Posted on 10/30/2005 10:51:03 PM PST by indianrightwinger
Reid: White House owes an explanation Poll shows dimmer view of Bush's ability to manage effectively
Sunday, October 30, 2005; Posted: 10:49 p.m. EST (03:49 GMT)
Programming Note: Joseph Wilson talks about the CIA leak investigation, on CNN's The Situation Room, Monday, 7 p.m. ET.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate minority leader said Sunday that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney owe the country an explanation of "what's going on" in the administration and called for White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to be fired.
"I think not only should the president appear before the American public and explain what is going on and take a few questions from the press, but certainly the vice president should do that," Sen. Harry Reid said on CNN's "Late Edition."
The Nevada Democrat referred to past comments from the president that anyone found to have been involved in the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame's name to the media would be fired.
Bush later amended his comments to say that anyone guilty of a criminal act would be fired.
"Everyone knows Karl Rove is involved," Reid said. "If the president is a man of his word, Rove should be history."
Rove is widely believed to have been named as "official A" in the five-count indictment handed up Friday against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Libby resigned Friday as Cheney's chief of staff after a federal grand jury indicted him on five charges related to the leak probe: one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements.
A leading Republican cautioned that Rove hasn't been charged with any crime.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
NPC Day Book: Event Details Event Date: Oct. 31, 2005 Event Name: Joseph Wilson Event Type: NPC Luncheon Time: 12:30 PM Sponsored by: Speakers Committee Event Location: Ballroom Details: Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson will address a Luncheon on October 31.
Someone should ask him how he knows this. Maybe it's because he has been helping Joe Wilson behind the scene along with a few disgruntled former CIA officials. I know "reporters" don't have the guts to ask him anything. He might actually give a truthful answer and it wouldn't fit these "reporters" agenda. And they damn sure have one.
It's time for either the White House or Republican Congress to publicly confront Joe Wilson's lies and the CIA that gave rise to them. They cannot sustain their foreign policy and the war on terrorism if they simply tread water while the Democrats snipe at them.
******
Dear Harry,
That was proved to be a lie by Patrick Fitzgerald who said this was not about the war!
I wonder if Harry Reid is as equally upset about a former Clinton National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, stealing TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS from the National Archives? /sarcasm
In May, a government official told National Review Online that the report contains a "scathing indictment of the last administration's actions." The source said the report portrayed the Clinton administration's actions as "exactly how things shouldn't be run."
******
July 14, 2005
Speaking in favor of his legislation to strip Rove of his clearance for classified information, Reid said the president should already have done so. Instead, Reid said, the administration has attacked its critics. "This is what is known as a cover-up. This is an abuse of power," Reid said.
******
May 13, 2005
Washington Times Reporter Charles Hurt charges today that Sen. Harry Reid improperly disclosed that Henry Saad, a Bush nominee for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, had negative information in his confidential FBI report.
Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid, while the President was overseas meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the highest ranking Democrat in Washington took it upon himself to call the President of the United States a "loser."
That is NOT true which I'll demonstrate in a moment.
Bush later amended his comments to say that anyone guilty of a criminal act would be fired.
Except there was NO amending by Bush!
Let's look at the timeline and actual quotes and context of what Bush said or what others said on his behalf:
Scott McClellan - 29 Sept 2003: "The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration."
SUMMARY: Press Secretary says if anyone is involved, they'd be tossed.
Bush - 30 Sept 2003: " And if there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of. ... I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action."
SUMMARY: BUSH himself says, "And if this person violated the law..."
Scott McClellan - 7 Oct 2003: "Let me answer what the President has said. I speak for the President and I'll talk to you about what he wants." and "If someone leaked classified information, the President wants to know. If someone in this administration leaked classified information, they will no longer be a part of this administration, because that's not the way this White House operates, that's not the way this President expects people in his administration to conduct their business."
SUMMARY: Press Secretary: Returns to his original line and ignores what Bush actually said which included the distiction about the law being broken. GAFFE again by S. McClellan.
Bush - 10 June 2004: He get a question from a reporter. Here is the exchange:
QUESTION: Given -- given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name?
THE PRESIDENT: That's up to --
QUESTION: And, and, do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. And that's up to the U.S. Attorney to find the facts.
QUESTION: My final point would be -- or question would be, has Vice President Cheney assured you --
THE PRESIDENT: It's up to the --
QUESTION: -- subsequent to his conversations with them, that nobody --
THE PRESIDENT: I haven't talked to the Vice President about this matter, and I suggest -- recently -- and I suggest you talk to the U.S. Attorney about that.
SUMMARY: Bush reiterated what he's been saying since 30 Sept 2003 but with the interruptions he makes a technical error bu answering the press question in the affirmative. Notice the press guy is actually mischaracterizing what it clearly the record of Bush's position going back to 2003: If you are a criminal, you're gone. Press ignores colleague played sound bite "gotcha" and run with it.
Bush - July 18, 2005: "If someone committed crime, they will no longer work in my administration."
SUMMARY A: Bush yet again repeats what he said in 2003 and 2004.
SUMMARY B: Bush reiterated what he's been saying since 30 Sept 2003 to the effect of 'If a crime is committed, you're gone.' BUT it's at this point the press decides to ignore the facts and timeline and say Bush has suddenly "raised the bar" because Rove and Libby might be involved.
CONCLUSION: Bush has been consistent since 2003 on this matter. The press has engaged in false reporting. The press is deliberately manipulating the news to harm this President and this administration. Harry Reid and others of the Democrat cabal of corruption has repeated the "common knowledge" created by the press lies to further his agenda. Scott McClellan should be FIRED for professional incompetence.
Did Harry fire himself? ;)
bttt
The Democrats and the media are trying desperately hard to make this indictment about the war in Iraq. If they succeed, I am ready to go-
Check out this speech I found on Iraq. If a person did not know better, you would think that it was a speech given by Bush- instead of a speech by Clinton.
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/02/17/transcripts/clinton.iraq/
The president? I think Hillary ought to appear before the American public and explain when she's going to return all the pilfered White House goods.
I think Hillary ought to appear before the American public and explain how all those boos directed in her direction were removed from tapes of the New York 9/11 Concert.
I think Hillary ought to appear before the American public to explain how she was named after an obscure New Zealand bee keeper.
And Hillary, come before the American public and explain again your incredibly adroit Cattle Futures finagling.
I was just so surprised ED didn't ask Joe why he said VP Cheney sent him to Niger.
The President owes Americans an apology, but not for anything done by Scooter Libby or Carl Rove as suggested yesterday by Leon Panetta on Meet the Press.
The President had an opportunity to clean a very dirty house when he first took office and he chose to turn a blind eye. He’s had numerous opportunities to allow discovery in a whole host of illegal activities by his predecessor’s administration, too, yet he’s chosen to block it at every turn, one presumes out of some perverted sense of what’s best for the country.
Cast your pearls before swine and you deserve what you get. Unfortunately, those of us who put our faith and trust in this president must now suffer right along with him.
Jack Boteler
Seabrook, TX
Oh oh......................
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