreement, the administration declared that Saddam had “reversed” himself and agreed to permit the UN inspectors full, unfettered, and unlimited access to all sites in Iraq. The administration also declared that the new organizational arrangements worked out by Mr. Annan and the Iraqis would not hamper in any way the free operation of UNSCOM. Finally, the administration stated that, should Iraq return to a posture of defiance, the international community would be united in support of a swift and punishing military action.
According to the UN weapons inspectors, Iraq has yet to provide a complete account of its programs for developing weapons of mass destruction and has continued to obstruct investigations. Sites opened to the inspectors after the agreement had “undergone extensive evacuation,” according to the most recent UNSCOM report. UN weapons inspector Charles Duelfer has also pointed to significant problems in the new reporting arrangements worked out by Annan and the Iraqis, warning that these may have “important implications for the authority of UNSCOM and its chief inspectors.” And, in the wake of these “Potemkin Village” inspections, the Iraqi government is now insisting that the inspections process be brought to an end and sanctions lifted – going so far as to threaten the U.S. and its allies should its demands not be met.
In the face of this new challenge from Saddam, however, the President’s public response has been only to say that he is “encouraged” by Iraq’s compliance with the UN inspections and to begin reducing U.S. military forces in the Gulf region. Unwilling either to adopt policies that would remove Saddam or sustain the credibility of its own policy of containment, the administration has placed us on a path that will inevitably free Saddam Hussein from all effective constraints. Even if the administration is able to block Security Council efforts to lift sanctions on Iraq this year, the massive expansion of the so-called “oil for food” program will have the effect of overturning the sanctions regime. It is now safe to predict that, in a year’s time, absent a sharp change in U.S. policy, Saddam will be effectively liberated from constraints that have bound him since the end of the Gulf War seven years ago.
The American people need to be made aware of the consequences of this capitulation to Saddam:—We will have suffered an incalculable blow to American leadership and credibility;—We will have sustained a significant defeat in our worldwide efforts to limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Other nations seeking to arm themselves with such weapons will have learned that the U.S. lacks the resolve to resist their efforts;—The administration will have unnecessarily put at risk U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf, who will be vulnerable to attack by biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons under Saddam Hussein’s control;—Our friends and allies in the Middle East and Europe will soon be subject to forms of intimidation by an Iraqi government bent on dominating the Middle East and its oil reserves; and—As a consequence of the administration’s failure, those nations living under the threat of Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction can be expected to adopt policies of accommodation toward Saddam. This could well make Saddam the driving force of Middle East politics, including on such important matters as the Middle East peace process.
Mr. Speaker and Mr. Lott, during the most recent phase of this crisis, you both took strong stands, stating that the goal of U.S. policy should be to bring down Saddam and his regime. And, at the time of the Annan deal, Senator Lott, you pointed out its debilitating weakness and correctly reminded both your colleagues and the nation that “We cannot afford peace at any price.”
Now that the administration has failed to provide sound leadership, we believe it is imperative that Congress take what steps it can to correct U.S. policy toward Iraq. That responsibility is especially pressing when presidential leadership is lacking or when the administration is pursuing a policy fundamentally at odds with vital American security interests. This is now the case. To Congress’s credit, it has passed legislation providing money to help Iraq’s democratic opposition and to establish a “Radio Free Iraq.” But more needs to be done, and Congress should do whatever is constitutionally appropriate to establish a sound policy toward Iraq.
U.S. policy should have as its explicit goal removing Saddam Hussein’s regime from power and establishing a peaceful and democratic Iraq in its place. We recognize that this goal will not be achieved easily. But the alternative is to leave the initiative to Saddam, who will continue to strengthen his position at home and in the region. Only the U.S. can lead the way in demonstrating that his rule is not legitimate and that time is not on the side of his regime. To accomplish Saddam’s removal, the following political and military measures should be undertaken:
—We should take whatever steps are necessary to challenge Saddam Hussein’s claim to be Iraq’s legitimate ruler, including indicting him as a war criminal;—We should help establish and support (with economic, political, and military means) a provisional, representative, and free government of Iraq in areas of Iraq not under Saddam’s control;—We should use U.S. and allied military power to provide protection for liberated areas in northern and southern Iraq; and—We should establish and maintain a strong U.S. military presence in the region, and be prepared to use that force to protect our vital interests in the Gulf – and, if necessary, to help remove Saddam from power
Although the Clinton Administration’s handling of the crisis with Iraq has left Saddam Hussein in a stronger position that when the crisis began, the reality is that his regime remains vulnerable to the exercise of American political and military power. There is reason to believe, moreover, that the citizens of Iraq are eager for an alternative to Saddam, and that his grip on power is not firm. This will be much more the case once it is made clear that the U.S. is determined to help remove Saddam from power, and that an acceptable alternative to his rule exists. In short, Saddam’s continued rule in Iraq is neither inevitable nor likely if we pursue the policy outlined above in a serious and sustained fashion. If we continue along the present course, however, Saddam will be stronger at home, he will become even more powerful in the region, and we will face the prospect of having to confront him at some later point when the costs to us, our armed forces, and our allies will be even higher. Mr. Speaker and Senator Lott, Congress should adopt the measures necessary to avoid this impending defeat of vital U.S. interests.
Sincerely,
Elliot Abrams William J. Bennett Jeffrey Bergner
John R. Bolton Paula Dobriansky Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan
Zalmay Khalilzad William Kristol Richard Perle Peter Rodman
Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber Paul Wolfowitz
R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick
Statement of Principles
June 3, 1997
American foreign and defense policy is adrift. Conservatives have criticized the incoherent policies of the Clinton Administration. They have also resisted isolationist impulses from within their own ranks. But conservatives have not confidently advanced a strategic vision of America’s role in the world. They have not set forth guiding principles for American foreign policy. They have allowed differences over tactics to obscure potential agreement on strategic objectives. And they have not fought for a defense budget that would maintain American security and advance American interests in the new century.
We aim to change this. We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership.
As the 20th century draws to a close, the United States stands as the world’s preeminent power. Having led the West to victory in the Cold War, America faces an opportunity and a challenge: Does the United States have the vision to build upon the achievements of past decades? Does the United States have the resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests?
We are in danger of squandering the opportunity and failing the challenge. We are living off the capital—both the military investments and the foreign policy achievements—built up by past administrations. Cuts in foreign affairs and defense spending, inattention to the tools of statecraft, and inconstant leadership are making it increasingly difficult to sustain American influence around the world. And the promise of short-term commercial benefits threatens to override strategic considerations. As a consequence, we are jeopardizing the nation’s ability to meet present threats and to deal with potentially greater challenges that lie ahead.
We seem to have forgotten the essential elements of the Reagan Administration’s success: a military that is strong and ready to meet both present and future challenges; a foreign policy that boldly and purposefully promotes American principles abroad; and national leadership that accepts the United States’ global responsibilities.
Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership or the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership.
Our aim is to remind Americans of these lessons and to draw their consequences for today. Here are four consequences:
• we need to increase defense spending significantly if we are to carry out our global
responsibilities today and modernize our armed forces for the future;
• we need to strengthen our ties to democratic allies and to challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values;
• we need to promote the cause of political and economic freedom abroad;
• we need to accept responsibility for America’s unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles.
Such a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity may not be fashionable today. But it is necessary if the United States is to build on the successes of this past century and to ensure our security and our greatness in the next.
Elliott Abrams Gary Bauer William J. Bennett Jeb Bush
Dick Cheney Eliot A. Cohen Midge Decter Paula Dobriansky Steve Forbes
Aaron Friedberg Francis Fukuyama Frank Gaffney Fred C. Ikle
Donald Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad I. Lewis Libby Norman Podhoretz
Dan Quayle Peter W. Rodman Stephen P. Rosen Henry S. Rowen
Donald Rumsfeld Vin Weber George Weigel Paul Wolfowitz
— Brian Wheeler Nov 2, 05:05 PM # - Drew, you are not very bright, are you. In case you didn’t take note, Clinton didn’t start a full scale war in Iraq. He followed international law and allowed the inspectors to do their job, which Scott Ritter insisted was done professionally and that there were no WMD’s. Oh, and in case you forgot, Repugs were crying ‘No War for Monica’ when Clinton wanted to retaliate for the embassy bombings. So your little stunt of impeaching a president for oral sex allowed Al Qaida to continue their plans. Oh, and in case you forgot, the Cole bombing happened late in 2000, when BushCo were appointed to the presidency. Richard Clarke notified your president of the urgency of Al Qaida, but BushCo ignored Al Qaida in favor of carving up Iraq. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, your Iraq war has made us less safe. You moron.
— Eugene Iovine Jr. Nov 2, 05:05 PM # - Alison, Get out from under the desk and get to work. No one is interested.
— Rebekah Nov 2, 05:07 PM # - Finlay #14
Treason is why all of these Republicans are going to swing. Don’t you get it?
Harry this is a great opportunity to display our different values from the Republicans. We stand for liberty and freedom. They don’t.
GIVE UM HELL HARRY!!!!
— gary jarvis Nov 2, 05:13 PM # - There are a lot of us out here frustrated over the attempts of the administration to hide, sidestep and misimform voters about taking us into a very unfortunate war.
Thank you for sticking it to the rest of the senate to remind them that they owe the voters an explaination of WHY; you are our hero.
— Lou Fiedler Nov 2, 05:15 PM # - Can’t put into words my gratitude to you and the rest of our Democartic leaders in Washington. It’s time for answers about the the manipulation of the reports on Iraq’s weaponry. We are with you 100%.
God bless, marie
— marie Nov 2, 05:25 PM # - Senator Reid, thank you for standing against the Republicans and their attempts to sweep under the rug the fact that most Americans realize. We were lied to about the justification of going to war in Iraq. My son served there with the 101st Airborne Division. He was wounded and returned home. He was proud to go to war and believed it was for a just cause. He now is sadly disturbed by the lies told to justify the war, not because he was wounded and not because he was sent there, but because he believes, as I do, that the brave heroes who sacrificed their lives for our nation, did so in vain. He is very proud of being in the military and would do it all again, but the reason for military action must be clear and be supported by the American people-justified by the truth. If lies send us to war, it is not a conflict worth fighting. One last statement about the Republicans crying about your calling for a closed session.
This bunch, since they have assumed control of both houses of Congress, have used their advantage to “play hardball”. Isn’t it amazing, that when the Democrats “throw a high inside pitch and knock them down” they cry like little babies and head for the dugout, screaming and whining they won’t play the game unless they can make up all the rules!
— Walter J. Schmitt II Nov 2, 05:34 PM # - Thank you Mr Reid, for having the gumption (good old fashion word) to stand up to this regime and take charge! There are many to “blame” for this war and the mess our country is in, but it is up to the current administration to set things right! The time for lies, cronyism and diversions has come to an end! We, the American people, want the truth! And we want it now! No more of this fascist police state! We are the people, and we need a government FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE! When did the United States of America become Nazi Germany in the 1930’s? Why did we depose one dictator (Saddam) to replace our form of government with another dictator? These are the questions that have been burning in my mind…I care not who is to “blame,” I care to hear the truth and see this country restored to a vestige of what it used to be…a free country! I will NOT relinquish my freedoms to any fascist regime. Ever!
— Julie Gates Nov 2, 05:39 PM # - I think it’s important for all our leaders
to publicly state that they
made a mistake on voting to go
into Iraq. Some of us never
believed the administration and
were very unhappy that so many
Democrats went along with the
administration’s agenda. It
was clear from the day Bush took
office that Iraq was in their
plans. 9/11 was only an excuse.
How about starting a wave of
public apologies to get the
discussion going?
— Mary Timney Nov 2, 05:39 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
I, too, am proud of your courageous aciton to get to the truth about Iraq. America must not begin to engage in Unjust Wars that will break the hearts and haunt the minds of our veterans for the rest of their lives – if they are lucky enough to physically survive.
37 years ago another Republican President told the American people that if he was elected he would get us out of Vietnam. It was a lie, he and his key advisors had every intention of extending the war through their re-election campaign, for their own selfish, personal and political purposes.
I was just a 15 year old kid in 1968. But, by 1971 I was of draft age and went to Vietnam in 1972. I was an All American kid that wanted to believe in America, my government, all of our leaders, especially the President of the United States. Only to learn my patriotism had been prostituted and was turned into a “whore of war” – it is something I will have to live with the rest of my life.
As a Vet, Advocate and Activist, we all support our troops, and, it seems, the whole country is behind our troops regardless of politics. But, the cost is greater than the over 2,000 dead. What about the over 15,000 wounded? Here in Clark County we have, already, over 400 suffering with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and that number is rapidly growing.
We can be patriotic and support our troops and the Global War On Terrorism, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and OPPOSE the Unjust War in Iraq at the same time.
Follow the facts, Harry! Get this investigation done right. Then, impanel, investigate, indict and impeach (if necessary) to gain back our integrity in the world community – and bring our troops home as soon as possible.
I am so proud to be a New Democrat today. No one should be above the law. Not Nixon. Not Bush. Not Cheney. Not Rumsfield. Not Rove. If the facts bear out, they should all go down!
God Bless America and Harry Reid.
— Johnathan L. Abbinett Nov 2, 05:40 PM # - Thank you, Thank You, Thank You Senator Reid. Congratulations on a brave, brilliant strategic move. The Republicans have consistently manipulated the media on a daily basis and played dirty ultimately instilling fear in the American public. It is time for the Democrats to use tough action on a regular basis.
Your kind of leadership is what can take back Congress in 06 and the White House in 08. Keep up the great work.
— john Nov 2, 05:41 PM # - Maybe I’m an idiot for responding to Seminolejoe, but I find it useful to point out the shortcomings and deliberate omissions in the GOPers’ arguments. Here I just have one point to note: in all the quotes from Dems about Iraqi WMDs that you’ve so cleverly cut and pasted, does he notice that not one person advocated invading and occupying Iraq? And to follow this up, does he or his fellow GOPsters remember that when Clinton did order air strikes on Iraqi targets, the Republicans shrieked and howled about “wag the dog, wag the dog, forget the Iraqis and defend yourself against Monica?”
Their hypocrisy is stunning. Thank you again, Senator, for calling them on it. Yours was the first strike in a long political counteroffensive. I eagerly await the next move.
— Black Max Nov 2, 06:22 PM # - Harry, why are you such a liar?
If you really believe that President BUSH lied – - THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ AND HE TOOK US TO WAR SOLELY FOR HIS OIL BUDDIES—then read this…..
“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.”
– President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”
– President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
“Iraq is a long way from [the USA], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.”
– Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.”
– Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
”[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.”
– Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin,
Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”
– Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
“Hussein has … chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.”
– Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
“There is no doubt that … Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.”
– Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,)
and others, December 5, 2001
“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.”
– Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.”
– Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
“Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in
power.” – Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.”
– Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons…”
– Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
“I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force—if necessary—to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.”
– Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the
next five years … We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.”
– Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
“He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his
chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do” Rep.
– Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members .. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.”
– Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” – Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
“Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime … He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation … And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real
...”
– Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
SO NOW THE DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED, THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND HE TOOK US TO WAR FOR HIS OIL BUDDIES???
— joro Nov 2, 06:35 PM # - joro, like a true Repug coward, you use simple quotes, with no indication of their context, to justify the unjustifiable. If you knew anything at all, you would know that the PNAC has been planning this war since 1993, and Bill Clinton got in their way, hence the intense hate for him even though he saved the country from Republican deficits of the ‘80’s and made life better for all Americans. In 1998, the PNAC boldly stated that the only way America would accept a war against Iraq was a disaster on the scale of Pearle Harbor. Coincidence they got just that 9 months into their ill gotten rule? But you hang onto your out of context quotes from the talking points memo you must have gotten, and we’ll hang onto the truth.
— Eugene Iovine Jr. Nov 2, 08:56 PM # - Thank you so much for saying what so many have been thinking. We need to know why faulty intelligence was used, I believe knowingly, to justify invading Iraq.
It’s about time that the Bush administration learns that they cannot dictate how our global neighbors govern themselves. We sure as hell didn’t like it when Great Britain was doing it to us.
An occupied society is not a democratic society despite what the Bush administration is ignorant enough to believe. Or maybe they think Americans are sheep and will believe whatever they tell us. They may have Judith Millers in their pockets but some of us are smart enough to not believe their propoganda.
We need to support the members of our Congress who have the backbone to stand up to this vile administration. Maybe it’s not too late for Bush to go down in history as the next Hitler.
IMPEACH BUSH.
— Michelle Nov 2, 09:04 PM # - RE: Eugene Iovine #130. Simple quotes? They are quite complete but if you want the truth, which you would never get from Harry Reid, you can easily look up any of the Democrats quotes from #129 to get their entire context. Why play politics the way Harry is doing with something so serious for our country?
— joro Nov 2, 11:42 PM # - Joro, you come across as a tool. Worse, you’re simply repeating the same quotes cut & pasted by another poster. If you’d actually read what posters are saying instead of merely mouthing the RNC attack points, you’d see that I have already addressed those quotes, and the facts surrounding them.
