Posted on 11/01/2005 6:15:58 PM PST by kellynla
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democrats forced the Senate into a closed session Tuesday to pressure the Republican majority into completing an investigation of the intelligence underpinning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Democrats demanded that Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts move forward on a promised investigation into how Bush administration officials handled prewar intelligence about Iraq's suspected weapons programs.
The probe would be a follow-up to the July 2004 Intelligence Committee report that blamed a "series of failures" by the CIA and other intelligence agencies for the mistaken belief among U.S. policymakers that Iraq had restarted its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. (Full story)
The Senate reopened about two hours later, after members agreed to appoint a bipartisan group of senators to assess the progress of the "Phase 2" probe, the office of Majority Leader Bill Frist said. (See video on Democratic move -- 3:05)
The three Republicans and three Democrats are to report back to Senate leaders by November 14.
Democrats accused Roberts of stalling the probe into how administration officials handled the intelligence used to sell Congress and the public on invading Iraq.
Roberts, a Kansas Republican, said the closed session was "not needed, not necessary and, in my personal opinion, was a stunt."
The closed session was punctuated by acrimonious broadsides in the Capitol hallways.
Frist said Democrats had "hijacked" the Senate, and Democrats threatened to close the chamber each day until Republicans agreed to move forward with the investigation.
"This is an affront to me personally," said Frist, a Tennessee Republican. "This is an affront to our leadership. It is an affront to the United States of America, and it is wrong."
Frist said Senate Rule 21 -- which requires everyone but senators and a few aides to clear the chamber until a majority votes to reopen
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Maybe some day the Republicans will grow a spine and actually remind the left:
1. Remind the left that every single Democrat of note said in 1998 that Iraq's WMD posed a danger to the United States.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/972389/posts
2. Remind the left that Clinton's Justice Department obtained a federal indictment of Osama bin Laden which stated that AQ had a deal with Iraq. They agreed not to attack Iraq in exchange for weapons development.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/985906/posts
3. 9/11 Commission reaffirms Bush administration view of Iraq/AQ ties.
June 21, 2004. RNC.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1157478/posts
4. Long List of Clinton Administration Officials who Believed There was an AQ/Iraq connection.
July 12, 2004. NewsMax.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1169397/posts
5. List of CIA and various Reports regarding Iraq's support for terrorists, terrorism and AQ.
September 16, 2004. The Weekly Standard.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/631slkle.asp
6. Osama bin Laden was considered an Iraqi Intelligence asset.
October 14, 2004. National Review.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1246505/posts
Funny how in the 90's the world was concerned about the growing relationship between OBL and Saddam and now the left is revising history.
Saddam reaching out to OBL
January 1, 1999. Newsweek
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158277/posts
ABC news reports on the Osama/Saddam connections
January 14, 1999. ABC News
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1229608/posts?page=1
Osama and Saddam Work Together
January 27, 1999. Laurie Mylroie interview. She is a former Clinton terrorism czar.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158482/posts
A Much Shunned Terrorist Takes Refuge In Iraq (Abu Nidal)
New York Times. January 1999.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1433610/posts
Western Nightmare: Saddam and OBL versus the World. Iraq recruited OBL.
February 6, 1999. The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,798270,00.html
Saddam's Link to OBL
February 6, 1999. The Guardian
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/866105/posts
Saddam offered asylum to bin Laden
February 13, 1999. AP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1158274/posts
Son of Saddam coordinates with OBL.
Iraqi Special Ops coordinates with Bin Laden's terrorist activities.
August 6, 1999. Yossef Bodansky, National Press Club
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/951911/posts
That and more here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1327993/posts?q=1&&page=151
kelly - I didn't mean to post that same darned list to you and should have put all in the To box. Sorry.
no problemo!
I'm glad you did!
That way I have it for later.
thanks!
Exactly so, Clintonfatigued. They were all hawks in 1998 when Clinton signed the Iraqi Liberation Act.
Kerry actually called for American boots on the ground to force regime change in 1998! He was on ABC on Cokie Roberts show and made a long statement to the effect that the allies probably wouldn't support us, especially France and Germany, and they'd have a lot to answer to as a result. And he wanted American soldiers on the ground to force regime change.
I used to have the link and exact quote but deleted all my Kerry files after the 2004 election; something I regret doing now.
The gentlefolk who spent an amazing amount of their lives telling us about the Senate being the "saucer that cools" (blah blah blah) during the Clinton impeachment hearings threw a temper tantrum today because the two-year, politically driven investigation into what really happened when their churl, Valerie Plame's boy-toy, lied about his CIA employment didn't result in a witch hunt against Carl Rove or the "neocon conspiracy." When the little brats didn't get their way, they dragged the Senate out of the conservatory, right past the playpen, and into the pigpen. Reid and Schumer are petulant two year olds, and their true colors are finally showing through.
If they pull this stunt again, here's what I want to see: Republican Senators demanding closed door sessions to demand investigations into: Hillary Clinton's fundraising, Chuckie Schemer's DSCC's theft of Mike Steele's financial records, Kerry & Kennedy outing a REAL undercover CIA agent on the floor of a Senate hearing room, Chappaquidick, New Jersey governors and senators, and Barbara Boxer's existence. One a day between now and Christmas ought to do it.
I have no problem with the Senate closing down...
My belief, a government that governs less, governs best!
After they vote for Alito to the Supremes they could take the rest of the year off and no one would miss 'em...LOL
..sounds like the 'Rats are scared/paniced (after Roberts Nom., the "Rovegate" fizzled and Alito hearings) and rudderless (no sense of direction)...so they "pull" this out of their "party symbol"
Ordinarily I'd agree with you. Not so surprisingly, the business that Reid interrupted in order to pull his little petty stunt was a debate/vote on....wait for it....SPENDING CUTS!!!!
At least that's what Britt Hume said this evening.
I thought Rush was going to pop an artery over this one today! He is so right on about these idiots!
Excellent.. exactly..
What do they do but go on TV and CRY... disgraceful..
Anything short of a serious tusking is weak..
Unless they are indeed RINOs with horns made of rubber..
So why aren't the Dems pushing for Valerie Plame's entire section on WMD to be summarily fired? ;-)
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