SENATE ETHICS COMM- FREEREPUBLIC NET: "PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MEMO BEHIND THE CURTAIN"

FRN | 2/20/04 | diotima

[diotima]

On November 5, 2003, Americans were given an unprecedented look inside the Democrats' war, when Fox News published an astoundingly revealing memorandum from within the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, describing how Democrats on the Committee intend to use their positions, influence, and access to information - not to help win the war on terror, or to protect American citizens - but to undermine the Bush Administration. The memo describes their agreement to launch an "independent investigation" as a means to that end, timed to coincide with the 2004 presidential campaign.

Read the memo on intelmemo.com

On January 15, 2004 The Free Republic Network filed a complaint with the Senate Select Ethics Committee alleging improper and unethical conduct by Senator Jay Rockefeller and Democrat members of the staff of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Read the FR thread here.

Earlier last week, we received a response from the SSEC: (click for larger image)

[diotima]

ping!

[diotima]

ping!

[diotima]

Here's looking at you, Kid!

[diotima]

Here is the memo that was leaked:
_____________________________________

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 has agreed to look at the activities of the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as Secretary Bolton's office at the State Department. The fact that the chairman supports our investigations into these offices and co-signs 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. (Note: 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 have already compiled all the public statements on Iraq made by senior administration officials. We will identify the most exaggerated claims and 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 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: 1) additional views on the interim report; 2) announcement of our independent investigation; and 3) additional views on the final investigation; or

B) Once we identify solid leads the majority does not want to pursue. We could 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 foot-dragging 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 questions to DoD; and we are preparing further independent requests for information.

[jackbill]

Can you spell "Whitewash"?

[OXENinFLA]

Memo-Gate Ping.......................

[Laserman]

I assume, and dearly hope, that this will not be the end of the matter for FR. This issue needs to be kept alive as it clearly demonstrates that for the Dems Power and Politics comes before the People every time!

[diotima]

Your tax dollars at work!

[rhombus]

Since so many Dems supported the publication of the Pentagon Papers and ignored how they were obtained, one would think they would support a full public airing of these memoranda....NOT

[Stallone]

The free, biased media are the replacement for the DNC soft money cut-off.

They knew it all along, the 'Rats.

[diotima]

We are considering our options right now. This response hit us at a time when we are about to launch a big project, but we will check around and get some advice.

A "highly placed Washington mover and shaker" told me that there is an understood bipartisan agreement in place that there will be no investigations of ethics complaints

[petitfour]

Well, then, if the representatives of the people will not do their sworn duty, then I guess the people will have to investigate all of 'em. Anybody got a copy of the memos?????????????????

[thesummerwind]

ping

[diotima]

There is a copy of the memo leaked at post 5. You might be getting all the democrats' treacherous memos mixed up. This is the INTELLIGENCE MEMO not the JUDICIAL MEMOS. It is hard to keep it all straight...

[petitfour]

Yep, you're right. I was thinking of the judiciary memos. However, how can our elected representatives have ethics investigations? Are there any with ethics?

[thesummerwind]

there is an understood bipartisan agreement in place that there will be no investigations of ethics complaints

If this country were a terribly diseased and in pain dog or cat, I'd put it to sleep. Our government and the mainstream media have already put this country to sleep, and we didn't feel a thing.

[Quix]

IDIOTS.

HOW ABOUT A BIG FREEP IN DC AGAINST THE MINDLESS ONES?

PASS OUT COPIES OF THE LETTER.

SUGGEST THROWING EVERY LAST SNIVELLING TRAITOROUS RAT AND COMPLICIT RHINO OUT OF DC.

[Quix]

I hate to even imagine it . . .

but occasionally, the through races through one's head. . .

if they keep this idiocy up, perhaps Bin Laden and his nukes would do us a big favor to relieve us of D.C.

Sheesh.

Traitorous idiots.

[diotima]

Tough call...

Clearly the democrats will use sensitive intelligence information for partisan purposes, so the next question is, what are they willing to do with that information for partisan purposes? Sell it maybe?

[prairiebreeze]

So has Sean Hannity seen this response? The memo was leaked to him initially....

Prairie

[skinkinthegrass]

Looks like the GOP is running for the Tall Grass..."running like scalded dogs, from this fight".

IS the GOP is in the Majority, or NOT?. Why can't the GOP stand-up to these 'RATS. To HELL with the "go-along, to-get-along" Trent Lott mindset. :(

[diotima]

I think that, for the most part, our "representatives" in DC don't much care what happens there unless it leads to bad press for them such that their elections are in jeopardy. What might be most effective is for local/state campaigns to take place, informing constituencies what their hired employees are doing on the job.

Here is a list of the Democrats on the IntelCommittee and they all got a copy of the complaint we filed:

Senator Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia (Vice Chairman)
Senator Carl Levin, Michigan
Senator Dianne Feinstein, California
Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon
Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois
Senator Evan Bayh, Indiana
Senator John Edwards, North Carolina
Senator Barbara Mikulski, Maryland

[Rabid Dog]

I think as a matter of principle we should continue to apply pressure - of course they are going to try to blow the matter off.

Time to put up another set of talking points and contacts and put out a plea that individual taxpayers (meaning us) send a note to the committee and CC: their representative and perhaps the local paper.

[diotima]

I contacted him yesterday evening when we got the letter.

[petitfour]

And who are the Republicans?

[diotima]

Senator Pat Roberts, Kansas (Chairman)
Senator Orrin Hatch, Utah
Senator Mike DeWine, Ohio
Senator Kit Bond, Missouri
Senator Trent Lott, Mississippi
Senator Olympia Snowe, Maine
Senator Chuck Hagel, Nebraska
Senator Saxby Chambliss, Georgia
Senator John Warner, Virgin

I think Sen Kyl recently left quietly...we are looking into that.

