November 02, 2005

Harry Reid forces the US Senate into a closed session and suddenly becomes a one-man nuclear (option) bomb squad
by Liza Sabater

It was a move that left Bill Frist personally affronted and took Republicans by surprise, yet was foretold by Senator Jay Rockefeller in a statement he released on October 28th. Harry Reid closed down the US Senate in a special session to discuss the a matter of national security : Why did we go to war and how does the Plamegate scandal fit into the whole narrative?

SENATOR ROCKEFELLER'S STATEMENT ON SPECIAL PROSECUTOR FITZGERALD'S INDICTMENT OF WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL SCOOTER LIBBY || To date, Congress has completely failed to answer these critical questions.  The fact is that at any time the Senate Intelligence Committee pursued a line of questioning that brought us close to the White House, our efforts were thwarted.  If my Republican colleagues are not prepared to undertake a full and serious congressional investigation into the potential misuse of intelligence, then I regretfully conclude that we have no choice but to pursue an outside independent investigation.  The American people deserve answers and they want the truth.

This has been a showdown in the making and that was captured by CNN. Kudos to Crooks and Liars : what would we do without you?!?! And let's not forget Think Progress has the transcript:

SEN. HARRY REID: America deserves better than this. They also deserve a searching and comprehensive investigation into how the Bush administration brought this country to war. Key questions that need to be answered include:

- How did the Bush administration assemble its case for war against Iraq? We heard what Colonel Wilkerson said.

- Who did the Bush administration officials listen to and who did they ignore?

- How did the senior administration officials manipulate or manufacture intelligence presented to the Congress and the American people?

- What was the role of the White House Iraq Group, or WHIG, a group of senior White House officials tasked with marketing the war and taking down its critics? We know what Colonel Wilkerson says.

- How did the administration coordinate its efforts to attack individuals who dared to challenge the administration's assertions? We know what happened to them -- I listed a few.

- Why has this administration failed to provide Congress with the documents that would shed light on their misconduct and the misstatements?

By the by, listen to the whole thing and you will find out why so many people on the the internets think Wolf Blitzer is an idiot.

Daily Kos posted Senator Reid's timeline of events that prove why an independent counsel investigation is needed to see how bad a blow is Plamegate to our national security :

For more than two years, Senate Democrats have pressed Republicans to address the misuse of intelligence. At every turn, Republicans have blocked efforts to investigate how intelligence was used in the run-up to the war in Iraq. Below details the long record established by Democrats to investigate this matter.

March 14, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Director Mueller requesting an investigation into the origin of the Niger documents.

May 23, 2003 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller sent a letter to the CIA and State Department Inspectors General to review issues related to the Niger documents.

June 2, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller issued a press release endorsing a statement made of the previous weekend by Senator Warner calling for a joint SSCI/SASC investigation.

June 4, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller issued a press release saying he would push for an investigation. Senator Roberts issued a press release saying calls for an investigation are premature.

June 10, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Senator Roberts asking for an investigation.

June 11, 2003 - All Committee Democrats signed a letter to Senator Roberts asking for a meeting of the Committee to discuss the question of authorizing an inquiry into the intelligence that formed the basis for going to war.

June 11, 2003 - Senator Roberts issued a press release saying this is routine committee oversight, and that criticism of the intelligence community is unwarranted. Senator Rockefeller issued a press release calling the ongoing review inadequate.

June 20, 2003 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller issued a joint press release laying out the scope of the inquiry.

August 13, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Senator Roberts making 14 points about the investigation, asking to expand the inquiry to address the "use of intelligence by policy makers" and asking for several other actions.

September 9, 2003 - After press reports quoting Senator Roberts as saying the investigation was almost over, Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Senator Roberts urging him not to rush to complete the investigation prematurely.
October 29, 2003 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller sent a letter to Director Tenet expressing in strong terms that he should provide documents that have been requested and make individuals available.

October 30, 2003 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller sent letters to Secretaries Rumsfeld and Powell, and National Security Advisor Rice expressing in strong terms that they should provide documents that have been requested and make individuals available.

October 31, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Director Tenet asking for documents related to the interaction between intelligence and policy makers, including the documents from the Vice President's office related to the Powell speech.

November 2, 2003 - Senator Roberts made statements during a joint television appearance with Senator Rockefeller claiming that the White house would provide all documents they jointly requested.

December 5, 2003 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to National Security Advisor Rice asking for her help getting documents and access to individuals.

January 22, 2004 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Director Tenet asking for compliance with the Oct. 31 request for documents.

February 12, 2004 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller issued a joint press release announcing the Committee's unanimous approval of the expansion of the Iraq review, to include use of intelligence in the form of public statements, and listing other aspects of what became Phase II.

March 23, 2004 - Senator Rockefeller sent yet another letter to Director Tenet asking for compliance with the Oct. 31 request for documents.

June 17, 2004 - Senators Roberts and Rockefeller joint press release announcing the unanimous approval of the report.