It’s quite pointless arguing with the Joros and the Seminolejoes of the world. They’ve got their talking points engraved in mental granite, they’ve got their responses already in text and ready to paste into any argument, but they’ll never actually debate anyone because they have no real understanding of the points they profess. They can mouth platitudes and spew attacks, but they don’t have the capability of give-and-take debate.
So why address them? Because a lot of Dems have trouble debating these points themselves. Practice makes perfect. Get used to bashing around the Joros of the world in blogs like this, and before long it becomes much easier in face-to-face debates, sometimes with people who have real power. Conservatives use the same few talking points over and over again, whether they’re high-priced pundits on Fox News or the drunk who rammed your car last night and didn’t stick around to swap insurance info. Same crap, different venues.
I was lucky enough to “debate” Matt Drudge the other week on a C-SPAN call-in show, if you can call a 60-second phone call a debate, but in that short period of time Drudge did no more than toss a personal slur and throw my own words back at me—“no, YOU’RE the one who is using other people’s talking points,” he said. They all use the same tactics no matter who they are. That’s why Senator Reid left Frist with his mouth hanging open—he mounted an attack from a position of informed principle. Frist and his conservative cronies can’t fight on that basis. If it departs from their rehearsed talking points, or if it rises above the level of personal attacks and insinuation, they can’t handle it. Remember, you’re dealing with a schoolyard bully mentality, and it can be defeated using the same methodologies. The more you “debate” with these people, the more you realize that you’re dealing with middle-school mentalities.
— Black Max Nov 3, 12:20 AM # - i am gonna have to go to the searchlight nugget and have a big ol’ toast to their biggest badass!
— clayton Nov 3, 02:55 AM # - Thank you Sen. Reid, my husband and
I were elated to see your courage and
your leadership closing the senate yesterday.
We were so proud of you for standing up
to the liars. I only hope more senators
will follow your lead now. Americans
need to know the truth.
— Gayle Nov 3, 04:16 AM # - Thanks Harry. And 2 questions.
(1) About staying in Iraq until Iraqi troops are “ready”. We heard that there were 3 battalions – of 100 – ready. Then that went DOWN to ONE. Then at that weird Bush video photo op with the troops, the lady pentagon plant said there were 18 battalions we are working along side and training. What happened to the other 82? Is it now 1 of 18 battalions that are “ready” instead of 3 of 100?
(2) On Bush wanting to maintain the right to used certain “techniques” in the war on terror – techniques the rest of us might consider torture. Shouldn’t THE PEOPLE have the right then to ask that those “techniques” be used in the interrogation of those involved in the Plame outting, since she was a warrior in the war on terror? If not, why not? The why not is because of blatant bigotry. Some lives are worth more than others.
— Linda Nov 3, 07:43 AM # - It seems that every time “Black Max” (blogs #86, 128, 133) attempts to refute my blogs (#69, 94 & 100), he puts his own foot in his mouth!
Example: The Dems have always claimed that there never was any proof that a connection existed between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, yet read what Black Max states in his retort blog #86)!
“He (Seminolejoe) also references the Sudan pharmaceutical factory bombing, which if he read something besides Limbaugh’s Web site, he would know that Clinton had plenty of good reason to believe that the site was an al-Qaeda weapons facility.” Black Max 11/2/05 blog #86 (so the Dems are actually admitting that an Iraq – Al-Qaeda connection existed!) What about the bombing of the Chinese Embassy?
In my blog #69, I stated, “In 1998, you (Sen. Reid) and every Democrat stated that Saddam had WMD’s and chemical weapons.”
Black Max’s blog #86 reply:...“many, not all, Dems believed that Iraq “probably” had WMD’s.”
However, I produced quotes (blog # 94) that emphatically state Iraq did possess WMD’s and chemical weapons…quotes from: Bill Clinton; Hillary Clinton; Madeline Albright; Sandy Berger (the guy who stole classified documents from our National Archives by stuffing the documents in his socks and served no jail time); John Kerry; Ted Kennedy; Al Gore; Robert Byrd; Carl Levin; Nancy Pelosi; Joe Lieberman; Henry Waxman; Tom Daschle; Jay Rockefellar; and former Sen. Bob Graham (former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee under the Clinton Administration).
Clearly this list represents the most important Dems in office in 1998! Clinton was the President until Jan 20, 2001…President Bush inherited the intelligence info from the CIA, garnered under the previous Democratic administration. Surely, the intelligence information didn’t change that much in just eight short months before Sep 11, 2001. Don’t be fooled by “Dirty Harry” or by “Black Max!”
Black Max’s blog #128: “Maybe I’m an idiot for responding to Seminolejoe, but I find it useful to point out the shortcomings and deliberate omissions in the GOPers’ arguments. Here I just have one point to note: in all the quotes from Dems about Iraqi WMDs that you’ve so cleverly cut and pasted, does he notice that not one person advocated invading and occupying Iraq?”
My reply…That’s because the Dems are all “smoke and no fire!”…Black Max, maybe you are an idiot! (Your words, not mine)
No one hates war more than our military, who are bravely defending us against further attacks, by taking the fight to the terrorists.
Extreme, militant, Muslim terrorists declared war on the U.S.A. by hijacking four commercial airlines and crashing them into the Twin Towers; a field in PA; and into the Pentagon on Sep 11, 2001—close to 3,000 dead…all within two hours time.
The Dems want us to bring the troops home before their job in Iraq is complete, because in two and one-half years, unfortunately over 2,000 of our brave military men and women have died. Today the Democrats are attempting to divide our country, by discrediting our President in time of war and lying about it as well…all for the sake of politics and regaining power in our three branches of government, for which the American people keep voting them out.
The majority of the Democratic leadership is afraid to militarily defend their country in time of war, for fear of the criticism they would receive from the liberal peaceniks!
Harry Truman was a Field Artillery Army Captain and went to war against the Germans in W.W. I. As President, in W.W. II, he made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan to save American military lives and end the war with Japan. He was no coward! We were victorious because the politicians and our country were united in their goal to defeat their enemies and not relegated to the “politically correct“ morons in the liberal media! Where’s the support from the Dems to unify and be victorious once again? You won’t find it on this website!
Senator Reid…YOU ARE NO HARRY S. TRUMAN and you should be ashamed to try and compare yourself to him! This website of yours is pathetic! You may have been a boxer, but you are not a fighter in our war against terrorism…
“Smoke and No Fire”—the Democratic mantra.
Remember…Freedom is NOT free.
Senator Reid, you are a fraud!
Black Max…get your facts straight…you are hardly what I would call a great debater!
Seminolejoe/Vietnam Vet/with a Son presently serving in the military
— Joe Mackay Nov 3, 10:28 AM # - Did Iraq have WMD’s? Here’s what Harry said before we invaded Iraq on 3/19/03…
Reid: “The Problem Is Not Nuclear Testing; It Is Nuclear Weapons … The Number Of Third World Countries With Nuclear Capabilities Seems To Grow Daily. Saddam Hussein’s Near Success With Developing A Nuclear Weapon Should Be An Eye-Opener For Us All.” (Sen. Harry Reid, Congressional Record, 8/3/92, p. S11188)
— seminolejoe Nov 3, 12:00 PM # - Seminolejoe:
While it is a zero-sum game to get into a blogfight with you, I will respond to your post and see if I can correct some misapprehensions.
First, you can quote all the Dems you want who insisted that WMDs were in Iraq. That doesn’t include every Democrat in office, much less every Democrat throughout the country. “All Dems” don’t agree on the color of the sky, much less a divisive issue like Iraqi weapons. Your attempt to paint “all Dems” with a large tarbrush echoes the attempts from other conservatives such as Ann Coulter: “all Dems” are liberals, “all Dems” are abortion supporters, “all Dems” are traitors, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
The bombing of the Sudanese pharmaceutical building was done because, in the judgment of Clinton officials, it was a weapons production facility for al-Qaeda. Sudan is not in Iraq. There was no connection between Iraq and the Sudanese facility that I’m aware of. So how do you draw the commection? As for the Chinese bombing incident, either that was done through great stupidity or bad planning. I don’t know, and neither do you. Once again, nothing you’re waving around makes one shred of a case for an involvement between Iraq and al-Qaeda.
If you kept up with current events, you’d realize that Sandy Berger did not serve jail time for a very good reason: he committed no crime. The entire Berger flap was a dodge created to draw attention away from the upcoming Democratic national convention. Want proof? Do your own research; I’ve done mine. I’d suggest you go somewhere besides NewsMax and WorldNetDaily. Find some real news.
Perhaps instead of being “all smoke and no fire,” as you accuse the Dems of being, the Dems decided that a better way to corral and contain Hussein was to continue with the UN inspections, the air strikes, the flyovers, and the economic sanctions. Unlike your bloodlusting conservatives, they didn’t feel it necessary to sacrifice our brave, hapless men and women in uniform for their own political ends.
Joe, you tell us that “no one hates war more than our military, who are bravely defending us against further attacks, by taking the fight to the terrorists.” True enough, but the military, like the rest of us, were lied to. There were no Islamic terrorists in Iraq when we invaded. None of the 9/11 hijackers, which you so elegantly and irrelevantly reference, were from Iraq. None of their training was performed in Iraq. Saddam Hussein did not support Islamic terrorists and did not welcome them into his country—at least the part of it he controlled; there were scattered Islamic terrorists coming in and out of Kurd-controlled Iraq, but that must be OK, because the Kurds are our allies. Some Dems, and Repubs, made the understandable error of assuming that there must be some connection between Hussein and al-Qaeda; the Bush administration went much, much farther, telling us to our faces that they had “incontrovertible evidence” of such a connection, and as such, Hussein must be overthrown. Bush himself, and officials such as Colin Powell and Richard Perle, have admitted that no such evidence EVER existed; yet we still continue to hear from liars such as Cheney and Bush (who shows no hesitation to contradict himself if it suits his purposes) that there was such a connection. Liars. Those lies have cost our military over 2000 dead, over 17,000 wounded, and wreaked tremendous havoc with their morale and ability to respond to REAL crises.
Your assertion that Dems are cowards who are “afraid” to use the military is interesting considering how many chickenhawks populate the Bush administration. John Kerry served his country with distinction during Vietnam; George W. Bush used family connections to get into the Texas Air National Guard and subsequently deserted his post, refusing to honor his committment to his country. He ran during Vietnam just like he ran on 9/11, like a gutless rabbit. Al Gore served honorably in Vietnam, even requesting frontline duty when his (admittedly cushy) posting did not require such duty; Dick Cheney got one student deferment after another, and told the press that he had “better things to do” than serve in the military during wartime. In fact, while the Democratic leadership is studded with men and women who have served their country in the military, your leadership is studded with cowards and yellowbellies who used every trick they could think of to duck out of service. And while your retort will certainly be, “What about Bill Clinton?,” at least he had a modicum of moral opposition to the war to go along with his personal, less admirable desire to duck.
As for the “liberal peaceniks,” they wish they had more influence over the Democratic leadership than they do.
Keep citing your admiration for Harry Truman—he despised conservative Republicans and took every opportunity he could find to keep them out of power.
The last of your post is a barrage of personal insults—telling, in that your earlier arguments were so weak that you find it necessary to “bolster” them by a round of name-calling.
I’m glad you’re proud of your son’s service in the military. Do him a favor and work to get him and his comrades out of that Republican meatgrinder in Iraq before it’s too late.
— Black Max Nov 3, 12:11 PM # - Last post from me on this thread. Joe, you’re welcome to howl whatever shrill invective you please, or cut & paste to your heart’s content. I’m focusing my attention elsewhere.
Our obfuscasting buddy posts a quote from Senator Reid “before we invaded Iraq on 3/19/03.” He’s right, it was before the invasion—almost eleven years before, to be exact. A lot happened in those 11 years, including the complete dismantling of whatever infant nuclear program Hussein was trying to build before the US invasion of 1991.
By 2003, it was our traitorous Bush officials who were screaming about “mushroom clouds” and Iraqi UAVs delivering nuclear payloads on American cities when they knew full well nothing of the sort existed.
Every person, American, British, Iraqi, and otherwise, who has died on Iraqi (or Syrian, or Iranian) soil because of this invasion was murdered by the liars in the White House and in Downing Street who sent them to their deaths under false pretenses. That’s a tremendous amount of blood on their hands. Senator Reid is morally bound to call them out on it. So am I. So are you, Joe, but you’d rather keep feeding the meatgrinder and getting your jollies from the ever-increasing death tolls. Does it make your heart swell with pride to open the paper and read about more Iraqis and more Americans dead in the desert? Does it make you feel like a real man? Do you cheer the war like you cheer a football game?
For most Dems, unlike most modern Republicans, war is a last resort, not a first option. The last truly supportable war this country fought was overseen magnificently by perhaps the most liberal of this century’s presidents, FDR. Eisenhower got us involved in Vietnam for all the wrong reasons; Kennedy would have gotten us out, but was killed before he could begin withdrawing troops. The far more conservative LBJ escalated our presence until the GOP’s Nixon could take office and really put the pedal to the metal. Reagan invades Grenada and Panama for purely political reasons; he could have argued for a military strike against Iran with some justification, but he chose instead to send money and Bibles to the mullahs holding our citizens hostage. Bush I hoked up the Gulf War and made the poor decision to send troops to Somalia. Clinton kept us out of war, except for sending peacekeeping troops to Kosovo; he played a critical part in settling that centuries-old struggle in the Balkans, as well as an even more intransigent conflict in Ireland.
In other words, in modern American history, Democrats don’t start wars, but they win the ones they get into (LBJ being the obvious exception). Republicans start wars for political reasons and end up losing them in the process. This modern crop also has a fine record of keeping their own overprivileged butts out of the line of fire.
I know which side I am proud to associate myself with, and it’s not those cowardly, fatcat little traitors who call themselves Republicans.
— Black Max Nov 3, 12:37 PM # - In message 129 someone named Joro calls you and all Democrats liars because of statements all taken out of context. He forgets to tell the whole story of how the Democrats were lied to with false information and misleading intelligence reports. The congress voted to go to war on false pretense. With out oversight in this administration how can we, the American people, trust anything out elected officials tell us. The Republicans are the majority in all the committees and do not believe in any checks and balances in our government anymore. Only when the Democrats are in power.
Dear Senator Reid please find out the truth that I’m sure is what we all fear. That this administration’s lies go all the way to the top and have committed not only perjury to all American , but have committed crimes of treason. Killing thousands of innocent people. I believe it was because of Iraq’s oil and to bilk the coffers of the US Treasury to fund a few chosen corporations with ties directly to the oval office. Cronyism and favor to the Becktels, Haliburtons, Lockheeds, and other selects companies that are pocketing billions of American tax dollars.
We need leadership from our Democratic Party to “step up to the plate” and expose what is happening to us. I fear that if we don’t we may end up with a fascist one party system that will control all branches of the government, by whatever means it will take. Lying, stealing, and taking away all the rights we’ve fought for over the past 200 plus years.
Sincerely – Gunther
— gunther allen Nov 3, 01:03 PM # - DEAR SENATOR REID,
NO WORDS CAN EXPRESS HOW PROUD YOU MADE EVERYONE THE OTHER DAY WHEN YOU TOOK THE “BULL” BY THE HORNS AND SHUT DOWN CONGRESS.GIVE ‘EM HELL HARRY!
— DIANE BUCKMAN Nov 3, 02:16 PM # - Thanks for taking a stand and demanding action on behalf of the American people!!
— Miriam Nov 3, 02:39 PM # - You’ve given me a shred of hope by displaying the kind of leadership we need. Please keep speaking out and taking action against those who continually seek to compromise here at home the democratic rights they profess to be spreading to other countries. We must block this Supreme Court appointment and figure out a way to end the Iraq debacle. I’m counting on you and other Democratic leaders to help do that. Thank you.
— Marlene Nov 3, 02:40 PM # - Finally someone has stood up to do what should have been done a long time ago. CONGRAUTLATIONS HARRY!
— PJ Nov 3, 02:41 PM # - Finally – some real action in the Senate. We’ve taken one too many UN-Democratic ploys and tricks from this administration for too long! I’ve been waiting along side so many others for our elected officals to get MAD! Now – get EVEN! Let’s change the playing field. Let’s get back to governing with integrity. Fix our foreign policy and stop the untruths. Glad to see Libby is gone -may the unraveling begin! Next…
— Sarah Nov 3, 02:52 PM # - YYEESS!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Now keep it rolling and give ‘em hell Harry!
— Andra Nov 3, 03:11 PM # - You make me proud Reid. Keep it up. Walk in Beauty
— Jon C Drolshagen Nov 3, 03:19 PM # - senator reid , you are a hero in eyes and i can’t thank you enough. enuf is enuf of the gop bullshit! LIES FROM BUSH AND CHENEY ARE NOT WHAT AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT. MAKE THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR TARNISHING OUR MOST REVERED DOCUMENT , THE CONSTITUTION.
