Frist Disbands Senate Intel Committee Over Memogate

NewsMax ^ | 11/8/03 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has temporarily disbanded the Senate Intelligence Committee until committee Democrats reveal the identity of the author of a memo outlining a their plan to politicize intelligence data in a bid undermine President Bush's reelection.

"The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has been harmed by a blatant partisan attack," the Tennessee Republican said in a floor speech yesterday, concluding that the memo had rendered the committee "incapable of meeting its responsibilities to the United States Senate and to the American people."

"Those responsible for this memo appear to be more focused on winning the White House than they are on winning the war against terror," Frist complained before adding, "There will be no more pulling along and no more useful collaboration on partisan schemes."

Committee Chairman Pat Roberts echoed Frist's decision to shut his committee down, saying, "Unless and until this reprehensible attack plan and strategy to derail the committee's important work is properly addressed, I am afraid that it will be impossible to return to business as usual in the committee."

A committee meeting scheduled for yesterday was canceled, and none has been scheduled for next week, a senior committee staff member told the Washington Post.

Frist also demanded that Democrats implicated in the Memogate scandal deliver "a personal apology" to Sen. Roberts.

Though retiring Georgia Democratic Sen. Zell Miller has called the memo, first leaked to radio host Sean Hannity on Tuesday, "perhaps treasonous," other Democrats circled the wagons on Friday.

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid complained on the Senate floor that the memo had been "pilfered" by Republicans then leaked to the media, saying that act was just as offensive as anything revealed by the controversial document.

[CDHart]

This is odd: I just went to Frist's Senate web page, and for some reason I couldn't send him an e-mail congratulating him. Also the web page had a message saying it was down. Would that be because there are many people trying to e-mail him, or because it's been sabotaged?

Carolyn

[The Wizard]

bttt

[Enterprise]

I know. But it was fun while it lasted.

[george wythe]

I've been following national politics very closely for 10 years now and this is the first indication whatsoever I've seen of any backbone from the pubbie Senate leadership.

I'm shocked too.

I need someone to pinch me.

It this is true, then Frist's reputation has gone up a couple of notches in my book.

[dixiechick2000]

I haven't read the thread, so I don't know if you've seen this, yet.

To say Frist has surprised me a great deal would be an understatement.

Go Ole Miss!

[freedom1st]

I predict that Fox News Sunday will be the only Sunday Morning Talk Soup Show to bring up Memogate.

[mdmathis6]

This would be an interesting trade...Frist agrees to drop the matter of the memo, and reconvening the senate intelligence comittee and in return we get the judges we want!

[MHGinTN]

Well, you can count on Timmy 'democrat kneepads' Russert to raise the issue from the democrat talking points side. He will promote their 'victimhood', you can count on that!

[Dustbunny]

Wow, he does have a backbone.

Unfortunately it won't last, it will shrivel like most of the Republican backbones. The dems know we won't push and will give up in a short period of time.

[pushforbush]

Frist needs to disband this committee and fire the current staff members of the committee. All that has happened so far is they've cancelled one meeting. Big deal.

[pushforbush]

Frist needs to disband this committee and fire the current staff members of the committee. All that has happened so far is they've cancelled one meeting. Big deal.

[pushforbush]

In fact, I think Newsmax may be inventing the term "disband" here. Let's see if any of the other media use the same term.

[MHGinTN]

Dick Durbin is far more demonic than you may realize. In order to negate the republican version of the Partial Birth Abortion Infanticide ban recently, Deadly Dicky pushed his alternate bill that would 'ban all abortion after (I think) the fifth month of pregnancy, except for the life and health of the mother'. Since demonic Dickhead knows and plans for the 'health of the mother' clause to be wide enough to accomodate any excuse the serial killer abortionists wishes to cite, it became evident that Durbin was doing more than trying to stall or obstruct passage, he was trying to find a new way to guarantee that the slaughter continue unabated by deceiving the voting public! THAT is the definition of a ghoul, IMHO.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

PING

[MHGinTN]

Good grief! Is this a committee or a coven? And these lefties are in charge of our military secrets!

Yours is the most on point comment I've yet read regarding this sedition by the anti-american demonrats. Please send that to Hannity at his website, the nation needs to hear it expressed so precisely.

[MHGinTN]

You asked, "I wonder what changed their minds?" ... (to make a big deal out of this memo). My guess is Sean told some Pubby just who sent the copy, and it was a patriotic dem staffer (yes, there are some, and they must be suffering terribly as the clintonization/McAwfulism to their party pushs it further into the sewer of sedition) who couldn't let the democrat treachery go unexposed! Being a dem source makes the democrat outrage and bluster of 'stolen' all the more damning to the fools on the "D" side.

[onyx]

LOL! That's a good policy --- ping first. We mustn't miss a thing. AAAAH.

[blake6900]

I don't think we'll be hearing anymore nonsense about "who leaked the CIA operative's name" from these assho!es for awhile...

[Principled]

I wonder if the development of a collective Republican spine has anything to do with that cache of intell documents found in Iraq the other day?

I think so!

[dixiechick2000]

Priorities...

And, this way one can have it all. lol

AAAAH...