[cynicom]

This is an example of shyster lawyers that later become judges.

[Quix]

I agree. Looking at that list . . .

Subtract out the commie traitors outright . . .

Subtract out the bad old boy's club outright . . .

Subtract out the megalomaniacs eager for all the power they can grasp or steal . . . .

Who's left . . . the visiting office copier repairman?

[abner]

Are there any with ethics?

Yes. They are sold to the highest bidder, or whoever has the most senority in the House or Senate good ol' boy club.

[sweetliberty]

"The free, biased media are the replacement for the DNC soft money cut-off."

Now if they could just silence that blowhard, Limbaugh and shut down that FR truth site hate site, they could continue to lie with impunity and these uppity Americans could be safely brought back to the plantation where they will learn NOT to challenge the demonRAT masters.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I think you're on to something.

[StriperSniper]

Tar, feathers, all of them!!!

[diotima]

It really is amazing. It is amazing that we have a majority in the senate and we won't do anything to stop the democrats from using dirty tricks to take that majority away from us, along with the presidency and the court system.

I just think every last one of them is as dirty as the next...

[diotima]

Talk Radio and the internet have proved problematic to the big leftist picture, no doubt!

[cynicom]

Mention term limits around here and one has to duck for cover. Fred Thompson was my hero, a citizen legislator, one term and leave. Yes, I dislike lifetime professional politicians, regardless of party.

[jmstein7]

BUMP!

(Morning)

[sweetliberty]

"Talk Radio and the internet have proved problematic to the big leftist picture, no doubt!"

The biggest....and you can bet our days are numbered at FR before they strat to go after us with the same vengeance with they attack Rush, Fox news and the president himself. They hate the truth and they don't want people to know it, particularly the deluded party faithful. The best way to accomplish that is to make us all out to be right-wing fringe. They operate like a cult. Cults have "forbidden reading" materials, the reason being that if the people in the cult were exposed to the truth their veil of delusion would be lifted and they would get out. Same thing is going on here.

[diotima]

We just need to make sure they don't regulate the internet. I think the mainstream has ignored us, unless they need to find a fringe right wing extremist straw man. Nick Danger gave a speech at CPAC and recounted how the NYT had called us for our reaction to Dean's success on internet activism. Nick told them that we have been doing this (internet activism) for seven years precisely because the mainstream ignores us.

[MHGinTN]

I copied the memo to a staunch democrat relative ... the response was, "Well, this is democracy at work, with the minority party acting to keep the majority honest and searching for important information that shows this administration took US to war on lies." The dnc has thoroughly indoctrinated their mindless gnomes ...

[prairiebreeze]

Your relative sounds like he would happily walk straight to the gas chamber as long as it had "Democrat" written on the side. He's only one of millions....

Prairie

[sweetliberty]

"A "highly placed Washington mover and shaker" told me that there is an understood bipartisan agreement in place that there will be no investigations of ethics complaints"

So why are we not throwing these people out on their ear....physically if need be? Obviously, there has been a breakdown in the electoral process and a disconnect between the people who are supposed to govern and those who actually do and who refuse to heed the voice of the people. Somewhere along the line the "leaders" lost sight of the fact that they are to be public SERVANTS and took it upon themselves to be lords and masters, selectively hearing of the voice of the people.

Maybe I take the words of the founders too literally for these days and times, but I suspect that if similar conditions existed under them (not that I think that would even have been possible) that fully half of the leadership in Washington would be tried for high crimes, and many of the others would be subjected to severe disciplinary action, if not removal from office. Some of the attitudes that exist among the political elite are counterproductive to a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Maybe I am too much of an idealist, or perhaps just too well-educated, to ignore the blatant abuses that take place. I often wish that I could blissfully stick my head in the sand and forget about it, but then, that would present a tempting target to whoeve happened along, wouldn't it?

[jmstein7]

The libs HATE Lexis-Nexis!

[diotima]

The problem is that most people do not have time to hold their representation accountable. And the politicians love this. The simplest way to take care of this would be to vote the bad apples out of office. Unfortunately, the general public doesn't follow the events that aren't published in the mainstream press and they don't hunt around on the internet to find out the truth.

[sweetliberty]

"the general public doesn't follow the events that aren't published in the mainstream press and they don't hunt around on the internet to find out the truth."

Bingo! And that is exactly what the RATs count on to pad their constituency and to get and keep power.

[Unicorn]

BTTT

[USMA '71]

I took the liberty to revise your list with a few nicknames. Seems to me to look like the the Seven Dwarfs Plus One.

Senator Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia (Vice Chairman) - SNEEZY

Senator Carl Levin, Michigan - GRUMPY

Senator Dianne Feinstein, California - SLEEZY

Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon - BASHFUL

Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois - HAPPY

Senator Evan Bayh, Indiana - SLEEPY

Senator John Edwards, North Carolina - DOC

Senator Barbara Mikulski, Maryland - DOPEY

I had to come up with one additional name - but that was easy. What a bunch of losers!

[clyde260]

I have been asking myself for years why, seemingly, Republicans in office almost never defend themselves? Why? Why? Why, do do Demonrats always take thier pot shots, or get caught red-handed, or play thier dirty tricks, and "we" always sit back.

Is it because we won't stoop to their level? Are we better off for this? We are in the majority. ??????

[TruthNtegrity]

Bookmarking

[stylin19a]

Am I reading the response correctly ?
The SSCI investigated the complaint against the SSCI ?