— john knapik Nov 3, 03:28 PM # - Thank you Senator Reid, for standing strong, and demanding accountability. I am a mother who, after protesting the war, had to kiss my son goodbye and watch him deploy to Iraq as the war began. Many sleepless nights later – he is home safe, but I have an almost-son-in-law 50 miles from Baghdad. Bring them all home safe and soon – and keep the fire hot – very very HOT – until the Bush agenda is revealed… and held accountable for the lives of our best and brightest.
— Molly Goss Nov 3, 03:43 PM # - Harry, you were fantastic. I have been waiting a long time for someone in congress to wake up and begin to take on the lies and falsehoods that these republicans have been pushing for the past five years.
I still feel that they stole the first election in Florida and then the second in Ohio. We must be ready for them in the next election if we do not throw them out before.
Jim Anello
— Dr.James J. Anello Nov 3, 03:45 PM # - Good work senator. Nice to see some leadership from your party. Keep up the boldness.
Give ‘em hell Harry!!!
— Loren Yglecias Nov 3, 04:06 PM # - Great job Harry!
Please don’t back down! America needs for you and all the Dems to fight for America…
They blinked when First went off…......soon he will be blinking as much as Bush.
Sincerely,
MJC
— Michael Corgnati Nov 3, 04:11 PM # - The real Spirit of America is alive and kickin. We’re with ya Mr. Reid.
Kick their lying criminal butts right out of the White House. We don’t need the hatred of the world associated with our flag and our people, which is what it now represents and is well-deserved and is the legacy of the Grand Ole Psychopaths.
It is our duty to give em Hell. ‘Slam em with the TRUTH. End the war. Stop the lies….
Kathleen
— Kathleen M. Dickson Nov 3, 04:17 PM # - Dear Mr. Reid:
I do believe, at this moment, John, TJ and Ben are all on ‘the other side’ with tears in their eyes. This is what the America they had in mind was suppose to become.
We are not anti-American for speaking out against a corrupt government, but are “honor bound”, as TJ would say, to fight against such a government. To continue to deny such corruption exists in a democracy is tantamount to treason. If we are ever to be truely free, we must be free to loudly proclaim that the Emperor has no clothes!
Jefferson (TJ) later said that every 200 years, we are due for a revolution. Well, Mr. Reid and the people of Nevada and this country, we are past due.
Thank you, Senator, for being the new “shot heard around the world.”
Remember, everyone, as American Citizens we are OBLIGATED to ensure that our employees—the senators, congressmen and the PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT support the U.S. Constitution and uphold the laws. It is not holding our ELECTED EMPLOYEES accountable for their actions that make us UnAmerican.
“Findlay” may find it beneificial to learn to read a book and study the history of our country before he/she makes such a ludicrious public statment. Yes, Findlay, you ‘spoke’ like a true Neo-con.
In conclusion, do you need to be reminded that the fiscal irresponsibility of this Administration IS NOT CONSERVATIVE OR REPUBLICAN?!?
— Atalanta Nov 3, 04:29 PM # - From the bottom of my liberal heart – you are a ray of sunshine during these darkened times with GWB. THANK YOU!
— Philip Smerick Nov 3, 04:36 PM # - I just wish you guys had had the guts to stop this at the very beginning and put the brakes on Bush’s headlong rush to war, thereby saving a 100,000 lives. Based on all the information I read at the time, I knew that the given reasons for war were bogus, that Bush was cherrypicking his “facts” to support the neocon push for regime change in Iraq. The international community knew. Why didn’t you? The Democratic leadership copped out.
— Jim Manville Nov 3, 04:53 PM # - Black Max blog #139
Point #1:
It was not George Bush ‘41 who sent troops to Somalia…it was Bill Clinton…nice try Black Max!
“Clinton’s Somalia Fiasco”—Ranger’s letter to WSJ
Wall Street Journal ^ | 8/16/02 | John Belman
Posted on 08/16/2002 6:13:45 AM PDT by xlib
Clinton’s Somalia Fiasco
President Clinton may be forgiven for his latest attempt at legacy maintenance, recounted in your editorial on his comments regarding Somalia (“Clinton’s Black Hawk History,” Aug. 6). After all, his reality is defined by his desperate need to be a “Great Man.” So, he sees the failure and deceit of the past as strength.
What amazes me, however, is that Mr. Clinton appears to remember little and regret less about that terrible, pointless day in Mogadishu nine years ago.
I will never forget what so many of my friends and comrades did that day, and what too many gave up. I will always regret how, with the enemy on the run and at such terrible cost, we were prevented from re-arming, kitting up and finishing the task. Mr. Clinton, by contrast, has forgotten, and regrets nothing. As with all else, Somalia was someone else’s mess.
John Belman
Member, Task Force Rangers, Somalia
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Point #2: I stand corrected when I stated “all Dems said Iraq had WMD’s” in 1998 and 2002, it was mostly the Dems in high office, i.e. Bill & Hillary; Kerry; Byrd; Kennedy; Pelosi; Berger; Albright; Levin; Waxman; Bob Graham; Joe Lieberman; Daschle; and Jay Rockefellar.
Point #3: John Kerry was no Vietnam War hero. The men who served with him (the majority) stated just the opposite!
Point #4: Some of the leading political Democrats (I didn’t want to bring this point up, but Black Max did…so to be fair), Harry Reid; Chuckie Schumer; Dick Durbin; Howard Dean (got a 4F classification, while he did “hot-dogging” skiing in Colorado instead); and Joe Biden never served in the military.
Point #5: Black Max states that Sandy Berger committed no crime. Then why was he convicted of the crime of stealing top secret classified material which he pleaded guilty to?
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005 8:40 p.m. EDT
Sandy Berger Facing New Charges
“Less than a month after he was sentenced for stealing and destroying top national security documents, former Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger has been charged with violating the terms of his probation…Before his latest brush with the law, Berger was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, perform 100 hours of community service and spend two years on probation.” 10/6/05
Black Max…I’m tired of correcting your mistakes.
My point (#5) of “jumping into” this site, was merely to correct the misleading statements of the bloggers and to present another side of the issues being discussed, mainly, If there were
no WMD’s when George Bush invaded Iraq, where did they mysteriously disappear to between Oct 1998 or 2002, when leading political Democratic leaders said Saddam had them and 3/19/03? Did we not find 500 tons of uranium in June of 2003?
NewsMax.com
Sunday, July 17, 2005 5:08 p.m. EDT
The Uranium Joe Wilson Didn’t Mention
By April 2003, when the U.S. invaded Iraq, Saddam Hussein had stockpiled 500 tons of yellowcake uranium at his al Tuwaitha nuclear weapons development plant south of Baghdad.
That intriguing little detail is almost never mentioned by the big media, who prefer to chant the mantra “Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction” while echoing Joseph Wilson’s claim that “Bush lied” about Iraq seeking more of the nuclear material in Niger.
The media’s decision to put the Wilson-Plame affair back on the front burner, however, may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for President Bush – giving his administration a chance to resurrect an important debate they conceded far too easily about the weapons of mass destruction threat posed by Saddam Hussein.
First, the facts – from a reliable critic of the White House, the New York Times, which covered the story long after the paper announced it was tightening its standards on WMD news out of Iraq.
“The United States has informed an international agency that oversees nuclear materials that it intends to move hundreds of tons of uranium from a sealed repository south of Baghdad to a more secure place outside Iraq,” the paper announced in a little-noticed May 2004 report.
“The repository, at Tuwaitha, a centerpiece of Saddam Hussein’s nuclear weapons program until it was largely shut down after the first Persian Gulf war in 1991, holds more than 500 tons of uranium,” the paper revealed, before insisting: “None of it [is] enriched enough to be used directly in a nuclear weapon.”
Well, almost none.
The Times went on to report that amidst Saddam’s yellowcake stockpile, U.S. weapons inspectors found “some 1.8 tons” that they “classified as low-enriched uranium.”
The paper conceded that while Saddam’s nearly 2 tons of partially enriched uranium was “a more potent form” of the nuclear fuel, it was “still not sufficient for a weapon.”
Consulted about the low-enriched uranium discovery, however, Ivan Oelrich, a physicist at the Federation of American Scientists, told the Associated Press that if it was of the 3 percent to 5 percent level of enrichment common in fuel for commercial power reactors, the 1.8 tons could be used to produce enough highly enriched uranium to make a single nuclear bomb.
And Thomas B. Cochran, director of the nuclear program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Times that the low-enriched uranium could be useful to a nation with nuclear ambitions.
“A country like Iran could convert that into weapons-grade material with a lot fewer centrifuges than would be required with natural uranium,” he explained.
Luckily, Iraq didn’t have even the small number of centrifuges necessary to get the job done.
Or did it?
The physicist tapped by Saddam to run his centrifuge program says that after the first Gulf War, the program was largely dismantled. But it wasn’t destroyed.
In fact, according to what he wrote in his 2004 book, “The Bomb in My Garden,” Dr. Mahdi Obeidi told U.S. interrogators: “Saddam kept funding the IAEC [Iraq Atomic Energy Commission] from 1991 … until the war in 2003.”
“I was developing the centrifuge for the weapons” right through 1997, he revealed.
And after that, Dr. Obeidi said, Saddam ordered him under penalty of death to keep the technology available to resume Iraq’s nuke program at a moment’s notice.
Dr. Obeidi said he buried “the full set of blueprints, designs – everything to restart the centrifuge program – along with some critical components of the centrifuge” under the garden of his Baghdad home.
“I had to maintain the program to the bitter end,” he explained. All the while the Iraqi physicist was aware that he held the key to Saddam’s continuing nuclear ambitions.
“The centrifuge is the single most dangerous piece of nuclear technology,” Dr. Obeidi says in his book. “With advances in centrifuge technology, it is now possible to conceal a uranium enrichment program inside a single warehouse.”
Consider: 500 tons of yellowcake stored at Saddam’s old nuclear weapons plant, where he’d managed to partially enrich 1.8 tons. And the equipment and blueprints that could enrich enough uranium to make a bomb stored away for safekeeping. And all of it at the Iraqi dictator’s disposal.
If the average American were aware of these undisputed facts, the debate over Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction would have been decided long ago – in President Bush’s favor.
One more detail that Mr. Wilson and his media backers don’t like to discuss: There’s a reason Niger was such a likely candidate for Saddam’s uranium shopping spree.
Responding to the firestorm that erupted after Wilson’s July 2003 column, Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters:
“In case people should think that the whole idea of a link between Iraq and Niger was some invention, in the 1980s we know for sure that Iraq purchased round about 270 tons of uranium from Niger.”
God Bless America and hopefully let us put our energy behind defeating the ruthless, extreme, militant, Muslim terrorists, who are determined to destroy our way of life, and not destroy the Democracy we worked and fought so hard in this country to obtain! Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians, we are all Americans…may we live in peace! God bless you too, Black Max!
— seminolejoe Nov 3, 04:58 PM # - Thank you so much Harry Reid. It’s time some makes this administration accountable.
— Charlotte & Tim Davis Nov 3, 06:00 PM # - Seminole Joe,
You are a stud for the facts! Your posts are refreshing and may serve to open some eyes “blinded” by politics.
Perhaps we should interview Kerry, Kennedy, Gore, Bill, and Hillary about the sources for their “lies” concerning their unequivical claims that Iraq had WMDs. And I believe you are correct – every intelligence agency in the world may not have been wrong. Regardless, Saddam was on Iraqi television over a year before the invasion publically exhorting his nuclear engineers and threatening a certain small country with nuclear annhilation.
My advice to others here: be careful not to alienate more American mainstream voters with jaundiced and irrational claims/views.
Tom Daschle learned a valuable lesson during the last election cycle.
Harry may be next to pack his bags and go home.
Carry on Seminole Joe!
— John Ponce Nov 3, 06:08 PM # - Oh yes, there is also a reason Joe Wilson resigned from John Kerry’s campaign last year.
The Senate Intelligence report revealed all the lies and exagerations that Joe Wilson had held forth in his political hacks to undermine our military effort while our soldiers are fighting for freedom in the Middle East.
What is Tom Daschle doing these days?
— John Ponce Nov 3, 06:14 PM # - Thank you Senator Reid for having the courage and integrity to do what you did. Our country may never recover from eight years of the Bush administration but I’m grateful that you are calling for some accountability on the war in Iraq. Several years ago, there was a movie made starring Dustin Hoffman called Wag the Dog. The current administration seems to have rewritten the script somewhat but has still managed to inflict what I feel will one day be seen as the most deceitful and damaging “trick” ever played on the American people. There is no doubt that what we are beginning to see is just the “tip of the iceburg”.
— Kim Cavender Nov 3, 06:19 PM # - On ya’, Harry! To quote from “Patton”:
”...hold on to ‘em by the nose, and kick ‘em in the ass!”
In other words, don’t stop now. Keep the pressure on as much as possible. Use everything at your disposal and do it from some kind of high ground. Watch your flanks, keep your tin hat on, and sleep with one eye open. The Machine will be at you in no uncertain terms. Shoot the legs out from under it.
— Harry Flashman Nov 3, 06:47 PM # - Thank you for your courage and bravery. Doing the right thing requires morals and values and a desire to do what is best for the greatest number of people. All people…because basic human rights are equal for all. Bush and his administration are so terribly emotionally immature and selfish for their own gain. It is too bad that the majority of the American people can not see the signs of his true nature and character which have been self evident since he ran against Vice President Gore. Now that you are fighting to bring the truth out into the open perhaps more Americans will question instead of following blindly.
— Diane Moser Nov 3, 07:10 PM # - Senator Reid, You did it right! Whine though they may, Republicans are on the run. It’s time Americans demanded the truth about their lies and changed the course of their destructive rush to destruction of American values.
— John R. Gilchrist Nov 3, 07:26 PM # - Senator Reid, Fantastic! Keep their feet on the fire. That’s the only way to get these Republicans moving on the business of the Country and not on the business of protecting their corrupt buddies.
— jose garcia Nov 3, 08:06 PM # - Keep up the pressure Senator. This is another stupid fiasco like Vietnam. Bush’s next excuse will be ‘we have to get out with honor’, same as tricky Dick Nixon with the Vietnam war.
— scott dotterer Nov 3, 08:11 PM # - Mr. Reid, I can’t possibly convey in words alone how honored I am at this moment to be one of your many supporters, nor how pleased that you are standing up for the truth when so very few are willing to do so. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Greg Warren
Virginia City, NV
— Greg Warren Nov 3, 09:07 PM # - If the Bush people weren’t lying to promote the Iraq war, then why has the Republican majority of the Senate Intelligence Committee been stonewalling on Phase II of its report?
As of today, Oct 3 05, 2,037 U.S. GIs are dead in Iraq, more than 15,000 wounded, 7250 of them severely maimed, around 30,000 Iraqis are dead and no telling how many maimed, the US has spent hundreds of billions, and there is no end in sight.
We are entitled to know the truth.
Thanks, Sentor Reid, but I must tell you, it has been a long frustrating wait for the Democratic leadership to stand up and fight back.
— Charles Cheves Nov 3, 09:15 PM # - And today happens to be Nov 3.
— Charles Cheves Nov 3, 09:18 PM # - Harry:
Good Job!!! I was so pleased to see someone finally take action toward bringing the LIES used to start this war out into the open.
I was disappointed Friday with the limited progress Fitzgerald has so-far made in his investigation, but at least it has brought the real story to the publics attention.
Many of us knew long before the invasion it was all LIES, LIES LIES.
— Carol Nov 3, 09:23 PM # - I have been a strong democrat for about 20 years, working on campaigns and speaking out about the wrongs of the corruption in our current administration, republican backed corporate greed and my contempt for this war. Because it did not seem that there were any more Democrat politicians who felt as I did or at least were not willing to fight for the things that I believe in, I have been contemplating breaking from the democratic party. Thank you for beginning to restore my faith in a platform that I would still like to believe in. People who are willing to stand up and fight the regime who has taken our government hostage are my modern day hero’s. Right now the two people I admire most in the world are you and Cindy Sheehan. She needs no explanation of who she is, and if you continue on the right track, you soon will not either. Good work!
— Karen Robin Nov 3, 09:36 PM # - When Lies Cost Lives
Vietnam War
In Vietnam, the cost in lives and lies was long and historic, 58,000 dead, 150 billion spent, 300,000 injured and a 30 year conflict. We sprayed an agent orange defoliant, that was said to be safe, but it took until 1984, and a 180 million dollar lawsuit, before the dyeing vets could get some help.
Our program of “Vietnamization,” moving the person to protected and occupied reservation like areas was a total failure, thousand of people seem to hate that. The blowing up of their food supplies, crushing of their economy, with all targets selected to amplify the economic and psychological impact; most people were starving, they had to look for any economic opportunity. One of the only jobs they were forced to take, was to be apart of our,
Vietamization force. Their loyalty would go as far as you paid them, and 275,000, South Vietnam solders, ended up paying a very royal price.