July 16, 2004 - Committee Democrats sent a letter to Bush asking for the one page summary of the NIE prepared for Bush. The Committee staff had been allowed to review it but could not take notes and the Committee was never given a copy.

February 3, 2005 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Senator Roberts outlining Committee priorities for the coming year and encouraging completion of Phase II.

August 5, 2005 - Senator Rockefeller sent a letter to Senator Roberts expressing concern over the lack of progress on Phase II and calling for a draft to be presented to the Committee at a business meeting in September.

September 29, 2005 - All Committee Democrats joined in additional views to the annual Intelligence Authorization Bill criticizing the lack of progress on Phase II.

The post-session press conference is even more thrilling.

My Left Wing :: HARRY REID: The "Yippee Ki Yay, Motherfucker" Speech || Unfortunately, the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities is not is not limited to just Iraq. We see it with respect to the prison abuse scandal. We see it with respect to Katrina, and we see it with respect to the cronyism and corruption that permeates this Administration.

Time and time again, this Republican-controlled Congress has consistently chosen to put its political interests ahead of our national security. They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican Administration rather than to get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened.

There's also another disturbing pattern, namely, about how this Administration responded to those who challenged its assertions. Often this Administration has actively sought to attack and undercut those who dared to raise questions about its preferred course. For example, when General Shinseki indicated several hundred thousand troops would be needed in Iraq, his military career was ended -- fired, relieved of duty when he out its inspectors.

When Nobel prize winner and head of the IAEA raised questions about the Administration's claims of Saddam's nuclear capabilities, the Administration attempted to remove him from his post.
When ambassador Joe Wilson stated that there was an attempt by Saddam -- no attempt by Saddam to acquire weapons from Niger, the Administration not only went after him to discredit him, they launched a vicious and coordinated campaign, going so far as to expose the fact that his wife worked as a C.I.A. spy.

These people are now having 24-hour protection fearing for their own safety.
Given this Administration's pattern of squashing those who challenge its misstatements, and I've only mentioned a few, what has been the response of the Republican-controlled Congress?

Absolutely nothing.

Yes, Armando, this is a turning point. It is history in the making.

Red State, Powerline, Little Green Footballs, all blogs from the Republican noise machine have absolutely nothing to say about the shutdown. It shows they have no talking points to work with. Michelle Malkin described it as a temper tantrum. Instapundit just spends two sentences on the event. What are they all blogging about? Riots in Paris which they've all decided are only of the making of muslims.

I'd strongly recommend they rent Hate.

Which brings me to a closing note about this idea of hate, religion, war and politics.

Ideologically speaking, the country has been taken hostage by extremists whores of a plutocratic class that finally took over the government of the most powerful country in the world. The US has fallen into a political Stockholme syndrome not just by the effects of a country falling prey to fear after the September 11 attacks. This political Stockholm syndrome has been in the making for over 30 years. It is the product of an ideological pollution network that has been able to use the culture of apocalyptic religion, and turn that into political gain for the last of the robber barons. It is the enmeshing of networks like the one behind the Manifesto for a Christian Church with the plutocratic networks so deftly outlined in They Rule that have taken over the government, the judiciary and the constitution.

The Scooter Libby indictment along with the nomination of Scalito are a political perfect storm that can either destroy the nation or wash away George W. Bush's pirate administration. There is no camera-ready high ground to go to at this point. Only experience on how to save the constitution and the rules of government will get us out of this one. Which is why it is important to remember the core of Harry Reid's message:

What we saw this Friday with the indictments is but a small glimpse of what is wrong with this administration. Congressional oversight is something that I have grown up with ... This Republican senate does no oversight. None. None. It's all part of a plan. They obstruct. They take orders from the White House. They do nothing without getting orders from the White House. The separation of powers doctrine is something that does not exist in this Republican town with the Republican controlled House and Senate and of course the President.

The war finally has come home. This is the first official step towards Impeach - Remove - Jail.

Elsewhere in the blogosphere:
Daily Kos: Reid Wins, Frist Loses, and the American People Get Closer To Their Promised Answers

Hullabaloo | Excellent

Pam's House Blend | Freepers on Harry Reid, Gang of 14

Booman Tribune ~ Secret Senate Session: Right-Wing Blogosphere Meltdown

Hijacked | Needlenose

Swing State Project | The Day Democrats Said Enough

The Left Coaster: Reid Forces Frist Into Re-Opening Senate Inquiry Into Bush Handling Of Iraq WMD Intelligence

Seeing the Forest: For The Record -- WHY There Weren't WMD In Iraq

The Blogging of the President | The Senate Detonates

The Mahablog | Democrats Do Something

Big Brass Blog | Some Democratic Cojones!!

Posted by Liza Sabater in Bill Frist, Conspiracy, Culture of Corruption, Democrats, George W. Bush, Government, Harry Reid, Impeach-Remove-Jail, Impeachment, Iraq, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Military, National Security, Propaganda, Republicans, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Theocracy, Theocrats, War
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Found inNovember 2, 2005 10:44 AM

Say it loud, say it proud!