The 1964 gulf of Tonkin Resolution was made after the attacks on the USS Maddox and the Turner C.Joy. For two days, August, 2-3, of 1964, the ships were repeatedly fired on by three
North Vietnamese PT boats, 30 miles off the coast, in international waters. Congress then supplied President Johnson with a “blank check” to declare war on North Vietnam. Both of the US war ships were operating in support of South Vietnamese forces; that were attacking targets in North Vietnam, for six months. History shows there was only one torpedo attack that actually may have happened; to the Destroyer USS Maddox, on August 2.
The election of September 3, 1967 was our attempted to legitimize a very corrupt regime, where the military ticket of Thieu and Ky received only 35% of the vote. Even the millions of tons of bombs and millions of dollars over many years, from supporting the French since 1950
we tried to; indoctrinate,dominate,infiltrate,motivate,escalate,poison,force,betray,divide, coerce, subvert, fabricate,revitalize,starve, implement, guarantee,secure,train,mold, pacify, democratize, colonize, imperialize; in order to help win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people, any way we could, whether they wanted it or not, dead or alive. During the conflict, 2 – 4 million citizens were having their hearts and minds won; but never made it, they died in the process.
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Persian Gulf War
From Desert Storm and Desert Shield we know that there are thousands of sick vets that need help. The Gulf War Syndrome with its, nerve gas protectant PB, (pyriostigmine bromide), antitank and gun rounds of U- 238, (depleted uranium), insect repellent DEET, (diethyltoluamide), nerve gas decontaminate, (ethylene glycol mono methyl ether), pesticide (permehtrin), experimental anthrax vaccines, experimental botulism vaccines, experimental small pox vaccines, now, with the results of devastating birth defects. Even In small scale safety trials, Air Force pilots reported, impaired breathing, vision, stamina, and short term memory problems. Being under the threat of article 15 or court martial, solders were not to discuss their vaccinations, not even with their medical doctors who treat them.
Many sick vets tried to get help and were told it was just stress, or all in their heads. The Pentagon maintains that chemical release from the site is unrelated to the so-called Gulf war syndrome. The Pentagon says, there is no evidence that they were exposed to poison gas;
They have “no new or unique illness,” and vehemently denounced the existence of War Syndrome. Since the Gulf War ended in 1991, the Department of Defense has affirmed to veterans and sworn to the U.S.Congress that “there is no information, classified or unclassified, that indicates that chemical or biological weapons were used in the Persian gulf ” and that “there were no confirmed detections of any chemical or biological agents at any time during the entire conflict”
The blowing up of the Iraqi ammunition depot by the 37Th Engineering Battalion of the U.S. Army; with hundreds of 122 mm sarin gas rockets in it, at Khamisiyahin in southern Iraq, on march 10, of 1991; was so inexcusable, there are no words for it. The CIA knew the location, and the weapons there. We also bombed 24 chemical bunkers, and 19 biological bunkers. Our solders were exposed to 21 reproductive toxicants. The visible and infrared satellite imagery shows there was toxic debris traveling directly towards US military personnel. This just goes show, the reckless disregard the Pentagon has for our solders. How you could not know, that there is a chance, our solders might breathe that stuff. In June of 1996 the Pentagon disclosed that US troops may have been exposed to poison gas, in March of 1991.
For 230,000 Gulf War vets, does this sound a lot like Vietnam, and Agent Orange again? Yes, the Pentagon is out of control, and needs a revolutionary change.
“Follow the money”
Iraq War
It all most seems scripted, as the benefits to Carlyle, Bechtel, and Halliburton go up, the benefits to veterans goes down. You guessed it, the health care funding in 2006, for the Veterans Administration, is being cut by one billion dollars. It is, Carlyle, Bechtel, Halliburton and etc. who seem to shape the pace of support, with millions in cost over-runs, and over charges. Halliburton’s KBR division, had a 284% increase in operating profits. The Pentagon awarded $ 70 million in “award” fees, for ratings of “excellent” for troop logistics work. KBR also had 1 billion in “questioned” expenses, and another 442 million in “unsupported” expenses.KBR received a five year no bid contract to put out the oil fires that the Pentagon officials believed the retreating Iraqi troops would set, as the Unites States invaded. They also had been hired to write the plans for how the work would be conducted. Normally, contractors are excluded from bidding on work that arises from their own plans. The terms of the Restore Iraqi Oil contract stipulated that the contractor had to know the plans that KBR had been hired to write.
There is no opportunity like a war where you can make so much profit, for so long, from so many.
Now we are tied up in this war with Iraq, and some say it will go on for another 12 years; you think in 12 years, the cost in lies and lives will be just the same, or, far more long and historic. I sure hope the people of Iraq don’t start resist our protection zones, Iraqifiation programs, and permanent military bases; other wise it will likely be a long war, for our global protection services. For years now we have been “trying to pacify Iraq by bombing it,” but thousands of people seem to hate that.
We are lucky we don’t have to do it, like those strange looking barbaric terrorists do it. In Iraq they chop people’s heads off that is just so barbaric! When we do it, we drop 500 pound bombs, it blow everything into surgically small, little pieces. Where lucky we don’t behead people, where more civilized. Many barbaric people will have to understand what our democracy and freedom is actually all about; whether they ever truly get a chance at real, democracy and freedom, or not.
The President said, ” if your not with us your against us ” and the French have been against us. In order to bring France back into the “coalition of the willing”, we will have to have them see our, “shock and awe” program. Within 48 hours we could bring dignity and respect back to the name French, and French Fries. We will only have to bomb Paris, then they will all come quickly, running back to the “coalition of the willing”. There is still a chance; we may have to nuke Russia and Germany, to convince them.
The 1,000 – 2,000 tons of carcinogenic and toxic U-238 depleted uranium rounds that burn on impact; and create a dust with traces of plutonium in it, will be around for the next four and one half billion years. Have we started something with no return, as we are selling these depleted uranium rounds to dozens of other countries; are we taunting the law of unintended consequences again, this time for keeps.
The massive artillery bombardment to retake Fallujah with napalm, shows that given enough time, war, will always find the lowest common denominator.
When you think of all the dead dinosaurs that are used to make our oil possible, and you think of all the dead American solders that have been used, toward protecting it; it makes it very hard to know, with war, what the final price will be, for our new found oil supply. It is the poor 18 and 19 old, when forced look for an economic opportunity, most often find themselves, recruited for these purposes.
I support the troops staying in Iraq because the 9-11 attackers were mostly from Saudi Arabia.
I support the troops staying in Iraq because the terrorist won’t have Americans to shoot at.
Plus we need more time to Americanize the Iraqis, so that they can learn to like us when we drop bombs on them. Time is also needed to convince the American people with much better lies and propaganda that we can not bring our troops home with out protecting all that oil. With only two thousand not dead, it is much too soon to save them; from being targets, in the middle of a civil war.
I admire all people who want to support their troops, and you can see the many stickers on their cars showing support; but I know that if they took that money spent on stickers showing support, and sent it to the children with devastating birth defects; then, the Gulf War veterans will know, as we all should know, that when you are truly proud of your accomplishment, there is no doubt in your heart telling you, that this is now, something, powerfully more than just show.
Can big people with big minds, tell small people with small minds, to do big things, with little mind?
Propaganda wars
Some people think that real TV is scripted, some people think it is too real to be scripted, some people think it is just, real TV. There are also many of us that can easily see when these events are solely based on a foundation of fiction and public relations efforts at manufacturing consent of the people; in order to cover the dangers and liabilities, of some political and commercial policies. All these programs are needed, to the molding of a more socially acceptable agenda that will win the hearts and minds of those now calling for a more patriotic duty. Do we need to make more patriots out of our people, for patriotism?
Not all that is seen is scripted, and not all that is scripted is seen. When Progress for a New American Century, ( PNAC ) was written in 1998; page 51, calls for—”creating tomorrow’s dominate force”—” to exert global political leadership”—“to preserve American military preeminence”—“in general to maintain American military preeminence that is consistent with the requirements of a strategy of American global leadership,”—“Further, the process of transformation even if it brings revolutionary change is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor. Domestic politics and industrial policy will shape the pace and content of transformation as much as the requirements of current missions.”
What if we could stage an event, where there is no doubt in your heart, telling you, that this is truly barbaric? Something to develop a framework in provoking a crisis where you can build public support and legal cover; in knowing “it was necessary to create the conditions in which we could support military action,” in truthfully depicting American and administrative policies; even if it brings about a revolutionary change, something—- “like a new Pearl Harbor”. It could even come as a surprise attack on the September the 11TH.This could be—-
“some catastrophic and catalyzing event”, that would,—- “further the process of transformation even if it brings about a revolutionary change. God only knows, this change is—- “likely to be a long one;”—-”. “to exert global political leadership, ”—- “to preserve American military preeminence”. The madness of this is—- “consistent with the requirements of a strategy of American global leadership,”—- “in creating tomorrows dominate force,”—“to further, the process of ” military domination of the world, even if we have to end up nuking it.” Domestic politics and industrial policy will shape the pace and content of transformation,” for the militarization of a one world government—-, “as much as the requirements of current missions.” like, in Iraq. For this transformation we should wear brown shirts, goosesteps, carry lots of flags, and amend the Constitution like 1936. Hitler never asked permission before invading other countries, why should we. When Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, which are all oil -producing regions of the world start to resist corporate globalization, it is now time for the U.S. to “manage” the global distribution of resources, people, energy, and money.! The Pentagon’s job is to develop a political framework in provoking a crisis that will help assert the legitimacy of American occupation, in keeping the boots on the necks of the people of the third world, to benefit our corporate globalization policies.
Would anyone notice the small change if we said, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Oil Protection Services, for which it stands, one force, under god, indivisible, with freedom and justice for one.?
For those followers that like to show there is no difference in your goal as long as you as long as you can achieve it, and that you should rap your self in the American Flag so tight you can’t breath, so that nothing else will matter; for the ” Straussians” know only a corrupt and immoral society will be the end result of lies and deception. There is just no peace in imperialism when you’re exerting global preeminence. Yes, the ignorant masses have to be led, but does it have to be; an egregious liar.
Most people are ignorant of the lies, and the lying liars who tell them.
The Big Lie
We were told that:
there were aluminum tubes being used for enriching uranium, there was yellow cake bought form Nizaire for nuclear weapons, and there were secret weapons of mass destruction sites holding 500 tons of WMD’s, with all the precise satellite photo’s; while being told Iraq is the one connected to that catastrophic and catalyzing event; like the surprise attack on September 11Th. All this so we could get a transformation to prop up our domestic policies with the much needed coalition of the coalition of the willing; congress and the American people, plus a few million dollars to some small, bought, and arm twisted countries. The talk of
WMD’s is for selling the war, not necessarily because they exist; it is to build public support and legal cover. We should be careful what we wish for because, some day we just find the 500 tons of WMD’s; but not quite in the exact place, we may go looking.
The Office of Global Communication (O.G.C) was formed in 2002 to coordinate strategic communications overseas that integrate the President’s themes, and truthfully depict American and Administration policies. Countering propaganda and disinformation is an important role for the O.G.C.
Only so many people can lie, but so long about so much.
A friendly Hand
The Downing Street memos that show that “the intelligence and the facts were being fixed around the policy”, we started planning, so we could start up a war almost a year in advance. It is a policy of lying, to go with the the lies, that had already been told. In a July 23, minutes of a meeting, Blair agreed at Crawford that “the UK would support action to bring about regime change.” Because this was illegal, the official noted, “it was necessary to create the conditions in which we could legally support military action.”—-”If the political context was right, people would support regime change. The key two issues were whether the military plan worked and whether we had the political strategy to give the military plan the space to work.”—- “The Prime Minister said that it would make a big difference politically and legally if Saddam refused to allow in, the UN inspectors.” British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said that “the U.S.has already begun ‘spikes of activity’ to put pressure on the regime.” The British government figures for the number of bombs drooped on southern Iraq show an average of 10 tons a month, between May and August. These initial “spikes of activity” did not have the desired effect. Iraq did not retaliate and Saddam allowed the UN inspectors in. This did not provide the excuse that Bush and Blair needed so the allied bombing of southern Iraq intensified to 54.6 tons in September and steadily increased into 2003; then becoming apart of the initial air war. American military planning for the Iraq war began as early as the spring of 1997 or, November 2001, or, April 2002, or, August 2002, or, February 2003, or March of 2003.
“One of the first casualties of war is the truth”
The Setup
Ahmad Chalabi, in an interview, (London’s Daily Telegraph on Feb. 19) triumphantly admitted that he had knowingly provided false information about Iraq’s weapons, and its ties to terrorist. “We are heroes in error. As far as where concerned, we’ve been entirely successful. That tyrant Saddam is gone and the Americans are in Baghdad. What was said before is not important”. We now know why, “what was said before is not important” for a convicted fugitive from Jordan in massive bank fraud, and on a U.S. Government handout, with millions of our tax dollars in his pocket.
He says, “we are heroes in error.” H e might be a hero in error to the, Carlyle, Bechtel, Halliburton, and etc, because of the billions of dollars they are siphoning off, for this war.
H e may be a hero in error, to the conspirators in treason and lies, and he could be a hero in error, to the power of Satan in the world of death and destruction. It seem like he is a hero in error to all the terrorist, that have traveled from all parts the world, to righteously help, blow things up in Iraq; for the 70% unemployment in Iraq, he is no hero.
Yes, our Pentagon paid pitchman has been entirely successful in getting us into a war, but he is the only one that seems to know, and admit, he is in error. Do you think the entirely successful error was invented just by Chalabi, or was there orchestrated help, that included
the Pentagon, the President, and the press?
Ahmad Chalabi said, “The Bush administration is looking for a scapegoat. We’re ready to fall on our swords if he wants.” Why would Chalabi even think that the Bush administration need a scapegoat, and why would he be so ready to fall on his sword for them, if they ever wanted it. He also seems to just as proudly tell, a new reporter all about it. Could it be that he knows the whole story of how this war was put together. Was he in on the plot of conspiracy, treason, lies, and money, from the start? Is he the type that would do just about anything, say just about anything, to help protect something like, resources, people, energy, and money? Now, does this make him an official member, in “the coalition of the willing”?
It does not take a rocket scientist to connect the dots, Ahmad Chalabi was paid off. The President needed to further his policy in finding a rational for invading Iraq. Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi exile group the Iraqi National Congress, (INC) one that that is supported with millions of our tax dollars through the Department of Defense; even the CIA has known these people to be untrustworthy liars. Ahmad Chalabi, the leader and fugitive from Jordan for massive bank fraud, is just the kind of choice in people, the Pentagon most often uses, to be our friends. This is just one small part of a criminal conspiracy of treason and lies, for a cabal of war profiteers with military domination; that has to stop. As far as we are concerned, we the good people of United States of America, this has been a suicidal sacrifice and a economic disaster with all of our tax money. Your terror alert color, for this kind of an event, should be red, with black and blue. !
The Pentagon can now make more history more costly for more people, than any time in history. It could be said of the Pentagon, “I don’t make history I am history” and “if you don’t learn form history, you are bound to repeat it,” could be said, for all of us.
“Beware of the military industrial complex, for now it maybe even to late.”
Selected Constitution
The new Iraqi government, with the order # 39 that allows for (1) privatization of Iraq’s 200 state -owned enterprises (2) 100% foreign ownership of Iraqi businesses; (3) national treatment -which means no preferences for local over foreign businesses; (4) unrestricted, tax-free remittance of all profits and other funds; and (5) 40 year ownership licenses. Order # 17 grants foreign contractors, including private security firms’ full immunity from Iraq’s laws. This is a constitution with some real teeth; that have been filed down to the gums, almost like ours. In our effort to set up our own controlled system, Iraq is being divided into many protectorates; it promotes divisions and civil strife. Designed like the old English law of divide and conquer, it promotes occupation and the U.S.imperial agenda. We should be very careful what we wish for, some day we could even have our own ”green zone,” and these could be our laws.
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”
By The Law
Investigations based on a classified UNICEF report, as many as 100 children 8 to 16 are being held indefinitely without access to families or lawyers, other reports accuse US Marines of kidnapping children and holding them as hostages. The malnutrition of some 400,000 Iraqi children and the death of half a million under sanctions, sound like something as criminal as the evil Saddam. Today more Iraqis are imprisoned than at any point in Iraq’s history. Under article 85 of the Geneva Convention it is a war crime to launch “an indiscriminate attack affecting the civilian population, in the knowledge that such an attack will cause an excessive loss of life to civilians.”
When you tell lies it can cost lives, when you tell a lie you have to tell a bigger one to cover it,
It has a domino effect. Are lies now acceptable, and what do these kinds people tell there children?
“The strength of a nation is first of all, not in its army but in its will, and before conquering the external enemy, the enemy at home must be eliminated”. When a person’s lies are the cause of so many people to be needlessly killed in a war that bankrupts a country; we now know the President has to be impeached. By the time this disaster is finally over, and all of his lying thieves are in jail, then we all can say, mission accomplished!
If you keep going to the right, the faster you go, the harder it is to stay up-right.
Testing Testing 1234
The Pat Tillman story, the NFL foot ball player that joined the Army. You just have to pick the part of the story that looks best to you!
(Part # 1); Tillman was killed during an ambush as unidentified enemy fighters fired on his vehicle.
(Part # 2), Tillman was killed after his platoon was split into two sections for what officials called a ground assault convoy. His group was safely out of the area when the trailing group came under mortar and small arms fire, according to the Army, he ordered them to return.
(Part # 3) A land mine had exploded, American and Afghan solders just began firing wildly, in the confusion, an American was killed and three Afghan solders were injured, there were no enemy forces in the area. Tillman brother was not informed about what had happened, and was flown back to the United States with his brother’s body. What the the real story is, of friendly fire, only your Pentagon knows for sure.
David bloom story the 39 year old “embedded” NBC Reporter in Iraq.
(Part # 1). Whose death was possibly caused by hours he spent reporting, cramped in an Army vehicle,—just another way war kills. Tragically it may have been the long hours he spent cramped in the Army vehicle that caused his death. Bloom had complained of cramps behind the knee.
(Part # 2) Background—The CDC officials are investigating 17 cases, 10 military program vaccinated suffered from heart inflammation, three civilian women had heart attacks, two died of heart attacks, two with angina or chest pain. In the two months of the program, seven immunized people have experienced cardiac-related problems. Pentagon health officials saw, 37 solders that had a swelling of the tissue around the heart, probably caused by vaccine. The Pentagon said, they had seen no deaths that might have caused by, the smallpox vaccine.
(Part # 3) NBC’s David Bloom who also received anthrax and smallpox vaccines, complained of pain in his legs, presumably form blood clot that has been attributed to cramped quarters in his armored vehicle. Bloom had complained of cramps behind his knee, he died of pulmonary embolism, blood clot in the lungs, and heart inflammation.
Lt.Col. Anthony Sherman 43, Marathon runner and triathlete. Lisa Ann Sherman said her husband complained of pain in his legs after getting anthrax shots, he went to sick call complaining of pain in his legs on the day he died. An Army spokeswoman at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, said there was no indication any vaccinations Lacy received were involved in her death.
Lacy A. Rachael a 22 year old Army reservist became ill and died a month later, after receiving several mandatory anthrax and smallpox vaccinations; she also had pneumonia and swelling of the tissue surrounding the heart.
Nurse’s aid 57 Years old, dies, two weeks after being vaccinated against smallpox.
National Guardsman, 55 year old, died, six days after receiving smallpox vaccinations.
The Pentagon is investigating cases of a mysterious pneumonia that has killed two solders and put 17 more on ventilators. This blood clotting when it occurs, in most cases, is often preventable and treatable, called the silent killer, DVT, deep vain thrombosis. With so many different forms of biological warfare that can be used in the battlefield, many vaccines will have no effect at all. The DryVax form of smallpox vaccine is called “the most dangerous vaccine existing,” unlike other vaccines, smallpox is a live virus.
Bioport Corp. the only company manufacturing anthrax has a 29 million dollar contract with the Defense Department. The company gave away 22.5% ownership to Admiral William J.Crowe, a former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The company was granted protection from any liability for its product, when it was passed it on to us, tax payers, by Army Secretary Louis Caldera. The San Diego Union reported; he wrote, that the “vaccine involves unusually hazardous risks associated with the potential for adverse reactions in some recipients and the possibility that the desired immunological effect will not be obtained by all recipients.” The company has also threatened bankruptcy if it doesn’t get three times its current price, for a vaccine dose. Is this now, our new form of home grown bio-terrorism.?
“The action in the domestic sphere is decisive for
the character of the success of the foreign sphere.”
Small Secrets
The number of lies and lives around the killer or killers with deadly anthrax that were after Democrats in congress, is just way to long of a story; where only a small number of people had access, to our government anthrax, at Fort Dietrich. Just looks a little to much like, an Inside job.
From March 20, 2003, 66 journalist and assistants have been killed, 22 kidnapped, two missing, that is more than in the 20 years of the Vietnam War; said Reporters Without Borders.
From March 20, 2003, 66 journalist and assistants have been killed, 22 kidnapped, two missing, that is more than in the 20 years of the Vietnam War; said Reporters Without Borders.
October 24, of 2000, a military exercise was conducted of a simulated plane crashing in to the Pentagon, about 10 months later it happened for real.
September 11, 2001, at that same morning the CIA Chantilly Virginia Reconnaissance Office was running a preplanned simulation attack of a plane striking a building, it happened for real.
July 7, 2005, at the same time and the same place, Peter Powers the managing director of Vison Consulting, was having a mock terror drill of bombs going off in a London subway, it happened for real. Scotland Yard had called the security office at the Israeli Embassy to say, they received a warning, of possible attacks.
Can you imagine if people knew the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in 1999, had a top secret global information gathering organization, which uses patterns and associations to develop targeting information was also connected to the 9-11 hijackers. The project Able Danger had identified Atta and three other hijackers, a year before the attacks. According to Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer when he informed the FBI and urged them to arrest Atta, the Pentagon lawyers intervened and protected Atta. Many people know the black boxes from the airplanes have been found.
Who knows how many “green card solders” were injured or killed; who’s counting?
Four Bush biographers, Mark Lombardi, J.H.Hatfield, Danny Casalaro, Gary Web all “suicide” victims! “Two can keep a secrete when one is dead”
If it was only the 10 – 30 billion dollars missing in Iraq, we could eventually make it up.
How no one seem to know who stole it, is another story.
When the lies and lives hit 2,000, will it then be enough this time around? Can you tell what the final price is, and does three years, 450 billion dollars, 4,000 tons of bombs, 1000 tons of depleted uranium, 400,000 starving children 100,000 Iraqi’s killed, 40,000 US solders injured, 2,000 of Iraqi army killed, 238 private contractors killed; just makes you want help, or start to scream help.!
When the lies and lives among us have sold their last penny, and where even the most slow and child-like among us would be hard pressed to parse words not to see the most obvious; there is a point in the stories to be told, that would incite only the very most, momentary, laughter and surprise.
When god experimented with planet earth and intelligent life; I sure hope he does not
have to start from scratch again !
Anthony Davis
Ridgecrest
— anthony davis Nov 3, 11:22 PM # - What the hell is a “success strategy”? The only way to bring our troops safely home is to bring them home now! The only strategy for “success” is to successfully withdraw from Iraq.
While you correctly characterize the complicity of the Republican majority in Congress, you conveniently omit the complicity of the Democrats who have (with few exceptions) voted for every appropriation for what all knew to be an illegal war in violation of both U.S. and international war. (If you did not know then, you certainly know now.)
If the President lied, distorted, deceived and misled the nation into war, that certain is a high crime and misdemeanor deserving of impeachment.
Why has the Democratic leadership failed to call for the impeachment of the President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and all others complicit in this assault on the Constitution?
— Michael Eisenscher Nov 3, 11:55 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
Thank you for standing up. You give me hope for our party and for this country. I can relay your actions to my children with pride.
— Nicole Corriel Nov 4, 07:20 AM # - Thanks Mr. Reid,
Just think, they tried SO hard to impeach Clinton over a BJ in the oval office! And this AWOL National Guardsman, silver spoon, C student, mispronouncing, un-elected, mega-connected, lying, bankrupting, embarrasing cowboy gets to act like King! Well, the emperor wears no clothes. And Cheney? And Rumsfeld? Colin Powell was this administrations’ saving grace, and they pressured him out. I am not going to heap praises on you, though I appreciate your effort. It is, sir, about time. You are only doing your duty, in my opinion. It has been especially ironic that the opposition party has been so soft during such a critical time. It would be nice to clear Americas’ name in the world community, but I’m afraid that would require turning back time. Think about the impression that is given: war of aggression=American Imperialism=capitalism=democracy. Impeach this man, don’t stop fighting. We all know he’s dirty. So does the rest of the world. Don’t allow the investigation to turn into another cover-up. It is time for transperancy and accountability.
— Charles Manning Nov 4, 08:43 AM # - Dear Senator Reid,
What you did on Nov 1, 05 was courageous and the right thing to do, and it showed that Democrats still have some teeth and that the leadership is still strong. I just wish this leadership should have been more strong in the first place when President Bush and his cronies lied to the American people and tried to make a case to go to war on a false pretense and instead of asking hard questions, Democrats just cave in and danced at the war drum beat.
Anyway it is better late than never to stop this immoral war, and I hope that Democrats are not going to shy away from their stand.
This administration has made this country more vulnerable and NOT any secure. They have been ruling the country, as a dictator would run a third world country.
— Ghulam M Tirmizi Nov 4, 09:39 AM # - Senator, continue to demand the complete objective truth about the rationale for the war on Iraq;it is not a question of politics, it’s a question for all Americans to know the truth. In considering the “need” of a preemptive war, let us remember that the means does not justify the end. Thanks from an old American.
— Margarita Padilla Nov 4, 09:40 AM # - It about time that someone stood up to Bush’s arrogant attitude about staying in Iraq regardless of how many poor young men and women it takes. Doesn’t that idot realized that our men are being killed without a “so-called”war. The war is suppose to be over remember? Saddam must be revelling in Bush’s stupidity. He’s inadvertently killing our boys off. Enough already bring home those poor souls to their families. The whole world is hurting for them. This war is senseless.
— Susan Mastroianni Nov 4, 09:50 AM # - Regardless of the justification, or lack thereof, for invading Iraq, it was a terrible decision and a horrible mistake to abandon the Powell Doctrine.
Had the Powell Doctrine been followed for our attack on Iraq, it is almost certain that far fewer American and Iraqi lives would have been lost, Iraq would be pacified and self governing long ago, and most of our troops would be home by now.
— Snippy W Shrub Nov 4, 10:06 AM # - Seminolejoe: You neocons may call it flip-flopping (a la Karl Rove)...but it is called admiting mistakes (like trusting the Bush administration) and doing something to make them right. That is something this administration has no idea of how to do. They are so busy covering up their lies, mistakes and secret agendas they have no time or inclination to even care about the needs of the American people! Obviously you are cut of the same cloth! Time to come out of your denial and admit your mistake of blindly following the lies and propaganda you’ve been feeding on.
SENATOR REID…YOU ARE A TRUE PATRIOT!!! OUR FOUNDING FATHERS ARE GRINNING IN THEIR GRAVES!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
— True Patriot Nov 4, 11:19 AM # - Thank you acting on the courage of your convictions. Maybe other Democrat leaders will exhibit the same courage and enliven the party. Many of us have been asking for just such leadership and are willing to do all we can to support a Democrat party that will speak up and step up to today’s issues.
— Diane Scott Nov 4, 11:38 AM # - Thank you, Senator. I am proud to be a fellow Nevadan and see you represent us in this grave matter. Keep up the fight.
— Janice Fowles Nov 4, 12:09 PM # - WAY TO GO HARRY! Finally real patriotism arrives on the national stage. You inspired me and I hope you inspire Democratic leaders to rise up, demand accountability, and lead us out of this darkness and back to our principles as a nation. Keep it up!
— Gregor Clark Nov 4, 12:20 PM # - Senator Reid:
Its refreshing to see that someone in the Democratic Party has enough nerve to stand up to the bullies in the White House! George Bush’s web of lies needs to be exposed so that this type of misuse of power comes to an end. Thank you for your efforts!
— Bob Krell Nov 4, 12:33 PM # - Better late than never.
— Erich Riesenberg Nov 4, 12:35 PM # - You did the right thing, Senator Reid – for all America, not just Democrats. I am so very glad that you did. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Not only did you show political courage, you showed many American troops and military families that you support them in the most honest sense of the word.
The public’s trust has been materially shaken by this elective war…and the highly questionable way in which our political leaders took us to it.
The public opinion, in a Zogby poll from last June, revealed that a large majority of Democrats (59%) said that they agreed that the President should be impeached if he lied about Iraq. Among President Bush’s fellow Republicans, a full one-in-four (25%) indicated that they would favor impeaching the President under these circumstances. 43% of Independent voters said that they’d favor impeachment if Bush lied.
In the very latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, 55% of the American people now believe Bush misled the country in taking us to war.
— Jude Nagurney Camwell Nov 4, 12:40 PM # - Dear Senator Reid,
I admire your courage to stand up against all sorts of criticism for what you believe is right. Keep it up. You are a wonderful example, and more and more of us are gathering behind you.
— Sally Jasperson Nov 4, 12:46 PM # - Thank you for trying to stop the madness in the White House. The war is lost and never should of been started in the first place. Stop the lies.
We are all behind you and can’t wait to see Rove, libby and others behind bars where they belong.
— Richard Nov 4, 01:11 PM # - Great timing! I had been getting frustrated with the Senator’s inaction, but now it all makes sense. He had to wait for several factors to coalesce.
1. Bush’s numbers are in the tank to the point where moderate Republicans need to distance themselves from him as they face re-election.
2. The Iraq debacle reached another milestone—2,000 dead American soldiers.
3. Indictments are handed down by an independent prosecuter.
This will lead to a thorough investigation and eventually to impeachment.
If the administration did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide, then they have nothing to worry about. Based on vitriolic and ad hominem attacks, one would be lead to believe this is ot the case.
Ben
— Ben Nov 4, 01:12 PM # - Thank you for exercising your leadership to demand what is owed to the American citizens – Truth and accountability. I’m lost here in the midst of a bible-belted red state, but my hopes have been exalted by your courageous act. I don’t know who you are, Mr. Reid, but I hope to hear a lot more about you from now on!!
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!
— Jeni Nov 4, 01:24 PM # - Dear Senator Reid, Thankyou for renewing my faith in the Democratic party. The courageous stand you made in finally taking the Bush administration to task for the pack of lies it used to get us into the illegal invasion of Iraq will long be remembered as a great historical event . I believe this to be a turning point in the current administration. You have them on the ropes! Now Kick’em where it hurts most.. Make them admit their lies to their constituency! They owe us all a great big appology!! Continue to Give’em Hell Harry. Tell the rest of the Dems we want them to follow suit! Sincerely: Deb Hill
— Deborah Hill Nov 4, 01:37 PM # - Can it really be that politicians can be statesmen and rise above vested interests and the obsession to be relected….to tell the Bush Dictatorship: NO! Keep it up Senator. My faith in this system might actually get restored.
— Maria Varela Nov 4, 01:52 PM # - the good fight is here. let us all ask the questions and demand the answers..
— martin Nov 4, 02:08 PM # - Senator Reid,
After reading dozens of the blogs in response to your courageous stand that led in the Senate on Tuesday, Senator Reid, it strikes me that instead of debating the “He said…She said” diatribes, Americans should quite simply come together demanding a complete investigation into the war in Iraq, President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator Bill Frist, Karl Rove, and Lewis Libby.
If there isn’t any guilt to be found after an unbiased investigation, the American people would gladly let it rest.
Until then, I applaud you for not permitting these people whom I believe to be reprehensible and corrupt to be able to continue business as usual without having to account for their actions. It is your duty.
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are accountable to the American people and they owe us the truth. Richard Nixon tried to hide behind similar deceitful tactics when he claimed that revealing White House documents would compromise national security. NO MORE LIES!
If we could only present the bill for the financial costs, loss of lives, and both the reputation & credibility of Americans to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Bill Frist, and their leagues of supporters, there would be justice.
•NOT ONE MORE PERSON SHOULD HAVE TO SACRIFICE THEIR LIFE FOR THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING.
•NOT ONE MORE DOLLAR SHOULD BE SPENT FOR A WAR THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN STARTED.
•NOT ONE MORE MINUTE SHOULD BE WASTED ON AIR FORCE ONE PHOTO OPS INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR BIN LADEN….REMEMBER HIM, THE INSTIGATOR OF 9/11.
•NO ONE SHOULD EXPECT TO BE NOMINATED FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IN THE SUPREME COURT OR THE WHITE HOUSE, LEAVING BLANKS TO QUESTIONS WHEN ASKED.
If a person leaves a blank in a questionnaire, do not approve their appointment. Leaving blanks and dodging questions is a sign of deceit and doesn’t deserve further consideration.
My prayer is that all Americans will demand the answers to these difficult questions, that our elected representatives will stand strongly for truth whether in their own personal interests or not, and that George W. Bush and his band of thieves will repent their sins against America. As a Christian, I know they will be held accountable before God but watching the GOP destroy America is difficult to watch.
Thank you for your leadership in the Senate, the Democratic party, and in the United States.
— Debora McGee Nov 4, 02:16 PM # - Senator Reid, thank you. We are embarrassed to be from Senator Pat Robert’s state. Like too many others in the Republican camp, he mistakes party loyalty for American patriotism. Your kick in the seat of his pants was something he’s earned and had coming. We’re tired of lies and evasions. Give ‘em hell.
— Bob & Dianne Hooper Nov 4, 02:42 PM # - Senator Reid, Thank you so much for your courage and leadership. Thank you for taking the first step in encouraging our pres. admin. to shed some light on their secrets. Please keep pushing forward to allow the truth to shine forth.
— Robin Brauner Nov 4, 03:07 PM # - In honor of your comittment to humanity and a soul searching quest for truth,we are deeply touch by your courage to face opposing forces and guide our country toward healthier ways of relating to ourselves and others globally. We have such strict checks and balances in our educational system that has broken down. Why are there not equal checks and balances in government where things are breaking down? We are in desperate need of rethinking how if today something isn’t working that we can change it tommorrow. Not to be attached to ones own opinion but to see what is living in our communities and to find a middle path.It seems to easy to be misguided. It has become clear that there is a great temptation to misuse power. We are grateful that America can find her voice to sing out “LET FREEDOM RING” !
— Ronna L. McEldowney Nov 4, 03:33 PM # - Senator Reid:
I admire and applaud you for closing the Senate and finally getting a move on Phase 2. The Dems have been meek far too long.
Talking points:
1)The Dems who voted to give the Pres. leave to go to war, should admit their mistakes of not studying all the facts and trusting the Pres. to give them valid information. The Republican administration lied, the Dems fell for it. Who committed the greater wrong?
2) Whether there were WMDs or not in Iraq is not the question. Why didn’t the Dems yell and screem when Pres. Bush decided to go to war before Hans Blitz finished his job? If he had found WMDs world opinion and the UN would have been on our side. If not, world opinion and the UN could have helped us find a diplomatic solution. Then as a last resort, with the world with us, we could have gone to war.
3. It was not necessary to throw 9/11 in the mix.
4. Let’s show up the Neocons for what they are: a bunch of hoodlums out to control the world, especially the oil reserves—and space.
— Barbara Youree Nov 4, 03:36 PM # - Dear Sen. Reid,
I’m glad you did what you did this week.
Better late than never, as they say.
However, the fact that this rebellion comes 3 years too late speaks volumes of the failure of the Democratic Party leadership (with some notable exceptions) to stand up to this administration.
Pardon me, though, if i refrain from any premature celebration of the Democraty Party leadership finding their backbone. I’ve been disappointed and betrayed too many times.
Thanks again, Senator Reid, and stay on top of this fight to the end.
Sincerely,
Ed Hunt
Tucson, AZ
— Ed Nov 4, 04:10 PM # - they will never be held accountable for their mistakes because they did precisely what they intended, make no mistake about it. this is a charade harry. their campaign was and is murder for profit. you are not as naiive as you appear. they will stop when they can not possibly go further, but tehir goal is far from being reached. this regime has set about the reduction of the population. and it is most certainly not some evil other. the other is us.
— doug shaeffer Nov 4, 04:36 PM # - Thank you for giving me hope.
— Mellie Nov 4, 05:21 PM # - We now have government by cabal, and there are precious too few who are willing to stand up in Congress and say “enough”!
May every conscientious American join with you!
Thanks!
— Max Beta Nov 4, 06:00 PM # - Give ‘em hell, Harry. It’s about time somebody stood up and said, “Enough!” We saw this same thing happening in Vietnam, and now we’re seeing it again. Bush is so obvious as a puppet for Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and the rest of the hard Right Wing republicans.
The very fabric of this country is falling apart at the seams. Bush just doesn’t get it!
Just give ‘em hell, and DON’T GIVE THEM ANY SLACK!
— Travers Smith Nov 4, 06:34 PM # - Sen. Reid,
What you did earlier this week made me proud of the party I support and being an american. I hope the continuied efforts of the Dems in both the house and the senate will get to the bottom of what appears to me and my family as lies from this adminastration.
Keep it up and go get ‘em!!!
and if there is another “Rovian” move to come we are ready to stand behind you.
Thanks,
Dems in a red state(IN)
Charles Kalinowski
— Charles & Crystal Kalinowski Nov 4, 07:15 PM # - It’s about time! We are growing tired of the Bush Administration and the majority Republican Congress ignoring us. We want answers. I finally sent in my contribution to the Democratic Party. DON’T DROP THE BALL NOW!
— Almana Wilson Nov 4, 07:49 PM # - This administration reminds me of the employee or co-worker we have all encountered, who who uses more time and effort avoiding his appointed duties than he would use if he just did the work at hand. The tireless effort put forth by the Bush administration in creating new diversions, updating lies, covering up old lies, slandering opponents, and simply dodging the truth would be far more useful if it were merely dealt with honestly in a sincere attempt to right a wrong. Strong and effective leaders have never been afraid to admit their flaws, embracing the truth will be the first step on a long road Mr. Bush needs to travel in his attempt convey his remorse to the people of America, and the World, for having purposely lied. People are inherently forgiving. And forgiveness, is giving up hope of ever having had a different past. History is not as forgiving. The real truth will ultimately be exposed. Mr. Bush is a relatively young man. He will live to see how history deals with his actions. No one will remember the names Cheney and Rumsfeld, only Bush. Perhaps for his sake, and at the very least for these brave men and women who’s lives are at stake, he should consider the truth as an option. Thank you Mr. Reid.
— Glen Doherty Nov 4, 08:16 PM # - Dear Senator Harry Reid,
Thank you sir, you should be commended with the highest commendation that this country can bestow for standing up as a true American Patriot that honestly cares about this country and it’s citizens. Eight hundred and forty three days went by with this Republican Congress cover up of the treasonous outing of CIA covert agent Valerie Plame before someone asked for an accounting. The citizens of this country deserve more from our government. I urge you and our other representatives to use the oversight committees to find answers to the blatent lies and deception this administration have used to deceive this country into an unjust war. All of this administration needs to be charged with treason, stand trial, and face public punishment for their crimes. I hope our Congress will investigate all, don’t stop with Frist, Delay, Rove and Libby. Rumsfeld, Cheny, and Bush all need to face the music for their crimes also as well as any others involved. The Republican party’s current administration has hid behind the flag, the bible, terrorism and fear, professing to be compassionate as 40 million Americans live below our poverty level. Twenty Five million Americans unemployed looking for work as they outsource more jobs everyday. What jobs they can’t outsource they allow illeagal immigrants to work at wages below minimum wage. Americans have had enough, we want not only answers but a change. Thank you again Senator Reid my best you and to the few democrats that will take a stand.
— Gary Weir Nov 4, 08:36 PM # - Mr. Reid, you have given me hope. I was truly afraid that American democracy would eventually become extinct if the current administration and Republican controlled congress was allowed to continue unabated and without challenge. I’m tired of this administration’s secrecy, deception, greed, corrupton, total disregard for the well-being of the people, and scare tactics as well as their implications that those voicing disapproval of the war in Iraq are unpatriotic. Thank you for standing up to the formidable machine.
— Susan Nov 4, 08:45 PM # - Mr. Reid,
Your fellow citizens are cheering for you. It is time to stop the game of deceit and deception of the American people. You will be known as a hero in the history books. We have been waiting for a representative with the __ to do what must be done. We support you and thank you.
— Deborah Johnson Nov 4, 08:56 PM # - Senator. Reid,
Our family is cheering for you. It is time to stop the game of deceit and deception of the American people. You will be known as a hero in the history books. We have been waiting for a representative with the __ to do what must be done. We support you and thank you.
Our son who is a Sergeant in the National Guard has just returned home this week after serving with the 1-111th near Beiji. He escaped a direct hit on his Humvee, and is now home facing a 90 day ” stop loss”. He will be trying to pick up his life again but faces recall again.
Our son is back but other’s sons and daughters have had to replace them. Let’s take Senator Kerry’s plan and really give ‘em hell with it Harry. We’re proud of what you’ve done. You’re our hero.
Ed Letven #211 #
— ed letven Nov 4, 09:32 PM # - Senator Reid:
I’m not sure and I don’t think anyone in Washington is sure of what is the truth, however
I do know that both the presidents and congress
poll ratings keep going down so its know wonder the American people trust almost no one.
E Cleary
— Everett Cleary Nov 4, 10:43 PM # - We believe in what you are doing. It is time for the truth to be told. It is also time for the media to work a lot harder to get to the truth and not continue to avoid it as it seems that they are doing.
— Bob & Teresa Ahern Nov 4, 11:00 PM # - It’s time the administration is held accountable for all it’s actions.
— Thomas Bricker Nov 4, 11:42 PM # - Well done, Senator Reid!!! Keep up the good work!!! Force the Republicans to investigate their own President. It is a good strategy.
If they tell the truth, the President will most likely lose support from his own side of the aisle. If they continue to obscure, deny, or/and minimize the NeoConservative’s lies and deception that justified the war, they lose anyway. To have a report come from the Republican side of the aisle forces THEM to look at the beast…
Again, well done, Senator Reid!!!
— Thomas Fieselmann Nov 4, 11:59 PM # - Finally! A Democrat with the chutzpah to stand up for the American people!!! Many happy returns…
p.s. are there any others like you in Washington???
— Ann crossland Nov 5, 12:08 AM # - Aloha Senator Reid,
Is anyone looking into Chaney’s part in this fiasco? It looks to me like Libby and Rove are the fall guys in that order and that Harriet Meirs was just a pawn in their poltical gumbo of distract and deceive.
Keep turning up the heat. Not all of us Republicans like what we see happening in Washington.
— Tutu Lulu Nov 5, 01:26 PM # - Thank you for your actions. Senator Reed
— Marjorie J. Belk Nov 5, 03:21 PM # - What Harry Reid isn’t telling you about Phase I of the Investigation…and Joe Wilson!
REPORT ON THE US. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY’S PREWAR INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENTS ON IRAQ
Ordered Reported on July 7,2004
SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE UNITED STATES SENATE 208”‘CONGRESS
For the complete report, follow link to Congressional Reports and make your own assessment and draw your own conclusions >>>
www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/iraq.html
****************************************
Synopsis on Joe Wilson produced by the RNC…
JOE WILSON’S TOP TEN WORST
INACCURACIES AND MISSTATEMENTS
__
1.) Wilson Insisted That The Vice President’s Office Sent Him To Niger:
Wilson Said He Traveled To Niger At CIA Request To Help Provide Response To Vice President’s Office. “In February 2002, I was informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney’s office had questions about a particular intelligence report. ... The agency officials asked if I would travel to Niger to check out the story so they could provide a response to the vice president’s office.” (Joseph C. Wilson, Op-Ed, “What I Didn’t Find In Africa,” The New York Times, 7/6/03)
Joe Wilson: ”[W]hat They Did, What The Office Of The Vice President Did, And, In Fact, I Believe Now From Mr. Libby’s Statement, It Was Probably The Vice President Himself …” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 8/3/03)
Vice President Cheney: “I Don’t Know Joe Wilson. I’ve Never Met Joe Wilson. ... And Joe Wilson – I Don’t [Know] Who Sent Joe Wilson. He Never Submitted A Report That I Ever Saw When He Came Back.” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 9/14/03)
CIA Director George Tenet: “In An Effort To Inquire About Certain Reports Involving Niger, CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Experts, On Their Own Initiative, Asked An Individual With Ties To The Region To Make A Visit To See What He Could Learn.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release, 7/11/03)
2.) Wilson Claimed The Vice President And Other Senior White House Officials Were Briefed On His Niger Report:
”[Wilson] Believed That [His Report] Would Have Been Distributed To The White House And That The Vice President Received A Direct Response To His Question About The Possible Uranium Deal.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Reported That The Vice President Was Not Briefed On Wilson’s Report. “Conclusion 14. The Central Intelligence Agency should have told the Vice President and other senior policymakers that it had sent someone to Niger to look into the alleged Iraq-Niger uranium deal and it should have briefed the Vice President on the former ambassador’s findings.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
CIA Director George Tenet: “Because This Report, In Our View, Did Not Resolve Whether Iraq Was Or Was Not Seeking Uranium From Abroad, It Was Given A Normal And Wide Distribution, But We Did Not Brief It To The President, Vice-President Or Other Senior Administration Officials.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release, 7/11/03)
3.) Wilson Has Claimed His Niger Report Was Conclusive And Significant:
Wilson Claims His Trip Proved There Was Nothing To The Uranium “Allegations.” “I knew that [Dr. Rice] had fundamentally misstated the facts. In fact, she had lied about it. I had gone out and I had undertaken this study. I had come back and said that this was not feasible. ... This government knew that there was nothing to these allegations.” (NBC’s, “Meet The Press,” 5/2/04)
Officials Said Evidence In Wilson’s Niger Report Was “Thin” And His “Homework Was Shoddy.” (Michael Duffy, “Leaking With A Vengeance,” Time, 10/13/03)
Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “Conclusion 13. The Report On The Former Ambassador’s Trip To Niger, Disseminated In March 2002, Did Not Change Any Analysts’ Assessments Of The Iraq-Niger Uranium Deal.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
“For Most Analysts, The Information In The Report Lent More Credibility To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Report On The Uranium Deal, But State Department Bureau Of Intelligence And Research (INR) Analysts Believed That The Report Supported Their Assessments That Niger Was Unlikely To Be Willing Or Able To Sell Uranium.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
CIA Said Wilson’s Findings Did Not Resolve The Issue. “Because [Wilson’s] report, in our view, did not resolve whether Iraq was or was not seeking uranium from abroad, it was given a normal and wide distribution, but we did not brief it to the president, vice president or other senior administration officials. We also had to consider that the former Nigerien officials knew that what they were saying would reach the U.S. government and that this might have influenced what they said.” (Central Intelligence Agency, “Statement By George J. Tenet, Director Of Central Intelligence,” Press Release 7/11/03)
The Butler Report Claimed That The President’s State Of the Union Statement On Uranium From Africa, “Was Well-Founded.” “We conclude that, on the basis of the intelligence assessments at the time, covering both Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the statements on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa in the Government’s dossier, and by the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, were well-founded. By extension, we conclude also that the statement in President Bush’s State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that: ‘The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.’ was well-founded.” (The Rt. Hon. The Lor d Butler Of Brockwell, “Review Of Intelligence, On Weapons Of Mass Destruction,” 7/14/04)
4.) Wilson Denied His Wife Suggested He Travel To Niger In 2002:
Wilson Claimed His Wife Did Not Suggest He Travel To Niger To Investigate Reports Of Uranium Deal; Instead, Wilson Claims It Came Out Of Meeting With CIA. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Among other things, you had always said, always maintained, still maintain your wife, Valerie Plame, a CIA officer, had nothing to do with the decision to send to you Niger to inspect reports that uranium might be sold from Niger to Iraq. ... Did Valerie Plame, your wife, come up with the idea to send you to Niger?” Joe Wilson: “No. My wife served as a conduit, as I put in my book. When her supervisors asked her to contact me for the purposes of coming into the CIA to discuss all the issues surrounding this allegation of Niger selling uranium to Iraq.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)
But Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Received Not Only Testimony But Actual Documentation Indicating Wilson’s Wife Proposed Him For Trip. “Some CPD, [CIA Counterproliferation Division] officials could not recall how the office decided to contact the former ambassador, however, interviews and documents provided to the Committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip. The CPD reports officer told Committee staff that the former ambassador’s wife ‘offered up his name’ and a memorandum to the Deputy Chief of the CPD on February 12, 2002, from the former ambassador’s wife says, ‘my husband has good relations with both the PM [prime minister] and the former Minister of Mines (n ot to mention lots of French contacts), both of whom could possibly shed light on this sort of activity.’” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
5.) Wilson Has Claimed His 1999 Trip To Niger Was Not Suggested By His Wife:
Wilson Claims CIA Thought To Ask Him To Make Trip Because He Had Previously Made Trip For Them In 1999, Not Because Of His Wife’s Suggestion. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “Who first raised your name, then, based on what you know? Who came up with the idea to send you there?” Joe Wilson: “The CIA knew my name from a trip, and it’s in the report, that I had taken in 1999 related to uranium activities but not related to Iraq. I had served for 23 years in government including as Bill Clinton’s Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. I had done a lot of work with the Niger government during a period punctuated by a military coup and a subsequent assassinat ion of a president. So I knew all the people there.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)
In Fact, His Wife Suggested Him For 1999 Trip, As Well. “The former ambassador had traveled previously to Niger on the CIA’s behalf … The former ambassador was selected for the 1999 trip after his wife mentioned to her supervisors that her husband was planning a business trip to Niger in the near future and might be willing to use his contacts in the region …” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
6.) Wilson Claimed He Was A Victim Of A Partisan Smear Campaign:
Joe Wilson: “Well, I Don’t Know. Obviously, There’s Been This Orchestrated Campaign, This Smear Campaign. I Happen To Think That It’s Because The RNC, The Republican National Committee’s Been Involved In This In A Big Way …” CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “But They Weren’t Involved In The Senate Intelligence Committee Report.” Wilson: “No, They Weren’t.” (CNN’s “Late Edition,” 7/18/04)
Senate Intelligence Committee Unanimously Concluded That Wilson’s Report “Lent More Credibility” For Most Analysts “To The Original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Reports.” “Conclusion 13. The report on the former ambassador’s trip to Niger, disseminated in March 2002, did not change any analysts’ assessments of the Iraq-Niger uranium deal. For most analysts, the information in the report lent more credibility to the original Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reports on the uranium deal, but the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) analysts believed that the report supported their assessment that Niger was unlikely to be willing or able to sell uranium to Iraq.” (Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
Members Of The Senate Select Committee On Intelligence That Wrote The Unanimous “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq”:
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Sen. John Warner (R-VA)
(Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments On Iraq,” U.S. Senate, 7/7/04)
7.) A Month Before The Bob Novak And Matthew Cooper Articles Ever Came Out, Wilson Told The Washington Post That Previous Intelligence Reports About Niger Were Based On Forged Documents:
In June Of 2003, Wilson Told The Washington Post “The Niger Intelligence Was Based On Documents That Had Clearly Been Forged Because ‘The Dates Were Wrong And The Names Were Wrong.’” (Susan Schmidt, “Plame’s Input Is Cited On Niger Mission,” The Washington Post, 7/10/04)
However, “The [Senate Select Committee On Intelligence] Report … Said Wilson Provided Misleading Information To The Washington Post Last June [12th, 2003].” (Susan Schmidt, “Plame’s Input Is Cited On Niger Mission,” The Washington Post, 7/10/04)
Senate Select Committee On Intelligence Unanimous Report: “The Former Ambassador Said That He May Have ‘Misspoken’ To The Reporter When He Said He Concluded The Documents Were ‘Forged.’” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
8.) Wilson Claimed His Book Would Enrich Debate:
NBC’s Katie Couric: “What Do You Hope The Whole Point Of This Book Will Be? Joe Wilson: “Well, I – I Hope, One, It Will Tell – It Tries To Tell An Interesting Story. Two, I Hope That It Enriches The Debate In A Year In Which We Are All Called Upon As Americans To Elect Our Leaders. And Three, ... That [It] Says That This Is A Great Democracy That Is Worthy Of Our Taking Our Responsibilities As Stewards Seriously.” (NBC’s “Today Show,” 5/3/04)
Wilson Admits In His Book That He Had Been Involved In “A Little Literary Flair” When Talking To Reporters. ”[Wilson] wrote in his book, he told Committee staff that his assertion may have involved ‘a little literary flair.’” (Matthew Continetti, ”’A Little Literary Flair’” The Weekly Standard, 7/26/04)
Wilson’s Book The Politics Of Truth: Inside The Lies That Put The White House On Trial And Betrayed My Wife’s CIA Identity Has Been Panned In Numerous Reviews For Its Inaccuracies:
“On Page One Of Chapter One, He Quotes NBC Talk Show Host Chris Matthews, Who Told Him That, After Mr. Wilson Chose To Go Public: ‘Wilson’s Wife Is Fair Game.’ Later, He Bases His List Of Suspect Leakers On Conversations With Members Of The News Media And A ‘Source Close To The House Judiciary Committee.’” (Eli Lake, Op-Ed, “Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Mr. Wilson,” New York Post, 5/4/04)
“For Example, When Asked How He ‘Knew’ That The Intelligence Community Had Rejected The Possibility Of A Niger-Iraq Uranium Deal, As He Wrote In His Book, He Told [Senate Intelligence] Committee Staff That His Assertion May Have Involved ‘A Little Literary Flair.’” (Matthew Continetti, ”’A Little Literary Flair,’” The Weekly Standard, 7/26/04)
The Boston Globe: “In Essence, Much Of Wilson’s Book Is An Attempt To Portray The Bush Administration As A Ministry Of Fear Whose Mission In Pursuing War In Iraq Required It To Proclaim A Lie As Truth.” (Michael D. Langan, Op-Ed, ”’Truth’ Makes Much Of Bush Controversy,” The Boston Globe, 5/4/04)
Newsweek’s Evan Thomas Wrote In The Washington Post: ”[W]ilson’s Claims And Conclusions Are Either Long Hashed Over Or Based On What The Intelligence Business Describes As ‘Rumint,’ Or Rumor Intelligence.” (Evan Thomas, Op-Ed, “Indecent Exposure,” The Washington Post, 5/16/04)
9.) Wilson Claimed The CIA Provided Him With Information Related To The Iraq-Niger Uranium Transaction:
“The Former Ambassador Noted That His CIA Contacts Told Him There Were Documents Pertaining To The Alleged Iraq-Niger Uranium Transaction And That The Source Of The Information Was The [Redacted] Intelligence Service.” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
However, “The DO [Director Of Operations At The CIA] Reports Officer Told Committee Staff That He Did Not Provide The Former Ambassador With Any Information About The Source Or Details …” (Senate Select Committee On Intelligence, “Report On The U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Assessments On Iraq,” 7/7/04)
10.) Wilson Claimed He Is A Non-Partisan “Centrist”:
Recently, Joe Wilson Refused To Admit He Is A Registered Democrat. NBC’s Jamie Gangel: “You are a Democrat?” Joe Wilson: “I exercise my rights as a citizen of this country to participate in the selection of my leaders and I am proud to do so. I did so in the election in 2000 by contributing not just to Al Gore’s campaign, but also to the Bush-Cheney campaign.” (NBC’s “Today Show,” 7/14/05)
”[Wilson] Insist[s] He Remained A Centrist At Heart.” (Scott Shane, “Private Spy And Public Spouse Live At Center Of Leak Case,” The New York Times, 7/5/05)
Joe Wilson Is A Registered Democrat. (District Of Columbia Voter Registrations, Accessed 7/14/05)
Joseph Wilson Has Donated Over $8,000 To Democrats Including $2,000 To John Kerry For President In 2003, $1,000 To Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) HILLPAC In 2002 And $3,000 To Al Gore In 1999. (The Center For Responsive Politics Website, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 7/12/05)
Wilson Endorsed John Kerry For President In October 2003 And Advised The Kerry Campaign. (David Tirrell-Wysocki, “Former Ambassador Wilson Endorses Kerry In Presidential Race,” The Associated Press, 10/23/03)
· ”[Wilson] Admits ‘It Will Be A Cold Day In Hell Before I Vote For A Republican, Even For Dog Catcher.’” (Scott Shane, “Private Spy And Public Spouse Live At Center Of Leak Case,” The New York Times, 7/5/05)
A Product Of The RNC Research Department
Paid for by the Republican National Committee Not Authorized By Any Candidate Or Candidate Committee – www.gop.com
**************************************
The following Sentors participated in the 7/7/04
Select Committee on Intelligence report…here are quotes they made just two years prior:
“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored them mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.”
Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.
“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years … We also should remember we have always under estimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.”
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002.
*************************************
My question is very simple:
On what evidence and intelligence information did Bill Clinton, Sandy Berger, Madeline Albright,
Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and Nancy Pelosi base their statements on (see blog #94 above), when each one of the above stated in 1998 (way before George Bush was elected President in Nov 2000) that Saddam Hussein had WMD’s?
Saddam threw the U.N. weapons inspectors out of Iraq in 1998, and Bill Clinton did nothing! So if Iraq had WMD’s in 1998 (as these high-ranking Democrats stated)... where did the WMD’s disappear to?
Why not subpoena each one of them to determine “What did they know? ” and “When did they know it?”...Let’s be fair!
If they determine that the intelligence info was good enough for the Clinton Administration to use in 1998, it should also be good enough for the Bush Administration to use in 2002!
— seminolejoe Nov 5, 03:30 PM # - I’m so happy that Jimmy Carter is speaking out against Bush and the war in Iraq. We shouldn’t be concentrating on Iraq, Iran is a bigger threat. How did we ever let Islamic revolutionaries take over that country anyway? I remember when Carter was President, man those were our glory days. If Reagan hadn’t stolen the 1980 election, who knows how much better the country would be today. We’d have socialized medicine, we could have outlawed the combustion engine, and we could’ve made Fidel Castro secretary of agriculture and implimented some fair reforms, mabey even a five year plan. I’ll bet Jimmy could have even saved the Soviet Union. That doofus Reagan sure blew that. Oh well, I guess every time I think of the misery index I get nostalgic.
— jimmylib Nov 5, 06:08 PM # - And then he gets the Peace Prize for trashing a US President while abroad. He is doing a magnificent job building homes for the needy.
— Biggie Nov 5, 06:24 PM # - Now Bush is undermining Carter’s work arming the North Koreans. North Korea needs nuclear weapons because with China straying from communism, North Korea is the only country in East Asia capable of containing the capitalist threat posed by Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
— jimmylib Nov 5, 07:10 PM # - Maybe there IS hope…I never thought us Dems could pull off such a bld move! I have renewed energy to keep up the fight. Thanks, Harry.
— Deborah Hart Nov 5, 08:17 PM # - It’s time to stop this madness and contintue this fight for truth there’ll be a thousand more signatures within the hour i’ll bet
— Time to give'em hell and take back the country Nov 5, 08:19 PM # - From the moment Bush began to announce his intentions to invade Iraq I kept thinking, “Surely, that idiot won’t do that.” He proved me wrong. It’s great to see someone finally doing something that demands accountability now. I am only sad that it took so long and so many lives have been lost or ruined because of Bush’s greed and incompetancy.
— Calvin Cotton Nov 5, 09:13 PM # - Senator Reid,
Bravo!! Thank you so very much for being bold in defense of our republic.
Your actions took courage and leadership – what we desperately need in these difficult times.
S Higgins
— s higgins Nov 5, 10:07 PM # - I appreaciate so much your brave action in on the senate floor. You are helping to break the taboo of speaking against Bush. I am so glad that people are finally opposing the Bush reign of terror on the world. I am so glad that since my own senators refuse to represent me, or even defend my basic rights, All Democrats have you, to stand up for us. Many of us live in states which either by narrow or wide margins, elected republican senators. WE are instructed by other activists, to write to Senators who treat us like crackpots, lie to us, don’t read our mail, and send us form letters, explaining why they will do as Bush tells them. I am from North Carolina, but would you be my Senator, because Liddy Dole in no way represents me and doesn’t read my mail.
— Kim Mc Nov 6, 12:58 AM # - Well, it would sure be nice if it were true that the Democrats were riding out on their white horses to save the day… but the idea that the Democrats are all the Good Guys and the Republicans are all the Bad Guys, or vice versa, is plenty stupid, when the truth is that nobody gets elected without tons of corporate money. It’s obviously true that we are not in Iraq for noble purposes, to anybody who isn’t blind deaf and dumb, but the idea that we can count on Dems to behave nobly when we are living not in a democracy but in what looks a lot more like a fascist corporatocracy is pure wishful thinking. Nonetheless, I cheered when I heard that Harry Reid had actually stood up and told the truth.
— Joan Taves Nov 6, 05:56 AM # - It’d be the beginning of a true correction of course if the Democratic Party could own up to its own lapses: the lack of opposition to what was then, to most of us, a obviously trumped up and overhyped case for going to war with Iraq. Let’s start there. Then, in the Agenda attachment for ‘Give ‘em Hell, Harry,’ the site trots out support for the “War on Terror.” This is as reactionary, bankrupt and cynical an idea as the right has come up with. Does the Democratic party also support the bushleague changes to the National Security Document? by it’s lack of opposition to it and implicit support, and the use of jingoisms like ‘War on Terror’ it appears that the democratic side of the aisle is no more incensed by preemptive wars of choice than the Republican side.
Get your own side of the aisle clean, Democrats: fess up to all the ways you capitulated to this administration and the radical right in this country. This is the only way to begin to distance yourself from them completely, and to begin on a new road, the old road, when support for the poor against the powerful, the environment against the corporatiions and the rule of law—national and international—were basic guiding principles of the Democratic Party. Back then, the Democratic party had a base: the base was made up of people who were liberals, and proudly so. For Pity’s sake, reclaim your base!!!!!
— michael fox Nov 6, 08:33 AM # - MORE ON IRAQ BLUNDERS
The decision to go to was in Iraq will likely be found to be due to doctored intel reports I’m sure and those responsible should be held accountable. However the final answer will be something like this- “we made a judgement call to err on the side of keeping America safe…”
The leadership of our country has got us into an impossible situation in Iraq.They’re quite right, war for another ten yrs or more there.
Whether we get any benefits of invading such an oil rich country remains to be seen. Will the final analysis be that this was a stategic grab for oil or are we finally after so many yrs of supporting the despots in regions with security risks for us in a situation of deperation and now must support a democratic makeover for countries in this and other regions ( & still reap advantages from the tight world demand for oil). I’m a soldier and have been to Iraq. To pull out now would be a disasterous mistake. We need to spread the burden of democratizing Iraq to other western nations that our country has unfortunately shunned in the past. In doing so will lessen the cost for us (in lives & expense) and give our allies shared access to this strategic oil field(remember they’re competing with asian economies for oil too) and for once do the right thing for a country where we’ve gone in and made a mess.
I’m a democrat and generally support Sen Reid and the other democrats in our gov’t. However I wonder if wholesale abrupt withdrawl from Iraq is a realistic goal for America and a promise that we democrats should be making.
— steven Nov 6, 10:15 AM # - Finaly a democrat with the balls to stick up to this Republican Cabal. Bravo Mr. Reid
— Jacob Nov 6, 02:39 PM # - How many of you recall the Democrat’s secret Anti-Bush memo that was uncovered back in Nov 2003, regarding the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, WMD Hearings?
Sen. Harry Reid, with his “spectacular” Rule 21 circus performance last week, continues this plot, with his effort to “push into Phase II.”
**************************************
With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story…
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003 4:38 p.m. EST
Dem Intel Committee Memo Reveals Anti-Bush Plot
A memo circulated among Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence shows the committee’s minority plotting to use classified information against the White House in next year’s presidential campaign.
The document, obtained and disclosed by nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity Tuesday afternoon, suggests that the top priority among senior Democrats entrusted with guarding the nation’s security is instead driving the Bush administration from power based on claims it exaggerated intelligence on the threat posed by Iraq.
The memo as reported by Hannity reads as follows:
“We have carefully reviewed our options under the rules and believe we have identified the best approach. Our plan is as follows:
“1) Pull the majority along as far as we can on issues that may lead to major new disclosures regarding improper or questionable conduct by administration officials. We are having some success in that regard.
“For example, in addition to the President’s State of the Union speech, the chairman [Sen. Pat Roberts] has agreed to look at the activities of the office of the Secretary of Defense, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, as well as Secretary Bolton’s office at the State Department.
“The fact that the chairman supports our investigations into these offices and cosigns our requests for information is helpful and potentially crucial. We don’t know what we will find but our prospects for getting the access we seek is far greater when we have the backing of the majority. [We can verbally mention some of the intriguing leads we are pursuing.]
“2) Assiduously prepare Democratic ‘additional views’ to attach to any interim or final reports the committee may release. Committee rules provide this opportunity and we intend to take full advantage of it.
“In that regard we may have already compiled all the public statements on Iraq made by senior administration officials. We will identify the most exaggerated claims. We will contrast them with the intelligence estimates that have since been declassified. Our additional views will also, among other things, castigate the majority for seeking to limit the scope of the inquiry.
“The Democrats will then be in a strong position to reopen the question of establishing an Independent Commission [i.e., the Corzine Amendment.]
“3) Prepare to launch an independent investigation when it becomes clear we have exhausted the opportunity to usefully collaborate with the majority. We can pull the trigger on an independent investigation of the administration’s use of intelligence at any time. But we can only do so once.
“The best time to do so will probably be next year, either:
“A) After we have already released our additional views on an interim report, thereby providing as many as three opportunities to make our case to the public. Additional views on the interim report (1). The announcement of our independent investigation (2). And (3) additional views on the final investigation. Or:
“B) Once we identify solid leads the majority does not want to pursue, we would attract more coverage and have greater credibility in that context than one in which we simply launch an independent investigation based on principled but vague notions regarding the use of intelligence.
“In the meantime, even without a specifically authorized independent investigation, we continue to act independently when we encounter footdragging on the part of the majority. For example, the FBI Niger investigation was done solely at the request of the vice chairman. We have independently submitted written requests to the DOD and we are preparing further independent requests for information.
“SUMMARY: Intelligence issues are clearly secondary to the public’s concern regarding the insurgency in Iraq. Yet we have an important role to play in revealing the misleading, if not flagrantly dishonest, methods and motives of senior administration officials who made the case for unilateral preemptive war.
“The approach outlined above seems to offer the best prospect for exposing the administration’s dubious motives.” [End of Memo Excerpt.]
The revelation that Democrats are using the intelligence committee to conduct opposition research for the coming presidential campaign demands an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee, Hannity said.
****************************************
...and the Democrats wonder why the American voter continues to vote their dumb butts out of office with every election! They’re not concerned about national security…their only concern is to regain the House, Sentate and the Presidency.
...and stupid Barbra Streisand, today, is calling for the Impeachment of George Bush, when he’s the only person standing between the cowardly, brutal, militant, Muslim terrorists and the state of Israel’s survival! Does Streisand think that Hillary or Bill will come to the defense of Israel, should Israel come under attack by Iran?...don’t hold your breath Barbra!
— seminolejoe Nov 6, 03:45 PM # - this is a war of agression against people of Iraq. They dont want us there after more than 100,000 of them died. American people have been deceived to think we are there for a good cause. This is not Bosnia.
— HOSSEIN KHORSAND Nov 6, 07:55 PM # - Dear Senator Reid, Many thanks for standing up to the Republicans and their outrageous dismantling of this country. Thank you for bringing attention to the fictions created to conduct a war in Iraq. Calling for a closed session was brilliant. We also hope that you will not confirm a nomimee to the Supreme Court who will fail to serve all the people but will swing the court to the far right extreme. How important is the Supreme Court? Our Supreme Court chose our present president, giving us the incompetent George Bush.
— Elizabeth C Nov 6, 11:01 PM # - Senator Reid,
You need to read this, xerox it, and staple it to everyone’s forhead – include Gov. Dean.
Daily Howler www.dailyhowler.com
WHY IT PERSISTS! Even Clinton said there were WMD! The claim is irrelevant, but it persists—because of our liberal elites:
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2005
WHY IT PERSISTS: How inept is our current liberal elite? How hapless are modern liberals at handling even basic information—at framing even the most obvious message? To get an idea, let’s go back to John McCain’s statement on Thursday night’s Larry King Live:
KING (11/3/05): With Senator John McCain, author of Character is Destiny. Is the Senate going to have a full investigation of what led up to Iraq?
MCCAIN: Well, Larry, I think that we have investigations going on and we have had investigations. I was on a commission of weapons of mass destruction where we reached several conclusions, including the obvious one that there was a colossal intelligence failure but also that every intelligence agency in the world believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and he did a pretty good job of convincing his own generals that he had them.
Other countries thought there were WMD! Why, even President Clinton said it! These ubiquitous talking-points drove David Brooks’ appalling New York Times column last Thursday. And yet, this talking-point—Even Clinton said there were weapons!—is completely irrelevant to the question of whether the Bush Admin lied us to war. The fact that this talking-point still exists—no, the fact that it’s seen and heard almost everywhere—helps us see how hopeless we have been at handling even basic info and framing even bone-simple messages. How inept are our liberal elites? The persistence of this irrelevant (but effective) talking-point surely lets us see.
Even Clinton said there were WMD! This claim, while accurate, is completely irrelevant to the question of whether Bush lied us to war. What follows are a few of the things Clinton and Democrats didn’t say in the run-up to war. Yet these are claims—starting in the fall of 02—which took us to war in Iraq:
1) President Clinton didn’t say: That Saddam could have a nuke within six months. That was the statement of Vice President Cheney—and it contradicted the state of the intelligence.
2) President Clinton didn’t say: That there was only one use for those aluminum tubes—that the tubes could only be used in nukes. That statement was made by Condoleezza Rice. It contradicted the state of the intelligence.
3) President Clinton didn’t say: That Iraq had unmanned aerial vehicles which it “could use…to deliver biological weapons to its neighbors or, if transported, to other countries including the United States.” That clownish claim was made by Colin Powell in his presentation before the UN—the presentation which ended debate about the war. (In Plan of Attack, Bob Woodward drew a devastating picture of the way Powell assembled this report. Liberal elites ignored it, though. Reading books is just too gosh-darn hard.)
4) President Clinton didn’t say: That Iraq could fire up its chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes. That was President Bush, in September 2002—making the statement which George Tenet derided as “the 45-minute shit.” President Clinton wasn’t talking this “shit;” it was Bush who was talking it. (In Plan of Attack, Bob Woodward describes Tenet ridiculing Bush’s statement this way. Liberal elites ignored it.)
5) President Clinton didn’t say: That Saddam was seeking uranium from Africa. Whatever you’ve decided about this claim—we’d say it played an extremely small role in the run-up to war—it wasn’t Bill Clinton who made it.
6) And, of course, President Clinton didn’t say: That Iraq was involved in September 11. That was the Bush team, over and over. The claim was made to build the impression that Saddam was inclined to attack us. With those UAVs, for example. In as little as forty-five minutes.
The concept here isn’t all that tough. Yes, most people did believe that Iraq would have chemical or biological weapons. We’d assume that the Bush Admin actually thought this too.
But chemical and biological weapons weren’t a threat to the United States—so the Bush Admin began to pimp the idea that Saddam might also have nukes. The heavy pimping of the nukes began in August 2002—driven by blatant misstatements by Cheney, Rice and Bush, not by Clinton. At the same time, we heard that Saddam’s UAVs could deliver chem and bio to this country—and we heard that Saddam would surely do so if he could. (Just look at his role in September 11!) Bill Clinton didn’t say these things—these things were said by Bush/Cheney/Rice. And these were the claims, in the fall of 02, which actually took the nation to war. The claim that Saddam had WMD was not the claim which took us to war. It was the claims we’ve listed above—claims which were not made by Clinton.
The distinction here is unbelievably simple. A bright fourth-grader could probably make it. But Democratic and liberal elites have repeatedly failed to offer this point. In fact, Dems and libs have repeatedly gone on TV and gotten their brains beaten out on this topic. (See THE DAILY HOWLER, 6/24/05. Prepare to avert your gaze in embarrassment.) Result? This utterly worthless, irrelevant point still helps drive the American discourse. Even the French thought Saddam had weapons! Even Clinton said there were WMD! These claims are irrelevant (if highly effective). But so what? Three years later, they persist—and drive our lives—because of our broken-down liberal elites. Empty, incapable, lazy, inept, stupid: These are just a few of the traits which have kept this worthless point in our lives, unrebutted on TV every dang night of the week..
HUMANS CAN’T GET DUMBER: Over the course of the past few years, we’ve charted the bloodshed when liberal spokesmen have gone on TV and made the following claim: Bush lied when he said there were WMD. We’ve linked you above to a three-part discussion, but the sheer stupidity reached its heights when Howard Dean did Meet the Press last May. Believe it or not, this did happen:
DEAN (5/22/05): I hate what the Republicans are doing to this country, I really do…I hate the dishonesty, you know, the idea that you’d put a program through Congress without telling people what it costs, I think that’s wrong. Some of the things that the president said on our way into Iraq, they just weren’t true, and I don’t think that’s right. So—
RUSSERT: Such as?
DEAN: Such as weapons of mass destruction, which we have all known about, but the—
RUSSERT: Well, you said there were weapons of mass destruction!
DEAN: I said I wasn’t sure, but I said I thought there probably were. But the thing that really bothered me the most, which the 9-11 Commission said also wasn’t true, is the insinuation that the president continues to make to this day that Osama bin Laden [sic] had something to do with supporting terrorists that attacked the United States…
Is there any earthly way to be dumber? Forget Clinton; Dean himself had said there were weapons. But then he criticized Bush’s “dishonesty” because the president had said the same thing! (Again, we’ll bet you dollars to donuts that Bush believed there would be chem and bio.) And when he was challenged on this obvious point, he simply changed the subject! In part, this is why the public has the low opinion of Dems we read about in today’s Post. (“One bright spot for the Republicans is the low regard in which many Americans hold the Democrats. The public sees the Democrats as disorganized, lacking in clear ideas or a positive alternative to the GOP agenda, and bereft of appealing leaders.” For once, the public is right.)
How can our spokesmen be so inept? That’s a question for the gods. But if you want to know why this talking-point persists, just look back at Howard Dean fumbling on Meet the Press just this May. He could have mentioned the aluminum tubes. He could have mentioned Cheney’s time-table. He could have laughed at the “45-minute shit.” Instead, he criticized Bush—for saying what he himself had said—and he looked like a hack in the process.
The distinction we have drawn above is the simplest f*cking distinction on earth. But for three years now, the distinction has proven much too hard for our liberal/Democrat spokesmen to handle. President Clinton said there were weapons! Even the French thought there were WMD! The irrelevant talking-point persists to this day because of our feckless tribe’s unending failures. On the other side, message machines churn out winning points. Our message machine? It lies silent.
IT NEVER STOPS: To hear Mark Shields bungle this point, just click here, then click on “RealAudio.” (We’ll post the transcript of this NewsHour exchange when it becomes available.) Even Clinton said there were WMD! This irrelevant point persists because our “spokesmen”—spokesmen like Shields—are lazy, inept, worthless, feckless.
VISIT OUR IRRELEVANT ARCHIVES: We’ve made these points many times in the past (see, for example, the link above). But then, nothing on earth is more pointless than trying to inform our liberal elites—a group of people who still won’t discuss how Bush got into the White House to begin with. (They know. They just don’t want to discuss it. After all, their social friends were involved.) And yes, that would be one of the reasons we’re moving on to other subjects. In the future, we’ll discuss the interests of low-income kids—safe in the knowledge that no elite “liberal” would waste his time on such a subject.
— dkmich Nov 7, 03:42 AM # - “What’s Right is Right”
Dear Mr. President—A letter from Teddy Kennedy…
Dear Mr. President:
On behalf of the American people, I must say that we are deeply disappointed, offended in fact, with your nomination of Judge Samuel Alitof or Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Clearly, you’re pandering to the right-wing extremists on the fringe of your party.
Yes, Alito was unanimously approved by the Senate as U.S. Attorney in 1987 and for the Circuit Court in 1990.
Yes, when Ronald Reagan nominated Alito to be a U.S. attorney in 1987, he received unanimous consent from the Senate. Yes, when your old man nominated him for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 1990, he again received unanimous consent from the Senate.
Surely by now, some right-wing Internet rag has uncovered my praise for Justice, err,Judge Alito at his confirmation hearing back then: Quote…
“You have obviously had a very distinguished record, and I certainly commend you for long service in the public interest. I think it is a very commendable career and I am sure you will have a successful one as a judge.”
However, he was the lone conservative voice on the Third Circuit Court back then, so I didn’t view his confirmation as a threat to our Constitution.
Besides, Mr. President, you know how these back-room wink-and-nod deals are cut. Remember when we agreed to give Reagan unanimous consent for that right-wing nut case Antonin Scalia in 1986, with the understanding that you guys would show us the same favor when it was our turn? Indeed, when my good friend Ms. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former general counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union, was nominated by my good friend Bill Clinton, she received overwhelming bipartisan support from Republicans.
More recently, knowing that your partisans would invoke the constitutional, err, nuclear option to change Senate rules and force a full-Senate vote on your right-wing appellate nominees, we agreed to release some of them for a floor vote. Then, when you finally got an opportunity to nominate a Supreme Court Justice, you sent up a guy named John Roberts, about whom precious little was known. That allowed us to save face with the American people. Even less was known, publicly, about Harriet Miers, which is why my colleague, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, was kind enough to recommend her for the High Court.
But now you’ve nominated in her place a man about whom a great deal is known. After 15 years on the appellate court, we know Alito is a dinosaur, a constitutional constructionist, somebody who can read what the Constitution actually says—and this has the American people very upset.
You and your right-wingers seem to cling to the antiquated notion that the Constitution should be interpreted as written. Well, wake up and smell the whiskey! What the American people want is a Supreme Court that will do what we, as their elected representatives, bid it to do. That’s the Democratic way.
As I said in my press conference today, “Rather than selecting a nominee for the good of the nation and the court, you have selected a nominee who conservatives think has views as extreme as their own. If confirmed, Alito will fundamentally alter the balance of the court and push it dangerously to the right, placing at risk decades of American progress in safeguarding our fundamental rights and freedoms.”
Harry Reid told you to “find a consensus nominee,” but you ignored him.
When Harry Reid told you to “find a consensus nominee,” you not only ignored his sage advice—you also failed to seek his approval for this nominee prior to your announcement. That, Mr. President, is a disgraceful example of partisanship.
We are gravely concerned that, in the words of my senatorial colleague, Chuck Schumer, “Alito will use his seat to return the court to the injustice of the past.” Well, Mr. President, we are not going to let that happen. Pat Leahy feels the same way. “This is a needlessly provocative nomination,” he said. “Instead of uniting the country through your choice, you have chosen to reward one faction of your party, the virulent wing of the Republican Party, at the risk of dividing the country.”
My understudy, John Kerry, echoes these grave concerns:”The far right wing has now forced you to nominate a divisive justice in the mold of Antonin Scalia who does not hold mainstream American values, rather than a qualified woman or minority.” Dick Durbin got it right when he called this nomination “an effort to appease the far right wing.”
The same talking points have been distributed to my underlings down in the House. Nan Pelosi got them: “The radical conservative right is in charge of your administration.”
Until now, Mr. President, we’ve worked extremely well together. As your far-right radical base has no doubt told you, you haven’t yet vetoed a single spending or regulatory-expansion measure we’ve sent over your way. Heck, your dad’s foundation even bestowed upon me its annual lifetime achievement award for public service. But everything hangs in the balance with this nominee, Mr. President—so all bets are off.
So what if Alito has great academic credentials and more judicial experience than 105 of 109 Justices confirmed to the court? So what if Alito is the son of poor Italian immigrants? He may think he’s Catholic, but he lacks the integrity of an Irish Catholic like me. None of this matters. I got kicked out of Harvard for cheating on a Spanish exam—so what? I left a young gal to drown when I got sloshed and drove us off that bridge—so what? I am still a Senator.
Judge Alito has demonstrated that he’s a strict constructionist who supports states’ rights and thinks the First Amendment restricts only the Congress when it comes to our sacred wall of separation between church and state. He would, no doubt, return to states and local communities the decision to have prayer in their schools. He’s even approved Christmas displays by local municipalities.
Even worse, though, is his support of parents’ rights—as if they know better how to raise their kids than the government does. Alito thinks the Second Amendment means what it says, and that, Mr. President, is really dangerous. As you know, far more conservatives own guns than liberals. But my greatest concern is that he’s the sort of nut who believes that children in the womb deserve to live, and that husbands—and parents in the case of minors—should be notified before an abortion. Outrageous!
Your little “Scalito” claims, that “Judges should be judges. They shouldn’t be legislators, they shouldn’t be administrators.” Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist seems to agree, insisting, “Judge Alito has displayed a judicial philosophy marked by judicial restraint and respect for the limited role of the judiciary to interpret the law and not legislate from the bench.”
Well, maybe that was true back when the Constitution was ratified, but not today. What unmitigated arrogance. Frankly, we know that all this “constructionist” stuff is just a ruse to suggest the Constitution does not guarantee the right to kill children before they are born. As you know, that right is what holds our Party together, and we will not turn it back over to the states.
Mr. President, as Chuck Schumer said earlier today, Alito is “a controversial nominee for a pivotal swing vote on the High Court who could shift the balance of the court, and thus the laws of the nation, for decades to come.” I’m well aware, Mr. President, that you made a campaign promise to appoint strict constructionist judges in the mold of Scalia and Thomas, but it was only a campaign promise after all. I mean, it’s not like anyone would’ve held you to it.
Candidly speaking, you know as well as I do that the majority of Americans don’t support our Democratic agenda—which is why we’re so desperate to maintain control of the Supreme Court. If we can’t pass legislation by legitimate means, we can still do it by judicial diktat, right?
Level with me, Mr. President: Did you use the Miers nomination as a decoy to rally your troops behind Alito? Either way, you can rest assured that we’ll use this same nomination to rally our constituents—we will have them whipped into a frenzy and filling our Senate and House campaign coffers with their last pennies. In the end, your Party controls the Senate and can even invoke the “nuclear option.” OK, but we will not take up this nomination until January, to give us as much time as possible to unite our base.
Prepare for battle, Mr. President. We are going to use everything in our arsenal, starting with our print and television media outlets, to force you into submission.
Sincerely,
Senator Edward Kennedy
P.S. Do you believe anybody actually listens to what I have to say?
— seminolejoe Nov 7, 09:06 AM # - The actions of the Democrats this past week have given my some hope for the future. I whole-heartedly support Sen. Ried’s effort to hold our representive’s resposible. It’s about time!
However, any good management book will tell you, criticism and punishment is not enough. YOU MUST HAVE A PLAN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM!!
Take this inspiring initiative to action to form a PLAN to resolve the problems.
Show me the plan, Democrats, and I’ll join.
Otherwise- its all hot air and politics as usual.
— Norina Nettleton Nov 7, 01:17 PM # - You want a Plan? I’ll give you a plan…Our plan is to continue to berate George Bush and his administration until somebody begins to listen to us. Do you have a better plan than this?
P.S. So what if the economy is improving; gas prices down to $2.25 for regular; unemployment down; housing starts up; more whites and minorities own a home than anytime in history; inflation is relatively low; more than 4.3 million jobs created since May 2003; productivity up 4.1 % in the 3rd quarter; the stock market is on the rise…so what? George Bush is a liar and we want to take back control of the House; the Senate; and the Presidency…don’t bother me about “A Plan!”
Harry Reid
— seminolejoe Nov 7, 02:14 PM # - Go get ‘em Harry! It’s way past time for the Dems to stand up to this crowd. Don’t let up. We have just begun to fight!! M J Cannarella
— Mary Jo C. Nov 7, 09:24 PM #
commenting closed for this article
